One of our September events in Half Moon Bay combined Tea, Poetry and Charity to celebrate the friendship of the GiveLight community, and to raise generous donations that will feed eleven children for two months. Sabina Khan-Ibara shares her account of the afternoon…
By Sabina Khan-Ibara
Dian Alyan, my friend and the founder of GiveLight Foundation, invited me to an afternoon of poetry, hot tea, great food and lovely company at the Ritz-Carlton near my home in Half Moon Bay. My husband was home to watch the kids, so of course, I accepted and I am so glad I did.
God blessed us with a breezy but warm day on the beach, which is rare for Half Moon Bay. I met a group of 12 wonderful like-minded women who are strong believers in this worthy cause. We shared and discussed poetry that moved us- from Rumi to Nayyirah Waheed. We talked about Givelight and our roles within it and how our lives have been impacted personally by knowing Dian and being part of such an honorable cause. We concluded by taking a walk on the warm sand, pondering the beauty of Allah’s creation while laughing and joking about our lack of foresight (or my lack of foresight) wearing a long skirt to the beach!
After the blessed meeting, we later received a message from Dian about the contributions made at the event. Given the amount of money raised, especially because of one woman’s generosity, Givelight will be able to feed eleven children for two months !
This is how Givelighters spent their Saturday on September 19, 2015.
For those who don’t know, Dian Alyan is the founder and president of Givelight Foundation, a humanitarian non profit organization that seeks to build high quality homes for orphans around the world. Every couple of months, Dian invites a group of delightful women to join her in an exciting activity that is not only fun but also brings awareness and funds for GiveLight.
For me, it was a blissful afternoon and for most of the women it was a relaxing break from the responsibilities of everyday life. Dian and her team of dedicated volunteers are planning more such events. If you missed out on this one, there will be more coming up (insha’Allah). Simply visit www.givelight.org to see upcoming events and/or to donate directly
I am honored to have met Dian and everyone else and look forward to many more events and opportunities to have great time while furthering the cause of this incredible organization.
