New Horizon School West Los Angeles Fundraiser
By Haya Farooqui
Irvine, California

Pictures above: Glimpses of the New Horizon School West Los Angeles Fundraiser

On the starry night of May 10, 2008, sparkled the brightest star of that evening amidst the heart of Brentwood, southern California, reminiscing hundreds of years old Arabian night’s era during which the Arabic civilization had reached its greatest artistic flowering.
The shiny green and orange organza table covers adorned the round tables with matching hand-made cushioned benches (made by school moms), exuding professional craftsmanship…the hukkas and ethnic lantern centerpieces the exotic fruit cocktails along with chili olives with feta cheese as hors d’oeuvres, resonated elegance and provided a visual treat to the guests who were awe struck and enticed to a fun-filled evening that proved to be one of the most successful fundraisers for the New Horizon School of West Los Angeles, California.
Sadia Khan and Dr. Fawad Zafar Khan, prominent community members and proud parents of three students of New Horizon School, had graciously volunteered their house to host this event to accommodate a hundred and thirty people, coming from different parts of Los Angeles, who generously joined in to help raise funds for this great cause.
The success of this event was also attributed to the constant support provided by the school board and school moms, especially Rana Bacalani, Halima Adaya and Sadia Khan. This school is a pioneer in establishing an institution that provides children with religious education paralleling mainstream education which in turn churns out students who are extremely confidant, both academically and socially, to take on any challenges when they graduate from school after 5th grade.
The master of ceremonies for the evening was Halima Adaya who is not only a proud parent of one of the students of this school but also the granddaughter of the founder of this school, the great philanthropist, late Mr. Ahmad Adaya.
The evening commenced with the recitation of an ayah from the Holy Qur’an by two students from grade one, Ali Zafar Khan and Sabrine Bacalani. It was a very eloquent and heartfelt recital as the enunciation of the Arabic words was near perfection and was reflective of what a great service this school is providing.
There was a silent auction of four paintings that were donated by local amateur artists Zubia Azam and Haya Farooqui. The program was followed by smashingly beautiful Arabic folk dancers who performed gracefully on some of the Arabic folk songs.

The evening was accentuated by a scrumptious Mediterranean cuisine prepared by Ghazala, an accomplished culinary chef, who knows how to create engaging flavors in an artful presentation.

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