What's New
A New Look for the New Year!
AAANY is getting a new look for the new year! We are renovating our upstairs classroom space, used every day by dozens of children and adults for afterschool tutoring and English and citizenship class. On December 17th, 2009, AAANY's Volunteer Coordinator visited the Kurt Hahn School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, to discuss why people choose to volunteer and and to help them understand the impact of their volunteer work at organizations such as AAANY. The following day, a group of volunteers from the Kurt Hahn School came to AAANY to repaint the walls upstairs, while AAANY staff and volunteers built bookshelves to hold a library of donated children's books. Our students, teachers and tutors are all motivated by the pleasant space, and we are excited for all of the progress they are achieving upstairs!
Be sure to check out our Photo Gallery! Recently, we've uploaded photos from our Youth Halloween Celebration and our 8th Annual Benefit Gala!
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AAANY Celebrates 8 Years of Service!
On Friday, November 20th, 250 supporters joined AAANY in celebrating its 8th anniversary of service to the Arab-American community of New York City. This year, for the first time ever, the event was held at Dyker Beach Golf Club, and featured live music from Yousef Shamoun (pictured right), performances by AAANY's teen debka troupe, great food, and plenty of dancing! Attendees included a diverse mix of local leaders, including members of the medical, legal, business, religious and political communities.
The evening's keynote speaker and honoree was Commissioner Fatima A. Shama of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (pictured left). She was joined by honorees Dean Rasinya (Chair, Brooklyn Community Board 10) and Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez (68th Precinct, NYPD). Each of these individuals was recognized for dedicated service to the Arab-American community, and we hope that they can continue to work to address the issues facing our constituents.
The annual Benefit Gala is our largest and most important fundraising event of the year, and we were thrilled that our community came out in such a heartwarming show of support and solidarity. Our Board President Dr. Ahmad Jaber (pictured right with members of NAAP-NY) said it best in asserting that in spite of the difficulties of the current economic climate, "you will never find lack of love and dedication to do good for the community." He added that "our frustrations have turned to solutions. We have learned that the success of our organization comes from the bridges we have built."
We would like to thank all of our donors, whether individuals, businesses or organizations. A special thanks goes out to our Gold Sponsors, including Lutheran Medical Center, HealthPlus, AmeriChoice, and Dr. Hassan Wehbeh. All funds raised at the Annual Benefit will be used towards expanding and improving our programs so that we can continue to efficiently and effectively serve the Arab American community in New York City. With your support, we look forward to another inspiring year of growth and success.
All sponsors of the event are featured in our Gala 2009 Journal, available for download in PDF format.
For more pictures from the 8th Annual Benefit Gala, please visit our photo gallery soon!
Thanksgiving Turkeys for Arab-American Families
On Tuesday, November 24th, 100 families received free turkeys for Thanksgiving, courtesy of HealthPlus in collaboration with AAANY. During these difficult economic times, many of our community members are forced to give up everything but necessities, even during the holiday season. Nice surprises such as these have a greater impact than first meets the eye - putting extra food on the table can mean a lot to a hard-working family! We hope that next year we can bring this gift to even more families!
Toys for Eid al-Fitr
During ther week of September 14th, over fifty of our youth program participants received gifts for Eid al-Fitr thanks to the generosity of the Muslim Bar Association of New York! AAANY and MUBANY collaborated to create a wish list of educational toys for local Arab-American children of all ages, which MUBANY members then purchased. We would like to thank MUBANY for their support for our youth during this holiday season! Visit their website at www.muslimbarny.org for more information about their mission and activities.
Brooklynat!
Fridays from 4:00-5:30pm (unless otherwise noted)
Arab American Association of New York
7111 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Brooklynat is a program for young Arab-American women in New York City that fosters engagement, activism and leadership.
We create our own community service projects, paint public murals, attend film screenings, spoken word shows, poetry slams, visit art galleries and political rallies.
We meet with other amazing Arab-American women who give back to the community in diverse ways--fashion designers, filmmakers, journalists, and religious scholars.
We decide what issues matter to us and actually DO something about it.
Please contact Aisha or call (718) 745-3523 to sign up or get more information.
For past events, see our recent news archives.
