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Join the Stars for Hope Awareness Campaign!

admin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:51:02 +0000

Calling all Glee fans, Daily Show viewers, and Star Trek diehards alike! Come join OPEN Chicago and leaders of the Pakistani-American community at the Pakistan Flood relief celebrity fundraiser.

The event will take place on Sunday, January 16, 2011 and will feature actor Faran Tahir (Iron Man, Star Trek, Charlie Wilson’s War), Aasif Mandvi from The Daily Show, and Iqbal Theba from the acclaimed Fox TV show Glee. Acclaimed dessert chef Malika Ameen of By M Desserts and a Top Chef Desserts contestant will be in attendance.

Mark your calendars and tell your friends, your family, and your family’s friends to come join the effort to raise funds for the ongoing Pakistan flood relief effort. Trust us, this is something you won’t want to miss!

Sunday, January 16, 2011 | 12 pm – 3 p.m.
Carnivale, 702 W. Fulton, Chicago, Illinois

Event Host:

Event Partners:

Partnering Charities:

For registration and additional information visit:

www.StarsforHope.org

The featured stars:

Faran Tahir

Faran Tahir was born in Los Angeles while his parents were studying acting and directing at UCLA Theatre Dept. He comes from a theatre family well-known in Pakistan and India. Both his parents are actors/directors/writers in Pakistan. Faran moved to Los Angeles in 1980, when he was 17 years old. He completed his B.A. from University of California, Berkeley and his graduate degree from the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard. He has been nominated and has won many awards for his work in theatre and film. Most recently Faran played a lead role in the film Star Trek Nemesis

Malika Ameen

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Malika Ameen’s cooking inspiration comes from two things: ingredients and people. She believes that beautiful, delicious food brings people together. She is also passionate about traveling, as it often opens her eyes to new ingredients, techniques and flavor combinations. A single mother of three boys, Malika is always incorporating her “chef thinking” into the foods she cooks daily for her children, in order to “open up their palates and make eating as exciting for them as it is for me.” The five ingredients she keeps on hand at all times are candied citrus, dried lavender, vanilla bean sugar, green cardamom pods and bittersweet chocolate.

Aasif Mandvi

Aasif Mandvi began performing at the age of seven as a pixie in a school play wearing tights and a bonnet. He knew from that moment on that discreet but comfortable leggings coupled with a desperate need for attention was the secret of success. Unaware of this at the time, but this type of beginning was perfect for a job as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” where the official uniform ironically happens to be “tights and a bonnet” ( worn discreetly under one’s suit, of course).

Aasif made his first appearance as contributor on August 9, 2006. He is the recipient of the OBIE award for his critically-acclaimed one-man show “Sakina’s Restaurant.” Other New York stage credits include the 2002 Broadway revival of “OKLAHOMA!,” “Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom,” “Homebody/Kabul,” “Suburbia,” “Trudy Blue,” and “Speak Truth to Power.” Film and television credits include; “The Proposal,” “Ghost Town,” “Music and Lyrics,” “Spider-Man 2,” “The Siege,” “Analyze This,” “The Mystic Masseur,” “ABCD,” “American Chai,” “Sex and the City,” “Sleeper Cell,” “The Sopranos,” “Jericho,” “Oz,” “CSI,” “Law and Order,” and “E.R.” He will soon be seen in the upcoming features “The Last Airbender” and “Today’s Special.” Aasif’s journalistic integrity has never been questioned, and for that he is eternally grateful.

Iqbal Theba

Born in Karachi, Pakistan on December 20, 1963. Started college as a Freshman at the University of Oklahoma in 1981. Studied Civil Engineering at first and has a BS in Construction Engineering Management. Went back to the University of Oklahoma in 1986 and majored in Acting. Was the first South Asian to have appeared in dozens of mainstream national commercials in the 90s.

Went to the University of Oklahoma in Norman and is a Sooner Football fan. He arrived in Los Angeles with 37 dollars in his pocket. He stayed with his friend Mujahid Bashir for three months in San Bernardino until he earned enough money from waiting tables and found a place to live in Los Angeles.

