Letters to the Editor Vol 8 Iss 25

Thank You!

How are you? I work for the National Outreach Department of ACCESS in Dearborn Michigan—we spearheaded the national Arab American Service Day project. My colleague, Jamie Kim, forwarded your article to us this afternoon. We were all very impressed with the eloquent way it was written, and I would like to thank you very much for conveying the meaning of the service day It is a project and an idea that insha`Allah will grow in future years, and with excellent coveragelike that of your article, it seems as if we’re off to a good start.

Thank you again for your lovely article, and for highlighting the most important facts of our project. We truly appreciate it, and look forward to woring with you again in the future.

Salaam aleikum,

Hanan Khaznehkatbi
National Outreach Program Coordinator, ACCESS

Invitation

Dear Service Day Volunteer,

Thank you for your participation in the Second Annual National Arab-American Service Day!

Nearly 1,000 people across the country offered their time and energy in this historic commitment to community service. Our numbers have doubled in one year, and we would like to thank you fro coming out and partcipating in this inspiring event.

In Detroit, you were a part of a team of nearly 300 people who, on the morning of Saturday, May 20, 2006 came together to revitalize the well-deserving 15400 block of Burgress north of Fenkell. Together we removed over 200 [cubic] yards of debris from burnt-out buildings. We also painted two beautiful murals on the community center at the end fo the block which will always be a colorful reminder of the beautifying of that area.

Through an organization called Summer in the City, there are projects similar to this one that run throughout the summer. The projects go on every Tuesday through Friday. You can go anytime—either just one day or every day all summer long. There are carpool stations that depart at 9:00 am and are back by 2:00- pm. If you are interested in continuing to volunteer, please contact Arwa Algharazi at 313-843-2844 or by email at aalgharazi@accesscommunity.org.

Your enthusiasm and pride in your community were crucial to making this event a great success. We appreciate your contribution, and look forward to seeing you again next year!

Sincerely,

/s/ Ismael Ahmed, Executive Director, ACCESS
/s/ John George, President, Motor City Blight Busters

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