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Our most successful Service Day to date was Saturday, May 14! See who was there – click here.
More than 500 teens from throughout metro Detroit were undaunted by inclement weather Saturday, turning out to participate in the Seventh Annual National Arab American Service Day, held this year at Project: Hope in Detroit.
The project was part of a national effort of more than 1,200 Arab Americans in 20 cities nationwide. Each year, the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) and ACCESS coordinate this project with AmeriCorps to encourage volunteerism and service among diverse people. The event is an example of the way Arab Americans give back and join together to serve their neighborhoods according to the motto for the day: “Serving Communities, Connecting People.”
“I came here to give back to the community,” said Mona Abaid, a senior at Oakland International Academy who was busy with her friends packing food boxes with bags of rice and beans, canned vegetables and powdered milk. “We came to show that we care about helping people in need.”
Sue Makki, manager of ACCESS’ AmeriCorps program, said National Arab American Service Day is an example of the way the Arab American community “is committed to giving back through service and to building bridges with our diverse neighbors.”
The day began on Saturday with an opening rally at Focus: Hope. Following the rally, volunteers packaged more than 3,000 food boxes, built community gardens, planted flowers, cleaned vacant lots and made landscapes improvements for the Focus: Hope Center for Children.
Service Day is spearheaded by members of NNAAC’s national AmeriCorps program, the Arab American Resource Corps, the only national AmeriCorps program offering Arab Americans and non-Arabs the opportunity to serve at Arab American community organizations. National Service Day takes place during AmeriCorps Week, the fifth nationwide celebration of the vital work done by AmeriCorps members in communities across country since the national service program began 18 years ago.
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For more information
about the Arab American Resource Corps, contact Sue Makki at
313-842-1933. |
