Interfaith Power of One Awards Dinner in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento (ICGS) began as the Federation of Churches in the year 1911 and later due to the increasing religious diversity of our region became the Interfaith Service Bureau (ISB) in 1978 of which it remains a component today along with Sacramento Faith TV. A part of their mission is to promote respect for all faiths and to encourage understanding between them and their followers. Over the years, this conglomeration has helped to establish a strong sense of community in California’s Capital region and today counts several Christian denominations along with Baha’is, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs within its ranks.
One of ICGS’s highest profile events in the area is the Power of One Awards Banquet during which it honors individuals and organizations that have made a lasting positive impact in the Sacramento area. This time, on May 2, 2019, the Power of One was held at the Mirage Banquet Hall where one witnessed a fine display of community building and interfaith understanding while honoring four individuals and three organizations that have made us all proud.
The event this evening was sponsored by Jewish Community Relations Council, SALAM, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, Presbytery of Sacramento, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, The Jewish Federation of Sacramento Region, SMUD, Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish, Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple Sacramento, Sac Faith TV, University Presbyterian Church, Spiritual Life Center, Sierra Vista Community Church, Parkview Presbyterian Church, Sacramento Valley Family Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The four individual Honorees this evening included Cassandra Jennings President and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League; Leah Miller CEO Habitat for Humanity Sacramento;Durriya Syed, Community Liaison for ArRazzaq Food Bank (and various other local efforts); and Jeff vonKaenel, President and CEO of the Sacramento News and Review. And the three organizations receiving the Giving Back to the Community Awards were the International World Peace Rose Gardens, Sacramento Self Help Housing, H.A.R.T. and the YMCA of Superior, California. The Keynote Speaker for the evening was Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute.
The current ICGS Board Members are EdrineDdungu (President), Jeanne Anderson-West, Brian Bazemore, Jeff Cota, Serene Erby, David Katz, AkramKeval, Dave Lyman, Richard MacFarlane, Darshan Mundy, TusharPattani, Diane Rudé, Rutherford Smith and Scot Sorensen.
The evening started off with a social segment and appetizers/dinner. The emcee for the event was TusharPattani and the first segment remained the most colorful, a performance by a Ugandan youth band which duly received a great deal of applause. The ICGS Board was invited to the front for an introduction and a photo opportunity. The President of ICGS EdrineDdungu next delivered the official welcome during his short speech as the formalities began with an invocation by Pastor Scot Sorensen. The awards ceremony followed with each individual recipient being introduced via a video before being introduced on the stage. All one can add is that ICGS certainly picked the right people to honor! Cassandra, Leah, Durriya and Jeff are, and have been, the Titans of community service in the Sacramento area for many years. And the same can be said of the groups receiving the Giving Back to the Community awards too.
It is now the Islamic month of Ramadan and if one has to choose one individual here to focus on for this article (a very difficult choice) it is Sister Durriya Syed from the Muslim community. A Pakistani-American, Sister Durriya derives a great deal of inspiration from her late parents and her faith. Receiving this award is another milestone for her. God willing, she will continue on the path of community service that she has chosen. She is, or has been, active in so many local community groups that this writer is not even going to attempt to mention them all here. Congratulations are in order to her and to the Syed family including husband Naeem, daughter Tanya (destined to be our next community leader) and son Zaki (a fine Rap performer).
To conclude, one cannot thank ICGS and the Interfaith “Village” which is the Sacramento region enough for keeping us all on a positive track in spite of grim events in the world like New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Let us build on what we can do which is to make our region, state and country a better place to live. Ramadan Mubarak!
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