Human Development Foundation of North America’s Fundraiser
This year’s Human Development Foundation of North America’s Fundraiser at the Double Tree by Hilton in Anaheim on Saturday October 6th, 2018 once again vividly testified to the community’s sustained drive for improving the lot of the underprivileged people of Pakistan. The select group of community members raised money to support various projects of HDF in all four provinces of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
As is customary, the program started with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Faisal Qasim and its English translation by Sean Khan. The emcee was Faruq Bagani who conducted the proceedings smoothly with the introduction of the guests.
The opening remarks were presented by Dr Yasmin Qasim who had once again brought the leading lights of the community to the event including, Dr Sana Khan, Dr Mahmood Alam, MrNajeebGhauri, Syed Javaid Anwar and ShoaibSawar the Assistant Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles. Dr Mahmood Alam Chairperson of HDF presented a passionate appeal for help with a slide show of HDF activities in different provinces of Pakistan. He showed how the donations are helping over a million underprivileged people to educate boys and girls in the poorest areas, providing healthcare in 9 centers, helping with small business micro loans for creating self-sufficient families, building water filtration plants to help with the water needs in poor villages and a model village.
In a span of 20 plus years HDF has an impressive number of achievements to its credit. It has established adult literacy centers for women, built schools for underprivileged boys and girls, set up health care centers in the rural areas of the country and undertaken many infrastructure project that sustain and improve the lives of local villages. The Foundation continues to help people help themselves by working in the most desolate areas of Pakistan, and most importantly, giving people the light to see their potential to better their own lives.
The Keynote Speaker MrNajeebGhauri, founder, CEO and Chairman of NetSol Technologies emphasized the need for educating children for a better future of the country and requested the audience to donate generously.
The Chief Guest, Mr Syed Javaid Anwar, is a renowned philanthropist and Pakistani American businessman who has made a great name for himself in the American Oil and Gas industry. A man of integrity who believes in honesty, education and hard work, Mr Anwar believes that no matter how much or how little each one of us has, we should make room to be generous to others. As before Mr Anwar made a generous contribution again this year.
Dr Sana Khan, an accomplished radiologist, researcher, teacher and entrepreneur, also made brief comments on the occasion. He has helped many in need and has been a longtime supporter of HDF. He is a dedicated community member who is always there in times of need. He emphasized that helping others makes the giving person happier than the person receiving.
MrShoaibSarwar, Assistant Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, commended the HDF’s focus on education, especially the education of girls in Pakistan.
Guests who were sponsors and made generous donations included Mr Syed Javaid Anwar, MrNajeebGhauri, DrMajeed, Dr Sana and Safura Khan, MrSaleem and Yasmeen Adaya, MrNavaz and Fauzia Malik, and DrImdad and Parveen Ahmed; others present also made donations from $100 to $3,000.
Dr. Yasmin Qasim and the HDF team have successfully organized HDF fundraisers in Southern California for the last many years and each occasion has been a memorable one. This year’s event was a highly successful event and the HDF team of Parveen Ahmed, Aisha Bajwa, DrNaushaba Butt and Abida Ahmed are to be duly commended for their efforts. Congrats to DrQasim and the HDF team for their hard work and continued support of HDF. Also, Parveen Ahmed played a prominent role in organizing and sponsoring the event.
The guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner catered by Mr. Dara Khan of Shahnawaz Restaurant. After dinner the guests enjoyed a highly entertaining musical program by famous singer MsSumblaShahid, sister of Bushra Ansari, who is a famous Pakistani singer and TV drama artist. She had come all the way from Pakistan to participate in the program. – Pictures by Anwar Khawaja
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