During his Freshman year in college he was a dishwasher at The Street Restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma. He was promoted to be a cook after a couple of months of washing dishes. The restaurant closed a year later.

Left college in 1989 and moved to New York to pursue acting. In NYC he stayed with his childhood friend Tariq Agha until he found a place of his own. Did a few non-paying acting gigs and worked as a waiter. Went broke in early 1991 and decided to leave NYC for Los Angeles. He stopped in Norman, OK for two days because he was almost out of money. He worked at Misal Restaurant for one shift and made 60 bucks. His best friend Akbar Sultan gave him 50 dollars. He finally arrived in San Bernardino with only 37 dollars. He did not know anyone in Los Angeles so he had to stay in San Bernardino with a friend until he had saved enough money (from waiting tables) and moved to LA in March 1991.

He was one of 13 student actors who auditioned for summer stock theatre in college. 12 were picked. He was the only one who was left out.

Registration:

VVIP Package: $500 + $12 processing fee (limited Quantity) Private dinner with celebrity guests on Saturday, January, 15, 2010 Red Carpet Access to Live Auction Premium items Lunch and Show Tax deductible
VIP Package: $250 + $7 processing fee Red Carpet Access to Live Auction Premium items Lunch and Show Tax deductible
General Package: $150 + $5 processing Lunch and Show Live Auction
Special Package: $75 + $5 Processing fee
General Donation: Any amount

Online donations, sponsorship dollars, and tickets $250 and above are being collected by PAKISTAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FOUNDATION, a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt corporation registered in California. Tax-ID # 20-2950808. For info about Pakistan Science and Engineering Foundation, please contact Abdulrahman Rafiq at info@sarelief.com. SA Relief is a disaster coordination and relief unit operating under Paksef.

All other dollars are being collected by OPEN Chicago. OPEN Chicago is registered in Illinois as a 501(c)(6), Tax-ID # 26-3812805. For more info contact Ruma Samdani at OPEN Chicago, please visit http://www.open-chicago.org/.

All tax-deductible proceeds will be donated to Karachi Relief Trust and OXFAM America. For more information about the charities click here.

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Mission Brief: 4×4 Off-Road #PkRelief

admin — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:22:14 +0000

On August 8th, 2010 the 4×4 OFFROAD club out of Karachi went into action and launched the Pakistan Flood Relief campaign in partnership with SA Relief and Behbud Association.

Online donations were collected by Paksef (or the Pakistan Science & Engineering Foundation) a 501(c)(3) non-profit Corporation registered in California.

On the ground the campaign was led by Dr Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia.

Since launching the campaign raised over $30,000 in online donations with over 4 Million Rupees from generous donors in Karachi. To date there have been 7 Relief Missions, details are as follows …

Mission 1:

2 trucks of Food Rations, and care packets were loaded and sent Kashmore area under the supervision and accompanied by members of Motor Club Pakistan. An addition 4 trucks of Food Rations, Tents, and Care packets were sent to Morro and then onwards toShikarpur under the supervision and accompanied by members of Offroaders Pakistan team, under the charge of Dr Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia.

This relief trip was unique, with constant, real-time status updates by Faisal and Awab on Twitter and a live GPS tracker, donors could follow the relief team minute by minute. For an indept summary from the mission readers can read Faisal Kapadia’s report.

Mission 2:

There was a convoy of 8 relief trucks valued almost to the tune of Rs. 3 million consists of 6 trucks of food relief hampers and one truck of 100 tents and one container of mineral water bottles.

The team departed Karachi on the morning of Sunday, August 22, accompany a convoy of 8 relief good trucks, 8 accompanying vehicles with around 25 volunteers for Shikarpur, Sindh.
During the same time, Sana Saleem from Future Leaders of Pakistan led a relief mission to Thatta, Sindh with rations for 600 families.

Similar to Mission 1, supporters from around the world could track the via GPS and their minute by minute Twitter updates. Transcripts of which can be found here.

