3 2 1 bowling for
3 2 1 bowling for dollars Fundraiser has fun to spare BY VANESSA DENHA-GARMO PHOTOS BY DAVID REED Strike, spare or gutter ball didn’t really matter at Country Lanes on April 5 — it was all for fun and for charity. The bowlers laced up their shoes to not only to knock the pins down but to raise some much-needed money for the Chaldean Federation of American’s (CFA) refugee initiative. The Chaldean American Ladies of Charity (CALC) wanted to have an event to raise awareness among youth without costing a substantial amount of money. “It’s very difficult having major dinner fundraisers that cost anywhere from 0-150 per person, especially in this tough economy,” said Clair Konja, CALC president. “We put on an event the whole family could attend.” Konja and fellow CALC member Anita Bahri approached the Men’s Tuesday Night bowling league and Rafed Yaldo didn’t hesitate to help. He and several men from the league worked closely with CALC to organize the fundraiser. Yaldo was responsible for getting most of the day’s donations including raffle prizes and 45 pizzas from Happy’s Pizza. “This guy has a heart of gold,” said Konja. “He has showed so much compassion, generosity and awareness to others. Since November he has donated hundreds of dollars every month. The best part, he gets others involved. He raised money to pay for the entire event and all the prizes were donated; there was absolutely no overhead at all.” Some 109 bowlers and about 1. Sara Gibrael 2. Riwan Hormiz and Manuel Touma 3. Lance Sitto was surprised by a birthday cake from his wife Claudia 4. Danya Yaldo, Qamar Enayah, Shymah Naiem and Samantha Yaldo 5. Lots of smiles 6. Johnny Kinaya 7. A full house 8. Happy bowlers 9. Cameron Bahri, Melanie Shammami, Alana Bahoura and Janeen Shunia 10. Neirmin Slewia and Brandon Jitto 40 CHALDEAN NEWS MAY 2008
4 5 6 7 8 20 other people hung out at the Farmington bowling alley. They not only played three games but they bought raffle tickets, with funds also going into the pot for the refugees. Basil Bakal, who recently traveled to the Middle East to witness first-hand the struggles and turmoil facing Christian Iraqis now displaced all over the world, thanked those who attended the event. “We are grateful that you are here today,” said Bakal between frames. “I had an opportunity to visit with Chaldean children in the Middle East and they are not fortunate to bowl. They barely have food to eat or clothes to wear. Raising money for them is so important.” The CALC Saturday Dreams Mentors purchased each of their mentees a ticket to the event and a raffle ticket. Each mentor picked up their child from Detroit. Thirty-five children and nearly 20 mentors attended. “Teaching our children to give and to get involved is the key to a successful community,” said Konja. Thanks to numerous sponsors (too many to list here), CALC raised nearly ,000 at the event, Konja said. 9 10 MAY 2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 41
