NOTEworthy NANA says
NOTEworthy NANA says ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT MICK New Program Helps Displaced Christians Refugees continue to slowly trickle into the United States, but thousands remain in limbo in countries like Syria and Jordan. To help ease their circumstances, the Chaldean Federation of America (CFA) has established the Adopt-A-Refugee Family Program. CFA is working directly with the Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan, which helps find the families in need. One hundred percent of donations go directly to the families; the Jesuits are not charging anything for their services and an anonymous donor in the Chaldean community is paying all administrative and overhead costs. The program was announced on September 1 and just a few weeks later more than ,000 had been raised, said committee chair Basil Bakal. “People are so thrilled about this program. We have a goal of reaching 250 families by Christmas,” he said, “and 750 to 1,000 families by the end of 2008.” People like contributing because they know their money is going directly to help ease a family’s pain and suffering, Bakal said. Donors have the option of remaining anonymous or receiving correspondence from their “adopted” family. “Most people like to hear from the families,” Bakal said. “They just want to know this is helping them and relieving some of the tough times they are going through. We’ve all heard the horror stories. These are professionals – doctors, engineers – forced out of their homes with 24 hours notice [by Islamic fundamentalists]. They can’t take anything with them, and then when they go to a new country they’re treated like second-class citizens.” Donors can make a one-time commitment or give on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Learn more by contacting the CFA at (248) 882-1912 or www.chaldeanfederation.org. Sterling Heights Looks Into Refugees To help monitor a possible influx of Iraqi refugees, the Sterling Heights Outreach Program has been established by the city. “The real challenge for us is to maintain the quality of community life as Sterling Heights continues to evolve,” wrote City Manager Mark Vanderpool in a letter to committee members. “Difficulties in culture and language cannot become barriers to the efficient delivery of public services. With this in mind, it simply makes sense to study the underlying issues as well as the reaction and concerns of some of our longterm residents.” A call to Vanderpool was returned by Steve Guitar, Sterling Heights’ community relations director, who asked The Chaldean News to hold off on writing about the group. “The name is kind of a misnomer at this point; it’s more of an informational, fact-finding group,” he said. “We are bringing community leaders together from the city and school district, Chaldean Federation and others, and trying to start a dialogue.” Guitar said the idea came after the city received a number of calls in reaction to Warren Mayor Mark Steenbergh’s controversial remarks about incoming refugees. “The residents wanted to know if the numbers Warren was touting were correct. This is more administrative at this stage; we want to encourage an open dialogue and have a roundtable discussion on some of the current events from everyone’s point of view.” Chaldeans on the panel include Sue Kattula and Nick Najjar. The group’s first meeting was scheduled for September 27, after press time. “This might be a monthly meeting or perhaps quarterly,” said Guitar. Back to School School bags filled with school supplies were distributed to some 100 children ages 4-7 at the Arab American and Chaldean Council’s Youth Recreation and Leadership Center in Detroit on September 12. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano (center) participated as part of the county’s Back-to-School Program, as did Dan Rorrer of World Vision, an international children’s charity. Henry Ford Offers Health Care for Refugees With more than 3,500 refugees expected to arrive in the Metro Detroit area over a period of time, one local hospital is preparing for their arrival. Henry Ford Health system has set up a toll-free number with two bilingual operators, one fluent in English and Arabic and the other in Sourath (Aramaic) and English to help refer services. “This is not political for us,” said Carey K. Chesney, manager of marketing & public relations. “We really don’t care about the politics. We want to be able to provide health care for anyone who calls us and we hope to help the Iraqi refugees.” Currently, the State of Michigan is providing health care coverage for the first eight months each person is in the United States. Henry Ford will also accept Medicare and Medicaid. After that time has lapsed, each person will be responsible for his or her own health coverage. Iraqi refugees seeking health care at Henry Ford can call (888) 635-4347. A list of all Henry Ford locations is available at www.henryford.com. A First at Marian High Claudine Denha Bloomfield Hills resident Claudine Denha has become Marian High School’s first Chaldean teacher. The former executive director of CARE realized a love for teaching, so went back to school at Wayne State to complete a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree double majoring in Business Education and Social Studies. She teaches Computer Applications I and II to grades 9-12 at Marian. She is the daughter of Michael and Nedal Denha. Musicians Open Studio Locally recognized musicians Omar Binno and Thair Joseph have formed Big O Productions, a state-of-the-art studio that constantly updates its sound library and recording equipment. “From the newest synthesizers on the market like the Yamaha Motif XS and the Korg PA800, to high-quality samples ranging from hip hop and pop, to Middle Eastern instruments, the studio uses only the most current sounds to produce music from various genres,” said Binno. “We also use the latest recording software like Sonar, Pro Tools and Logic, and top-notch plug-ins from highly acclaimed companies like Waves and Wave Arts to mix, master, and produce radioquality professional recordings.” Learn more about the studio at www.omarbinno.com, or call (248) 865-3322. Don’t leave your shoes upside-down as this shows disrespect to God. Do not vacuum at night — or pop your gum — because it is bad luck. Hang an old shoe above your front door to keep the evil eye away. If a baby cries in its sleep, that means devils are in their dreams until they are baptized. Thanks to all who shared their Nana-isms. Keep them coming to info@chaldeannews.com, or write to The Chaldean News, 26555 Evergreen, Suite 250, Southfield, MI 48076. Program that Cell Phone A campaign to program cell phones in case of emergency is sweeping the Internet. Users are urged to enter at least one emergency contact with the designation ICE (In Case of Emergency). Paramedics or other emergency personnel will then know who to contact if you are unable to provide the information yourself. Have You Finished Your Survey? A second round of surveys for the first-ever Chaldean demographic study has been mailed out through Walsh College and The United Way. The study, commissioned by the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, will give details on Chaldean households, businesses and buying power in Michigan. All information is confidential and only officials from Walsh College will review the surveys. Results are expected to be announced in November. For more information, call the Chaldean Chamber at (248) 538-3700. 10 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2007
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