Helping Hearts Caring Souls Sacramento Fundraiser
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Helping Hearts Caring Souls (HHCS) is a non-profit founded by Ms Anjum Anwar with its USA office located in Plano Texas. It is focused on multidisciplinary rehabilitation of clients struck by physical disabilities and is in Peshawar, Pakistan, where it is providing continuous care, orthopedic and prosthesis, and educational services to children who could become productive members of society instead of resorting to begging on the streets.
Skill development is the primary goal of this organization which has successfully taken over an older struggling rehabilitation facility, the Association for the Rehabilitation of the Physically Disabled (ARPD), and upgraded it. Although the focus of HHCS is in Peshawar, it has also been involved in projects in other areas of the country.
It is no secret that the services that organizations like HHCS provide require monetary resources or financial backing. It is for this reason that Anjum Anwar and her team have recently embarked on a fundraising campaign in various American cities. These included the Sacramento, California region where HHCS held its fundraiser on February 18, 2023, at the Platinum Hall of the Town & Country Event Center in Rancho Cordova. With the help of Waqar Khan and Bilal Adenwala, this hurriedly arranged event attracted around 100 people who received information on HHCS from Anjum herself and were entertained by Belaal Patel. A late addition to this effort was Senator Faisal Javed who is a familiar face for many as a representative of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party.
The event started with appetizers. A champion of humanitarian causes Dr Firdos Sheikh (our Indian friend) was the emcee for this event, and she did a great job. She sought everyone’s attention and invited Arif Karim Patel for a recitation from the Holy Qur’an to start the formalities. The national anthems of the United States and Pakistan followed during which people stood up and some participated by singing along. And next most of us in the area got to see and hear our first in-person performance of Belaal Patel who keeps the legacy of one of India’s greatest ever crooners Kishore Kumar very close to him. Dr Firdos introduced Belaal as someone who has converted his visual impairment into MashaAllah a beautiful expression of talent. To break the ice Belaal sang a couple of old hits including “Agar Tum Na Hote” and “Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi.” What a trip down memory lane for many of us!
Anjum Anwar, the founder of Helping Hearts Caring Souls, spoke next. She started off by thanking the Adenwala family, especially Bilal, for his hard work in putting this event together in the Sacramento area. She also thanked Senator Faisal Javed and Belaal Patel for their presence and support. Anjum highlighted her own journey from living a well settled life here in America and then taking up the cause of the disabled by moving to Pakistan. She said that we should not be making someone’s disability their invisibility. She added that roughly 15% of people have some kind of disability and they cannot be ignored but can be helped to become productive members of society. She added that in Pakistan, especially in poor families, disabled members are often forced to beg to survive. They are not given a choice to otherwise make a living. We (HHCS) give them education and training and enroll them in vocational skills programs so that they can make a contribution to society. Anjum gave more specific examples which space constraints here prevent elaboration on. She did add that this work was her passion and her way to thank Allah (SWT) for his blessings.
A moving documentary on the work being done by the organization was shown next. Our host Waqar Khan also said a few words in support. Waqar Bhai is the owner of Town & Country Event Center and the adjacent Al-Maidah Restaurant along with other businesses, and we want to especially thank him for his generosity towards this worthy cause. Also, nice hat Waqar Bhai!
The Chief Guest for the evening Senator Faisal Javed is usually spotted rallying PTI and Imran Khan led jalsas (protests) in Pakistan. He is known as the "Voice of PTI” and was wounded by a bullet during an assassination attempt on his party leader recently. One must admit that some of us were skeptical of having a political figure at a humanitarian fundraising event, mainly because we are tired of all the infighting in Pakistan amidst severe economic crisis. Those reservations were soon laid to rest because Faisal is a very personable and Maqool (capable) young man who can think far beyond party slogans (since there were a few here in the audience raising them). He approached some very touchy subjects in a mild mannered and humble way.
Faisal started by commending Anjum Anwar for her work and said that he had visited the main HHCS center where it was taking place (in Peshawar). He met a number of handicapped individuals including children along with staff at the center and had only praise for the work being done there. He added that for that reason alone we should support them. He also praised Bilal Adenwala for his passion for doing humanitarian work right here in this (Sacramento) area too.
On Pakistan he said things often move very fast as even governments change suddenly (achanak). And he explained that with some disarming humor! On a more serious note he commended overseas Pakistanis for feeling the pain of their country of origin even more than some who live there. He added that we here were in a better position to compare because if things can work well here in America, then why not there? He pointed out five things in Pakistan which have now become commonly accepted but are not legal in any way (jaraim hain). He also added that the people there are waking up against this.
On another note, he asked overseas Pakistanis to continue support for their people back home but to send their money only to those who they trust. He mentioned the Edhi Organization, Shaukat Khanam, Namal and HHCS. The Senator said a lot more, but we will have to stop here. I must say, a very impressive speech delivered in perfect Urdu from an ethnic Pashtun! The fundraising continued next, and dinner followed.
Last but not least, Belaal Patel returned to perform many old favorite songs and deserves a separate article at a future date.
