Fundraiser Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended our fundraiser event this last Saturday. And thank you for all the donations, the volunteers did a great job, and everything went well for the most part. We had a big crowd – the room was packed! We had a tasty mansaf, thanks to our chefs and a huge variety of desserts for the dessert dash. We didn’t have to bring back much in the way of auction items, so that means everyone was in a shopping mood – thank you!

We had presentations by two doctors who have volunteered 100’s of hours to SCM, and they talked about their experiences in Greece and Jordan, the Syrians they met, and other volunteers from other aid organizations.

All in all, the event was great success and the money raised will go to fund a community/trauma center for the refugees living in the Tukwila area. It will provide community services for adults and children, and will have mental health professionals on staff to help people with post traumatic stress. It will also offer English lessons, and provide basic information and assistance as the refugees learn their way around their new home and community.

A highlight of the event were remarks given by Washington’s Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Below is just an except of his remarks, and you can read the summary provided by his office at this link: Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib Remarks

In his keynote address, the Lt. Governor spoke to the nexus between Salaam Cultural Museum’s work, and Washington state’s role in responding to the current refugee crisis and political climate. The Lt. Governor first acknowledged the damage the Trump administration’s travel ban wrought on Washington state — both for its impact on student travelers, and for its impact on friends and families wishing to visit loved ones to or from any of the seven originally banned majority-Muslim countries.

It is for our state’s widespread repudiation of that policy, the Lt. Governor said, that it is a “proud time to be a Washingtonian.” Across the country, he said, Washington state is seen as an example for its success in securing the first nationwide legal block of the Trump administration’s travel ban, and for demonstrating massive political support for immigrants and refugees at the municipal, county, and state level.

And although Senator Cantwell was unable to attend, she had a representative read a statement she had prepared for the event. You can read it by clicking on the image to enlarge it. 

 

Thanks to all again for your continued support of SCM’s mission and programs!