Almost every day something happens that makes me very proud of the Edible Arrangements franchise owners and team members. One particular moment comes each month when new franchise owners arrive at our Corporate Headquarters in Wallingford, Connecticut for training. Continue reading “A learning experience becomes a cause for good”
(0)
Because of my family history and my own personal experiences, there are two subjects that will immediately grab my attention when I hear about them — the plight of refugees and lack of access to education.
As a child, I still remember very clearly my family members telling us of the hopelessness and fear that comes when you are forced, with little warning, to abandon your long-time home because of political turmoil. And as I have written many times, I also know that I would not be where I am today if not for the caring teachers and support I received when my family moved to the United States and I was trying to learn a new language and culture.
That’s why I was immediately touched by a story I heard on the radio recently about the work being done by the Syrian Kids Foundation and its Al Salam School.
The school, near Turkey’s busiest border crossing with Syria, provides educational opportunities for almost 2,000 Syrian refugee children. The school was created by a Syrian-Canadian pharmacist who still runs the school with fellow Syrian-Canadian volunteers.
The plight of refugees—especially Syrian refugees—has reached epic proportions and is one that should concern us all. According to UNICEF, approximately 2.7 million Syrian children do not have access to schools, either in Syria or in countries such as Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan to which they have fled.
One of the aspects of the Al Salam School that especially caught my attention is the fact that almost all of the teachers and staff members are also Syrian refugees. That means that not only is the school helping refugee children, but it’s also providing gainful employment to adult refugees.
The work that the team at the Syrian Kids Foundation is doing is critical in providing hope to thousands of children who currently find themselves in hopeless situations. That’s why I did not hesitate to contact them as soon as I heard the news story and offer the support of the Tariq Farid Foundation.
Following are a few photos of the terrific work the organization is doing. To learn more about the Syrian Kids Foundation and how you can show your support, I encourage you to visit syriankids.ca.
(Photos by Mohamad Ojjeh)
(0)
Tyrese Sullivan (second from right), Kermit Carolina (far right) and Chazz Breland (far left) with the Sullivan Basketball Academy team.
As I have written before, few things are as inspiring to me as coming across someone who is passionate about helping others. Meet Tyrese Sullivan and Kermit Carolina.
Tyrese was a basketball star at New Haven’s James Hillhouse High School and Rhode Island University. Kermit is Executive Principal at Hillhouse.
“Kermit saved my life,” Tyrese told me. “He introduced me to basketball and taught me the importance of education and healthy living. That allowed me to go to college, but I always knew that I wanted to come back and do something similar to help the youth.”
And that is exactly what he has done.
After graduating from Rhode Island, Tyrese returned to New Haven and has teamed up with Kermit again to create the Sullivan Basketball Academy Mentoring Program.
The Academy promotes education, healthy eating and exercise among New Haven’s youth while also teaching them basketball skills. The program challenges the youth to succeed academically by providing constant monitoring and mentoring. In return, the athletes have the opportunity to travel around the country where they visit colleges and compete in basketball tournaments, as they will this month when they travel to Massachusetts, Atlantic City and Maryland.
“Some of these kids have never had a chance to leave New Haven,” Tyrese said.
Tyrese, who was born and raised in New Haven, said he is a living example of the impact such a program can have on a young man or woman. After graduating in 2006, Tyrese returned to New Haven and took over a youth program that had been developed by Kermit. After several years they decided to establish a non-profit organization and thus the Sullivan Academy was born.
“We are taking baby steps right now, but our plan is to grow this into something special,” Tyrese said. “We’ve received tremendous feedback from the community, but the biggest issue has been resources. Fundraising is so difficult, and I hate to ask the parents to reach into their pockets because they are already so stretched.”
That’s why it was an easy decision for the Tariq Farid Foundation to lend its support the Sullivan Academy. They are doing a tremendously important job of giving hope to our youth and helping them learn to become successful men and women. And that aligns perfectly with one of our missions, which is to support educational and skill development opportunities that enable individuals to reach their full potential.
