TCF-USA Sacramento Chapter Holds Impressive Annual Banquet
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Citizens Foundation-USA (TCF-USA) has developed into quite a force for educating thousands of children from struggling families in Pakistan. The organization has over 40 active Chapters (till recently) in America which have been assisting kids all over our country of origin, specifically with the all-important goal of educating girls there. It is no secret that such an effort requires financial help and for that reason each TCF Chapter holds fundraisers to support students, classes and schools in economically impacted areas located in AJK, Baluchistan, KPK, Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. In line with this goal, the TCF-Sacramento Chapter held its Annual Banquet-Fundraiser on January 21, 2023, at the SALAM Community Center which drew approximately 200 people for this worthy cause.
The evening started off with some delicious appetizers and a social hour. Event emcee Asif Haq who is also a local TCF Team Member welcomed everyone to start the Program. TCF welcomes you and thanks you for your continued support, compassion, caring and generosity towards the underprivileged children in Pakistan, said Asif. The lack of education or access to education is one of the most unfortunate realities for a nation or community, he added. Pakistan has been faced with a lot of challenges in 2022, including the devastating floods which have severely impacted education. TCF is meeting some of those challenges, he added.
Asif also shared the evening program schedule and invited Hafiz Mustafa Mohammed to start the formalities with a Qur’an recitation and Khadijah Mohammed for the English translation of the verses. Both did a fine job. Following their presentation, the national anthems of the United States and Pakistan were played to a standing audience. And following these a video on the valuable work that TCF in Pakistan is doing was also aired but the presentation was marred by technical difficulty.
Zaid Akhtar, a TCF-USA team member, next presented details on the valuable work that TCF has been doing in Pakistan under challenging conditions. He informed that according to the World Bank, there are 22.8 million kids out of school in our country of origin, which can be described as Education Poverty. “These are our kids,” said Akhtar. There is a vicious cycle of not being educated. He added that the size of the TCF has grown, and the kids are getting a high-quality education delivered by 100% female teachers. He also highlighted the fact that approximately a third of the TCF budget is supported from the US. Akhtar stressed that Pakistan has been impacted by the COVID pandemic and the devastating floods recently and TCF has stepped up to the plate to help in both crises with close to 7 million meals provided to affected families. He asked the audience to see the online YouTube videos of TCF student success stories as they are indeed heartwarming. Zaid shared that the target vision of TCF in Pakistan was to eventually educate two million kids. The problem there is huge, but one must start somewhere. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” he said.
Next up was the recognition of volunteers who made this event possible. Our thanks to these young people for helping in this effort.
Imam Aamir Nazir of MCF Folsom delivered a short motivational speech before the fundraising began. He said that this particular (TCF) effort speaks for itself and that he did not need to elaborate further on it. He also commended the Sacramento TCF Chapter for being one of the most active ones nationally. When it comes to helping others, the Sacramento Community is always at the forefront of every effort and steps forward to assist. The Imam said that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) dedicated his life to the cause of education and quoted from two Hadith to explain. He also elaborated on our Zakat and Sadqah obligations as a way to please Allah (SWT).
Next up, Br Deya ElGhassein conducted the fundraiser. He did so quite efficiently and in good humor. He said that he was not a professional at fundraising and was more like a spare tire in a car which is not used often. He commended the attendees for their presence and for realizing the importance of giving to causes dear to Allah (SWT). He described our contributions here as not a handout but our duty to help others. He said that the first word that was revealed to the Prophet (SAW) was Iqra (read). That is the importance placed on knowledge in Islam and that is what we are here for, he said. And it appears that Br ElGhassein’s words resonated with the attendees of this event as they were generous with their donations. The event ended with a prayer and dinner.
To conclude, the TCF Greater Sacramento Chapter Team needs to be commended for holding another successful fundraiser. Barring the technical difficulties, the evening still succeeded in its goal to assist the education effort in Pakistan. A huge “Thank You” to all the people that attended this event and donated to this worthy cause.
