Awsam Alos had a lot of good things to say about his brand-new car and the Michael J. George Chaldean Loan Fund, which provides low-interest loans of up to $15,000 to help individuals in need purchase a vehicle. “One of the best programs I have ever seen.” Alos said. Alos relies on his new car as his primary source of income. An Uber driver by day, he has found independence in owning a vehicle. The cost of renting a car from Uber prevented him from earning more income, forcing Alos to find a solution.
Read MoreNick (Najah) Dawood Konja was born on May 3, 1962, and passed away from complications of pulmonary fibrosis on April 12, 2023. The son of Dawood and Warina Konja, Nick is survived by his brothers Salman (Rejina), Shoki (Miad), Nashwan (Cindy) and sisters the late Amira (Abdelahad) Abdal, Ghanima (Phillipe) Kanouna, Suad (George) Zakar, and Samira (Fiak) Garmo.
Read MoreSelwan Anwar Taponi was born to a Syriac Catholic family on April 29, 1969, in Baghdad, Iraq. In August of 1969, he was baptized at the Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah in northern Iraq. Growing up in Baghdad, Father Selwan’s home parish was Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Church in Baghdad. Although they were Syriac Catholic, his family were regular parishioners at Sacred Heart Chaldean Church in the same city; Selwan’s father was particularly close with Bishop (then Father) Jibrail Kassab. It was in this church that he received his First Holy Communion.
Read MoreSunday, March 19 marked the 20th year anniversary of the 2003 US-Invasion of Iraq. That day Detroit Public Theatre held a watch party for the film adaptation of Heather Raffo’s 9 Pars of Desire, an award-winning one-woman show which premiered almost 20 years ago in London and Off-Broadway, later becoming a global theatrical phenomenon. The date also marked three years since Raffo’s father, Georges, passed away.
Read MoreIt has been said that what shapes a person is the books they’ve read, the people they’ve met, and the places they’ve traveled. This applies directly to Habib Hannona’s life journey and philosophy. As an avid reader and ardent culturist, he has read hundreds, perhaps thousands of books in various languages over the years.
Read MoreRon Boji is an extremely successful businessman who happens to base many of his life decisions on a series of “Louie-isms” – sayings he has heard his entire life from his father, Louie (Louay) Boji, a successful businessman in his own right.
Read MoreThe emotion was palpable. Fr. Pierre Konja looked up from his chair in the theater room of our basement and asked, “How are the parents doing?” He was there to meet and counsel a spontaneous gathering of MSU students on the Tuesday evening after the mass shooting on campus.
Read MoreAmira Daboul was well into the writing of her first cookbook before a title occurred to her. While working with her editor, Linda Schwartz, “awafi” was a word Amira would mention upon finalizing each recipe. One day, they looked at each other and the idea seemed to strike at once — Amira had found a name for the cookbook.
Read MoreFood Network star and restaurateur Guy Fieri is bringing his brand of fried chicken to Michigan, and Tomey Group is helping him do that.
Read MoreSeven state representatives visited the Chaldean Community Foundation on February 13 to learn about the daily services that the CCF provides to 40,000 clients annually. Leadership shared with them priorities for the CCF and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce (CACC), which includes increasing funding for both the multicultural line and from the Department of Education for the CCF, and supporting upcoming bills on lottery and liquor commissions for the CACC. Both organizations are focused on providing more affordable housing.
Read MoreEvery year the Chaldean Cultural Center hosts a Lenten Dinner evening with a special emphasis on prayer and reflection. This year the keynote speaker is Father Aram, speaking on “Shairwatha,” Remembrance of the Saints, something that took place in Iraqi villages before Easter during Lent. Father Aram chaired a crisis team in Alqosh and established a medical charity clinic among other trauma-related work. He speaks Syriac, Arabic, and English.
Read MoreOne of Mena Hannakachl’s writing professors once told her that to thrive in the real world, she would need to put the languages she learned while growing up in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates aside and conform to standard English.
Read MoreNancy Zieah, a liquor store owner/operator turned law school student, appreciates the fact that many students at Cooley Law School are—like her—not traditional law school students right out of undergrad.
Read MoreCCF President Martin Manna had the great privilege of meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC earlier this month. The King relayed that Iraq is a priority for him and invited Martin to meet with him in Amman to discuss long-term sustainability for Christians in Iraq.
Read MoreThe CCF welcomed 7th and 8th grade students from Grissom Middle School in Sterling Heights to learn about the effects of vaping on the development of the teen brain. The information was presented by Henry Ford Health experts.
Read MoreWireless Vision, in partnership with the Chaldean Community Foundation, hosted a kickoff event for 12 professionals within the community who were selected to participate in the first ever Learn with a Leader Program. Participants gathered at 220 Merrill in Birmingham to enjoy an evening of food, fun, and interaction.
Read MoreSerial entrepreneur, NFL All-Pro, and philanthropist Herman Moore visited the Chaldean Community Foundation to discuss the Tackle Life Entrepreneurship Program and the Chaldean Community Foundation’s continued partnership with Team 84 Staffing.
Read More“European customers are switching to electric vehicles at a faster rate than anywhere in the world.” So says Jaclyn McQuaid, and she should know. GM is all-in on EV, investing $35 billion through 2025 in electric and autonomous vehicle technology in Europe, and Jaclyn oversees the entire operation on that side of the pond.
Read MoreWhen Genevieve Kashat was 3 years old, she watched with awe as her mother made a rich, delicious, and familiar banana bread for her family to enjoy. Years later, this moment would blossom into something much greater: a budding baking career and a shot at Food Network stardom. The road from mom’s banana bread to the Kids Baking Championship requires just the right mixture of talent, hard work, creativity, and inspiration.
Read MoreIt is hard to hide a secret when one is randomly babbling, chaotically removing everything from the freezer, or suddenly talking to an imaginary cat on the top of the fridge. These were Johnny Shamou’s odd behaviors in front of his family while he was addicted to heroin. His addiction began with illegally prescribed drugs as a teenager, and before that he had smoked cigarettes and dabbled in marijuana and alcohol once in a while if it was around. This was because of his need to “fit in” with the crowd.
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