“We are trying to give them balance in their lives,” Tyrese said. “We want let them know that there is much more to life than drugs, alcohol and violence.”
(0)
Jessica (far left) with Cindy (second from left) along with sisters Lauren and Julie.
When the Tariq Farid Foundation makes a contribution to support a worthwhile cause, I am often given an opportunity to meet the people behind the scenes. And each time I am moved by the dedication and passion of the people involved. That was once again the case when we recently selected the Cindy Lynn Sherwin Memorial Foundation to receive a grant to go toward the creation of a new park in a very needy area of New Haven, Connecticut.
Few people I have met are as dedicated and as passionate about their cause as is Jessica DaSilva. What she has done is simply amazing.
Seven years ago Jessica’s older sister, Cindy, died unexpectedly of an aneurism while training for an Ironman competition. Cindy, who was only 33 at the time, was a triathlete and fitness instructor. As a way to honor her sister’s memory and her dedication to promoting health and fitness, Jessica recently competed in a 100-mile race to raise funds for the Cindy Sherwin Foundation. The foundation was established following Cindy’s death by family and friends as a way to promote Cindy’s passions of fitness, well-being and healthy living.
Jessica was one of only 25 ultra athletes, and one of only three women, who started the 100-mile race last March. If you read her blog, you get a feel for the toll such a race takes on the body . . . and on the mind. Of the 25 athletes who began the race, Jessica was one of only nine to make it to the finish. It took her 27 hours and 55 minutes.
The money Jessica raised for her effort will now go toward construction of the Cindy Lynn Sherwin Memorial Playground at an elementary school in a needy area of New Haven, Connecticut.
Jessica said the Foundation approached the City of New Haven about where they should build a park. The city selected the West Rock Author’s Academy, a pre-K – 4th Grade magnet school that serves a large housing project in New Haven. The school offers advanced programs in writing and computer skills, but the children had no access to good physical fitness programs and equipment. Now they will, thanks to Jessica’s love for her sister.
“Cindy had no idea she would have playgrounds named after her or that people would run in her name, and I know for sure she never thought I would run 100 miles,” Jessica wrote on her blog following her grueling run, “… but life is crazy.”
Yes it is, and thankfully there are people like Jessica willing to take on whatever “crazy” challenge comes their way to make our world a better place for others.
(0)
I recently had an opportunity to meet a few of the many refugees being helped by Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven.
As someone who moved to the United States as a child, I know that making the transition to a new country can be very challenging. Thankfully, we had neighbors, teachers and others within the community who made us feel welcome and helped us learn the new customs, the language and other things we needed to know to become comfortable in our new home.
I know that not everyone who comes to this country is fortunate enough to have such a support group, however. And that is especially true of those who are refugees.
That’s why I welcomed the opportunity recently to renew my support of New Haven’s Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) with a contribution from the Tariq Farid Foundation.
IRIS Executive Director Chris George and his team do a tremendous job each year of helping hundreds of refugees rebuild their lives in Connecticut.
In operation since 1982, IRIS assists as many as 500 men, women and children each year, including about 230 new arrivals. Most of the recent refugees have come from Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Sudan and Colombia.
IRIS welcomes every refugee family to New Haven with a furnished and equipped apartment. In addition, Chris and his team provide English classes for adults, help enroll their kids in school, connect them to health care and help them find jobs. They also provide immigration legal services to help them reunite with family members left behind.
“We don’t have enough money to help them for very long,” Chris told me. “Our job is to help refugees get off to a good start.”
The federal government gives refugee agencies such as IRIS some funding, but Chris says that it is not enough, especially in a relatively expensive state like Connecticut.
As a result, the organization depends heavily on outside support.
“Without additional private funds – like the grant from the Tariq Farid Foundation – we would have to close down,” Chris told me.
There is another reason that support of IRIS is so close to my heart. My grandmother was a refugee and I know the struggles she and her family faced when forced to leave their home.
Now I am blessed to have an opportunity to help others in similar situations and I hope that others will join me in showing their support as well.
(0)
