I lost too many friends to AIDS and as a result I began volunteering in HIV and AIDS related projects. Volunteering was a gruesome experience, but also healing and fulfilling. I found a cause I was interested in supporting. This experience led me to another cause I was passionate about namely by birth, the Syrian…
Amad Elzayat’s parents left Lebanon to come to Dearborn, Michigan with their family when he was seven months old. His mother stayed at home to raise six children while his father supported the family working two jobs, until he was injured and couldn’t work any longer. Although Elzayat’s family was poor growing up, he says…
CAAP and ACCESS are incredibly pleased and proud to announce that this year’s prestigious Arab American of the Year award will be presented to distinguished international advocates and philanthropists Basem and Muna Hishmeh at ACCESS’s 48th Annual Dinner on Thursday, March 28, 2019. Basem and Muna’s extraordinary commitment to numerous worthy causes has helped them uplift the voices of countless individuals…
The Center for Arab American Philanthropy would like to congratulate our 2018 Adawia Alousi Scholars! Representing colleges throughout the country, the women who make up this exceptional sisterhood are increasing the visibility of Muslim females in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. In addition to the jobs and extracurriculars these women are already…
Fatima Taj is nothing short of a rising star in Dearborn, MI. The recent high school graduate has already made a name for herself through prolific involvement in her community. As president of her high school’s Art Club, she worked with her fellow peers to beautify their learning environment by doing such projects as painting…
Planned giving is a form of strategic philanthropy that is often overlooked. Sometimes referred to as gift planning or legacy giving, it is a way to support nonprofits that enable individuals to make larger gifts than they could make from ordinary income. In short, a planned gift is any major gift, made in lifetime or at death…
Fleeing bombs and bullets, Dr. Aref Alkhouli and his family fled Al Ghouta, Syria. They arrived in 2016 to Dearborn, Michigan, seeking refuge. The family had lost their home, their job, and even their loved ones. Dr. Alkhouli had worked as a veterinarian in Syria, but after months of searching, he had yet to find employment…
Fleeing the horrors of the war in Daraa, Syria, Samer and Haifa Alasad made the choice to leave their home to keep their children Abdullah, Faid, and Hanan safe. After four years in a Jordanian refugee camp, the Alasads gathered what little belongings they had and moved to Michigan. The move was much more difficult…
Imagine having to start over in a new country with no job, no family support, and the inability to speak the native language. This is exactly what Zozan Alhajji faced with her husband, Moussa, and their two children Sam and Elva, after fleeing war in Syria in search of a better future for their kids….
When a missile landed across the street from Asmaa Othman’s house in Syria, she feared for her family’s lives. The following morning, Asmaa, her husband, Moussa, and three of her four sons (Rudy, Rayan, and Abdulrahman) walked out the door and left their life behind. Forced to leave her son, Loran, in Syria, she was…