Morgan Hill, CA – On Friday, September 22nd, the Bay Area local community and individuals from across the nation gathered to celebrate a remarkable evening at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s (CAAP) Threads of Giving Gala at Guglielmo Winery. The event honored the accomplished business leader and lifelong social entrepreneur Rania Succar, who…
Generously hosted by Gheed and Kamal Itani, Massachusetts’ inaugural 100 Arab Americans Who Care event brought together Arab Americans with a shared mission to pool their giving power to support one worthy organization. This community of Arab American philanthropists collectively combined their donations to grant $5,840 to the Center for Arabic Culture, a local nonprofit…
On Saturday, May 13, the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s 100 Arab American Women Who Care giving circle came together in celebration of its tenth-annual event at Land Rover Novi and pooled its collective donations to grant $10,000 to the Penrickton Center for Blind Children. The event was joined by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and…
I was born and raised in Syria; my nationality is a big part of my identity. With the start of the war in Syria, I wanted to have my feet on the ground back home and help in whatever way I could. It reminded me of my mother, who would give away our clothes, cook for and feed…
Before joining 1for3, I decided to volunteer first. The first thing I said to them if they are really interested in working in Palestine is that they should come with me and learn firsthand what the community wants. At that point, we realized that for us to do good and successful work in Palestine, the community must be involved…
I originally come from a humble family. I’ve always been known to care about others, not about myself. I felt a responsibility to my community and felt that I had the talent, I had the preparation, and who else would do it if I didn’t take the lead? I really enjoy seeing when I’m making a difference….
When you’re fighting Islamophobia, when you’re debunking and correcting misconceptions, when you’re thinking outside of the box to promote inclusion and diversity locally, regionally, even nationally—you make bold decisions not made before because your gut tells you, ‘this is the right thing. Do the right thing.’ Truly, the best part is helping an idea develop…
My grandmother tells me the story of having to leave Palestine in a boat and going to Egypt. It was the 1940s. She thought it was only going to be for a few weeks, but they never went back to Palestine. My grandparents learned to make a home for themselves and for others in a…
After 9/11, Arab Americans were heavily targeted, feared and misrepresented. I made it a point to change the way people saw Arab Americans by attaching my identity to everything I do, even when giving to causes that are not affecting the Arab American community. My identity became my driving force, and the pride I grew…
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…