At the end of the mission Dr Awab stated: “we have with the generous contribution of our donors have impacted the lives of hundreds of families. It has been our belief that the urgent food crisis is a nearing an end as flood will start to recede in the next 10-12 days. Hence starts with return of these IDP’s to their lands and the subsequent rehabilitation. Our team needs to critically evaluate this mission and plan the course of action for the following weeks. WITHOUT DOUBT a lot still needs to be done. Our people are being neglected and they simply cannot wait.”

Mission 3:

A convoy with 20,000 ready to eat meals comprising of one sheermal, 2 packets of chips, 4 packets of biscuits, 1 carton of milk, 1 bottle of mineral water, 1 packet of dates to feed the exodus moving out of thatta towards Hyderabad. Twitter transcripts from the mission can be read at Teeth Maestro Blog.

Mission 4:

Was a the same ready to eat meals to Thatta the enxt day as we had some 10,000 meals left over from the day before – it was lead by Nabil Jangda and Aman Ashraf. They were held up at Gharro for 2 hours as the situation in makli was dicey. They stood in Gharro awaiting escorts to guide them into Thatta. They offloaded their goods at teh DCO office in Thatta and carried onward distribution in their cars and targeted a population nearby

Mission 5:

To Shikarpur SSGC Degree College camp that houses over 3000 people in the shape of about 300 registered and a 100 unregistered families at an average of 7-8 people each. The team prepared 500 food hampers (5 kg ata, 5 kg flour, 1 litre oil, 2 kg dal, 2 soaps)as well as 500 clothing hampers ( separate suits for male females and children plus shoes) for this school and along with this relief took 1500 additional food hampers and a truck of water +15 medicine cartons when we set off on mission no 5 on the 3rd of September. Continue reading.

Mission 6:

This was to Khorwah Sindh – this mission was carried out by a fellow offroader Salim Khan who took a large donation of his own while we contributed 400 food hampers to the truck that was heading to Khorwah

Salim Khan organized the cooking the food on site on eid day as well

Mission 7:

With the help and support of Air Force and 70th GDP we have organized a C-130 to Jacobabad Airlift. a total of 24000 kgs can be airlifted of which 70 GDP is arranging 600 food hampers while offroadpakistan is arranging 500 to be ready tonight and will be delivered in jacobabad

Mission 8:

OffRoadPakistan team is planning an 8th Relief Mission to Moro on Sunday 26th September 2010 to provided medical relief.

With the increased influx of patients from Dadu and the existing strain of IDP’s already in the area it has put a heavy strain on the existing resources in Moro and there is definite need for medical support to come and help ease the suffering of the people. A Karachi-wide appeal has been issued to the medical community requesting volunteer support.

Plans are underway to setup a day-long medical camp in Moro, some four hour drive from Karachi at the District Hospital Moro on 26th September 2010 Doctors and the medical support team are requested to come early on Sunday morning to the hospital and help volunteer for the entire day; for information or to sign-up as a medical volunteer visit SA Relief here.

In addition Offroadpakistan team has launched a campaign to rebuild the Shikarpur Civil Hospital, watch video presentation by Dr Awab Alvi here.

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#PkRelief Medical Camp … Nominate yourself

admin — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:33:58 +0000

The OffRoadPakistan team is organizing a medical camp in Moro on Sunday 26th September 2010. With the increased influx of patients from Dadu and the existing strain of IDP’ already in the area it has put a heavy strain on the existing resources in Moro and there is definite need for medical support to come and help ease the suffering of the people.

A Karachi-wide appeal is being issued to any Doctors, House Officers and Medical students to come join this day long effort. Plans are underway to setup a day-long medical camp in Moro, some four hour drive from Karachi at the District Hospital Moro on 26th September 2010

Doctors and the medical support team are requested to come early on Sunday morning to the hospital and help volunteer for the entire day. If you are a medical volunteers and would like to help, then please fill this form.

