Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP)

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) and the Syrian American Club recently hosted Houston’s 2nd annual 100 Arab American Women Who Care giving circle. Together, attendees gathered their donations into one impactful grant of $8,200 for the SAC Refugee Support Program. Through the voting process, the group chose to support the program’s emergency aid initiative, which provides critical resettlement services such as food and rent assistance. ?? Thank you to Michael Ibrahim and Usama Baalbaki from the National Arab Orchestra for closing out our event with beautiful music rooted in our love for our homelands. ?? A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors: Leaders: Hoda Kardoush Nemat Al-Nahhas Stewards: Arab American Cultural and Community Center Drs. Rabih and Dima Suki Dr. and Mrs. Samir and Grace Tuma Dr. and Mrs. George and Sandra Zaibaq ?? Our gratitude to the businesses that generously provided food, desserts and decorations: Levant Mediterranean BBQ, Mays Delights, Linah’s Corner, Chez Laia and Florea Creations. ?? Thank you to the planning committee: Nemat Al-Nahha Laia Azem Jala Barazi Linah Kamal Mary Karish Fadwa Saleh Racha Zerekli

Arab American women standing with domestic violence survivors! ?? Recently, the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s 100 Arab American Women Who Care gathered in Florida and pooled their generosity to grant $7,200 to The Shelter for Abused Women & Children in Naples, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing, protecting against, and overcoming domestic violence and human trafficking. ??A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors: Benefator: Robert Christopher Skaf Foundation Leaders: Nadia Abdalla Zina Amin Rasha Demashkieh Irene Farah Maysoun Ghabra Henriette Mercho Steward: Nashwa Sawaf ??Thank you to the businesses that generously provided food and desserts—Narenj Premium Chocolatier , New Yasmeen Bakery and Sesame House. ??Our gratitude to Loujain Accessories for joining us as a vendor. ??Thank you to our incredible planning committee Azza Atassi Heyam Daghistani Rasha Demahskieh Laila Ezzeddin Irene Farah Henriette Mercho Shadia Mahmoud Nashwa Sawaf

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) proudly welcomes its new advisory board chair, Gheed Amara Itani! Check out our Q&A with Gheed to learn about her story, what inspires her and her vision for CAAP: https://lnkd.in/gfkftP5f Congratulations, Gheed!

The power of 100 Arab American women! Our upcoming giving circles in Florida and Texas are just around the corner! Join us for this long-standing event, over a decade long, bringing our community together in the spirit of collective giving. ??Bonita Springs, Florida ??? Sunday, February 16, 2025 ??? Purchase your ticket: bit.ly/100-women-florid ??? Loujain Accessories will be selling beautiful jewelry! ??Houston, Texas ???Friday, February 21, 2025 ???Purchase your ticket: bit.ly/100-women-houston ?? We’ll be enjoying a live performance by an ensemble from the National Arab Orchestra!

Since its founding over ten years ago, 100 Arab American Women Who Care has granted over $130,000 to important causes, including cancer research, hospice care, combating food insecurity and more. That’s the power of our community’s generosity! At the event, we pool our funds and democratically vote for which organization or program will receive our collective grant. ?? Friends in Houston, Texas, and Bonita Springs, Florida—we’re bringing this giving circle to your town! ?? Bonita Springs, Florida ??? Sunday, February 16, 2025 ?? Purchase your ticket: https://lnkd.in/g5VkRYVg ??? Loujain Accessories will be joining us, selling beautiful jewelry! ?? Houston, Texas ??? Friday, February 21, 2025 ?? Purchase your ticket: https://lnkd.in/gvWEzWdi ?? We will enjoy a musical performance by an ensemble from the National Arab Orchestra (NAO).

We need more Arab Americans in public service leadership positions! Our representation matters. That’s what inspired Sarah Alkhafaji, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, to apply for the Arab American Leadership Program (AALP), an initiative facilitated by National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) and supported through a fund at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP). The Arab American Leadership Program (AALP) provides college students and recent graduates the opportunity to complete a summer internship in state or federal government agencies, on Capitol Hill and in other key public service institutions in Washington, D.C. Sarah completed her AALP internship in the summer of 2024, where she was placed at the Department of Health and Human Services - Administration for Children and Families. “Through this fellowship, I was able to connect and work with so many inspiring people who guided me through their respective issue areas. It was an incredible opportunity to learn more about my career path and the ways Arab Americans can contribute and advocate for their communities.” Participants gain real-world experience, receive a $3,000 stipend, access networking opportunities, participate in leadership workshops and much more! ? Applications for our 2025 cohort are due by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, February 2, 2025. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eRxPzsCq

Arab American women are powerful! ?? If you’re in Houston, Texas, or near Bonita Springs, Florida, we invite you to join us for 100 Arab American Women Who Care. These gatherings bring together Arab American women to combine their giving power in support of important causes. Learn more and purchase your tickets: Florida: https://lnkd.in/g5VkRYVg Houston: https://lnkd.in/gvWEzWdi

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) and ACCESS recently hosted a fundraiser in Dearborn, Michigan to support families in Lebanon, raising $4,060 for CAAP's Disaster Relief Fund, supporting the on-the-ground efforts of Amel Association International. A huge thank you to all the community members who helped make our event possible: ?? Oud Majed for generously giving us a beautiful music performance ?? Poet Ali El-Salloukh for sharing heartfelt spoken word pieces ?? Sadra Events and Nice Price for transforming our space with stunning decorations that transported us to Lebanon ?? Everyone who donated the delicious “breakfast for dinner”: - Dearbornfresh supermarket - The Ezzeddine Family - Masri Sweets - Mirna Jaafar - Nissrine Hussein - New Yasmeen Bakery - Qahwah House - Sesame House ?? Cedar and Olive Threads for joining us and donating a portion of the proceeds from their sales to Lebanon relief ?? Thank you also to our partners, Al-Nadwa, LSA UM-Dearborn, and LSA Wayne State University. We are so grateful for your support and inspired by your collective generosity #LebanonRelief

Houston friends! Join us for our 100 Arab American Women Who Care giving circle where we will come together to pool our generosity in support of the Syrian American Club’s Refugee Support Program. We will also enjoy a musical performance by an ensemble from the National Arab Orchestra. ??? Purchase your ticket at: https://lnkd.in/gvWEzWdi How does it work: ??Make a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more when you register. ??On the day of the event, we’ll hear about the Syrian American Club’s work supporting refugee communities. ???We’ll then vote on which specific refugee relief initiatives at the Syrian American Club will receive the collective donations in one impactful grant! ??Note: Your ticket purchase is your donation. There will be no additional fundraising at the event. ??? Purchase your ticket at: https://lnkd.in/gvWEzWdi

As we begin the new year, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of Rasha Demashkieh, who recently completed her tenure as CAAP’s Board Chair. As a long-time board member and supporter of CAAP, Rasha has played a critical role in advancing our mission of Arab American strategic giving by galvanizing communities across the country to reach their highest potential as community philanthropists. ?? Thank you, Rasha, for always bringing so much heart into the work you do. We will miss you as our Board Chair! Stay tuned to find out who CAAP’s new Board Chair is!