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1 2 3 5 6 7 9 10 8 11 12 1. State Senators Mike Bishop (standing) and Roger Kahn 2. Robert Spector, Stuart Brickner and Jacob Bacall 3. Mike Housey, Dave Nona and Mojo flank the Humanitarians of the Year — the Chaldean Federation’s Basil Bakal, Mike George and Joe Kassab. Housey surprised the men with a donation from NWA Michigan for ,000. 4. Enjoying dinner 5. Dave Nona, Business Persons of the Year Jack and Joe Barbat, and Mojo 6. Cheers! 7. The cocktail hour 8. Dave Nona, Jerry Shannon and Raad Kathawa 9. Raad Kathawa and Amal Berry-Brown 10. Iman and John Hanna 11. Shayna and Marla Scafe 12. Karima and Fred Jindo 34 CHALDEAN NEWS MAY 2008
4 honoring BY VANESSA DENHA-GARMO PHOTOS BY DAVID REED community members Chaldean Chamber celebrates fifth annual dinner All kinds of emotions were expressed last month at the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce’s Fifth Annual Awards Dinner. Master of Ceremonies Mojo from Mojo in the Morning on WKQI ( 95.5 ) brought out the laughter with his quick-witted jokes about text messaging and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick while the Chaldean Federation of America’s (CFA) Basil Bakal, Joe Kassab and Mike George silenced the crowd with stories about Iraqi Christian refugees displaced all over the world. The CFA, recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year Award, has taken a leadership role in advocating for Iraq’s Christians. The CFA’s Adopt-A- Refugee-Family Program pairs caring Americans with refugee families stuck in limbo. Since 1980, the CFA has served as the umbrella organization for various groups in the community. Business Persons of the Year Joe and Jack Barbat took to the stage following a nearly sevenminute video about their company, Wireless Toyz. They briefly explained what lead to their success with 200 franchises in 22 states. The company has been recognized for its accomplishments by media all over the country and the Barbats have received numerous awards, most notably the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007. Several dignitaries attended the event including Congressman Joe Knollenberg, State Senate Majority Leader Michael Bishop, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Attorney General Michael Cox and Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. The nearly 900 guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dined on filet and chicken, and nibbled on deserts displayed on a large table in the lobby of Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield. MAY 2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 35