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Event: Flood Crisis, an alternate perspective …

admin — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:37:06 +0000

On September 28, 2010 Khalid Mahmood, Director of Labour Education Foundation (LEF), and member of Labour Relief Campaign (LRC) will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area to speak on the current flood crisis, relief efforts, the demand to write off loans and the condition of peasants and labourers in affected regions.

When: Tuesday, Septembr, 28, 2010 at 6:30 pm

Venue: Pakistan American Culture Center

1590 Oakland Road, Suite B213, San Jose,Ca [Map It]

Host: Village Pastels

Co-Host: SA Relief , Culture Conflict Forum, PACC

Registration: $15 (optional)

(Funds are collected by Paksef, which is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible non-profit Corporation in California. Proceeds go towards Pakistan Flood Relief Fund)

Labour Relief Campaign (LRC): has worked for relief and rehabilitation of earthquake victims in 2005 and now is busy in helping people affected by the recent floods in Pakistan. It has camps in Baluchistan, Khaber Pukhtoonkhawa, Sindh and Southern parts of Punjab. More info at: http://labourreliefcampaign.blogspot.com/

Labour Education Foundation (LEF): is working with a vision of empowering working class of Pakistan to protect its social, economic and political rights. It works with institutions like Olof Palme International Center, Action Aid International and Global Human Rights Forum. It organizes youth all across Pakistan to fight against religious fundamentalism especially in areas of NWFP province where military operation against Taliban is going on.

SA Relief is an a-political, non-religious platform supporting Flood Relief in Pakistan. We neither support, nor appose statements issued by above mentioned, third party entities or individuals.

SA Relief is an independent platform governed under Paksef, a California non-profit Corporation registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code.

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#PkRelief Mission 7 Highlights

DrAwab — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:23:19 +0000

Submitted by Awab Alvi

PkRelief Mission #7 by OffroadPakistan and 70-GDP group embark on Flood relief mission to Jacobabad, Sindh

OffroadPakistan team – Awab Alvi, Faisal Kapadia, Rehan Bandukda, Nabil Jangda, Aman Ashraf, Hamid Omar, Taimur MIrza & Tanya Mirza.

70th GDP Group included Cmdr Raza, Capt Shahid and his amazing sons along with a few of their friends.

Kudos to the entire team for a Job well done on the 3rd day of eid

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Donate to 4×4 OFFROAD Flood Relief Fund

admin — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:51:22 +0000

On August 8th, 2010 the 4×4 OFFROAD club based out of Karachi went into action and launched the Pakistan Flood Relief campaign in partnership with SA Relief and Behbud Association.

Since launch the campaign raised over $141,000 with $30,000 raised online via SA Relief.

To date we have completed 7 relief mission to Thatta, Sukkur, Shikarpur, and Jacobabab.

Online donations are being collected by Paksef, a 501(c)(3) non-profit Corporation registered in California. On the ground the campaign is being led by Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia.

Mission briefs can be reviewed here .

Donate to 4×4 OFFROAD General Flood Relied Fund:

Donate to 4×4 OFFROAD Fund to rebuild Shikarpur Civil Hospital:

Online donations are being collected by PAKISTAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FOUNDATION, a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt corporation registered in California. Tax-ID # 20-2950808. For info contact: info@sarelief.com

SA Relief and Paksef are trademarks owned and operated by Pakistan Science & Engineering Foundation

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Obama: Eid Message …Pakistan Floods Appeal

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:59:59 +0000

On September 9th his excellency, President Barack H. Obama, in his Eid message to the American-Muslim community appealed to all American’s

On this Eid, those devastated by the recent floods in Pakistan will be on the minds of many around the world. To help in the tremendous relief, recovery, and reconstruction effort for the floods, all Americans can participate by donating to the Pakistan Relief Fund at www.state.gov.

The President’s message can be found at www.america.gov also we’ve include the text below

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
September 9, 2010

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr

As Ramadan comes to an end, Michelle and I extend our best wishes to Muslims in the United States and around the world on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. For Muslims all over the world, Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of a holy month of fasting and prayer. It is a time of self-reflection focusing on the values that Muslims and people of all faiths share – charity, community, cooperation and compassion. This year’s Eid is also an occasion to reflect on the importance of religious tolerance and to recognize the positive role that religious communities of all faiths, including Muslims, have played in American life.

