Dear Friends and Supporters of GiveLight,
The warm breezes and wondrous glowing light of summer days are upon us. We are excited to share with you wonderful news about our children and the projects we undertook since our last newsletter.
1. Light Upon Light Tour
We continued our “Ten Cities Tour” with Dubai, New Jersey, Boston and Manhattan. We are so grateful to have received such warm responses from our new friends and supporters. We are forming chapters in those cities and the team will be working to plan events both big and small.
In Manhattan, Muppies (Muslim Urban Professional) hosted an intimate dinner to help raise awareness about our work. In Boston, The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISCBCC) and MIT invited our founder Dian Alyan to share her journey with GiveLight. In New Jersey, AALIF (a local non-profit working with youth) sponsored a benefit dinner bringing together 150 guests. Here’s the highlight written by its president and our dear friend, Nouran Ali.
2. Give Light this Ramadan
For those of you who are observing your fasts, we wish you a very blessed Ramadan and Eid. There are a few simple ways you can make this Ramadan a truly blessed month for our children:
a) You can sponsor an iftar (fast-breaking meal) at our homes in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Cambodia. For $75 to $100, you can provide a very special dinner for our children.
b) You can sponsor new clothing or shoes for Eid for $20. Here’s a video from our soul to sole campaign to help you visualize the impact. If you choose to support in one of the above two ways, please make a one-time donation and note which option you prefer.
c) If you are planning to host iftar this Ramadan, please consider turning the event into a means of raising awareness and engagement for GiveLight. We are not asking you to hold a fundraiser for us, but rather to include a mention of GiveLight in your invitation and share your personal connection to the cause. This will help amplify the impact of our work and we think you will inspire your friends and family to take action – no matter how small.
3. World Cuisine
We did two more events – one in Southern California and one in Livermore. Both were wonderfully executed with ten chefs preparing delicious dishes from ten different countries, and guests who got to savor the special treats. In Southern California, one of our long time supporters donated $5000 at the event, which blew us away. Comments from guests were so positive that we plan to hold the World Cuisine on a monthly basis across different US cities, and possibly in Dubai and Europe as we build a stronger supporter base there.
Here are testimonials from a few attendees:
“What a meaningful event we went to yesterday! The food was amazing, the view breathtaking, and I fell in love with the taste of the Moroccan tea. Thanks, ladies! I had a wonderful time!” -Candince Chan, Danvile — first time attendee of a GiveLight event.
“Thank you for a great gathering, which turned out more than awesome! And thanks to the awesome hostess. What a beautiful view and great afternoon with friends!” -Mervat Aly, Sunnyvale – long-time supporter of GiveLight.
If you are interested in attending as a guest or to host and maybe even cook something special, please let us know at info@givelight.org.
Thank you for your continued and unwavering support. We will be sharing stories and pictures of our high school and college graduates in our fall newsletter, God willing.
Have a blissful summer!
With gratitude and prayers,
The GiveLight Family