On this Eid, those devastated by the recent floods in Pakistan will be on the minds of many around the world. To help in the tremendous relief, recovery, and reconstruction effort for the floods, all Americans can participate by donating to the Pakistan Relief Fund at www.state.gov.

On behalf of the American people, we congratulate Muslims in the United States and around the world on this blessed day. Eid Mubarak.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)

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Campaign for Pediatric Ward – Civil Hospital, Shikarpur

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:56:23 +0000

Dr. Awab Alvi along the the OffroadPakistan.com showcases the dire conditions in the Pediatric Ward of Civil Hospital Shikarpur. Two wards with 16 beds housing 60-70 kids are truly deplorable conditions, the World community needs to help save these children and thousands more. Lets start with one hospital immediately and do more DONATE NOW.

All funds are collected by Pakistan Science & Engineering Foundation (Paksef) which is a California not-for-profit Corporation registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The campaign is being led in partnership with 4×4 OFF-ROAD Pakistan and Behbud Association in Karachi.

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An Open Letter from Hollywood Actor Faran Tahir

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:26:16 +0000

By Faran Tahir

“The eyes see. The ears hear. Yet somehow, the mind struggles to grasp the full dimension of this catastrophe. Almost 20 million people need shelter, food & emergency care. At least 160,000 square kilometers of land is under water – an area larger than more than half the countries of the world. The needs are great, and this disaster is far from over.”

As the Pakistan Floods, the world’s worst natural disaster, unfolds and horrific images emerge, we cannot help feeling overwhelmed and also feeling a great sense of responsibility. 1,639 people are confirmed dead, 20 million people are displaced and at risk for disease and even death. Out of which 4 million children are at high-risk for water borne diseases. These staggering numbers just keep growing as this catastrophe keeps unraveling. To put this in context, Greater Los Angeles has 14 million people alone. If we knew of an impending disaster heading to our cities, wouldn’t we help?

I am collaborating with OPEN Chicago, a network of socially conscious executives in the Chicagoland area who are just as committed to this cause as I am. Together we are hoping to make a difference in the lives of these people. We will be reaching out to you in the next few weeks not just for your generosity in donations but your kindness and efforts in creating awareness about disaster relief.

As responsible global citizens, as Americans, as human beings we request you to open your hearts and purses. We see this as an opportunity to change the direction of a suffering nation, to show that we care and we stand with them in their desperate hour of need. So when they look back and this is a distant memory, they remember the helping hands. They will forget the politics of the times, but they will not forget their friends who showed them kindness, compassion and generosity.

I am working with Mercy Corps and Relief4Pakistan. These agencies get supplies, medicine, food and water to the local NGOs that are intimately familiar with the lay of the land. The need for immediate response and grass root efforts is tremendous. We appeal to you to donate any amount, to any organization of your choice and it will make a difference. We also encourage you to join and replicate local efforts to pack emergency relief and medical kits. This is only immediate term, Pakistanis will need our help medium-term and long-term.

I opened UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address and in closing I leave you with his words:

“…we hear talk of so-called “fatigue”. There are suggestions that governments hesitate to contribute more to this part of the world. But let us remember: if anyone should be fatigued, it is the ordinary people I met in Pakistan — women, children and small farmers, tired of troubles, conflict and hardship. Instead of fatigue, I saw determination, resilience, the hope and expectation that they will not be alone under the darkest of skies.”

This is the time for US to act NOW.

Faran Tahir

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4×4 OFFROAD Relief Mission 1 … Sukkur & Shikarpur

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:25:56 +0000

Faisal Kapadia and Dr. Awab Alvi head to Sukkur and Shikarpur along withoffroadpakistan & SA Relief to deliver relief to the affectees in the region. During the trip they produced the 22nd episode of the Laidback Show

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