The newly designated American citizens received certificates of the Citizenship class completion and had the opportunity to meet with and speak to Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. Then they began the process of becoming registered voters with help from the Sterling Heights City Clerk’s office. Attendees also had the ability to fill out sample ballots and use a tabulator to get familiar with how voting works during election cycles.
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CCF President Martin Manna was interviewed on Sunday Edition with Alisa Zee to discuss the Chaldean community and the triumphs and trials the community has faced.
In the 20-minute, 2-part interview, Martin Manna also discusses the origins of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and the Chaldean Community Foundation, what it means to be Chaldean, and the current state of the Chaldean community in Iraq and other areas.
Read MoreTo meet the needs of the community, the CCF’s Early Childhood Development program has expanded its class offerings to include Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. Additionally, GED classes have doubled in class size due to increasing enrollment in the program.
Read MoreThe CCF experienced a record-breaking year, awarding 33 scholarship recipients with a total of $103,500 in scholarships at our Scholarship Award Reception on August 24.
The CCF has a large donor based of donor families and businesses including: w3r Consulting, Yvonne Nona Memorial Scholarship Fund, Drs. Nathima and Peter Atchoo Family Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Abdul Karim and Jameela Sesi Memorial Scholarship Fund, Derek Dickow and the Children’s Health Fund at the Children’s Foundation, DA Advisory Group, and Alline Salon Group.
Read MoreThe topic of dating is highly debated and ever changing; this comes as no surprise because it is a universal experience. Most of us have dated, will date, or are currently dating. However, this idea of dating is rather new to the Chaldean community, when compared to the “courting” our parents experienced.
Read MoreChaldeans have lived and learned in Michigan for over 100 years. During that time, they have brought with them and transmitted their culture and traditions, including how knowledge is passed down and inherited. The defining characteristics of Chaldeans as it relates to education are family and community.
Read MoreEvery year, it seems as if Halloween is arriving earlier and earlier in the year….and I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t hate it. Halloween is such a fun way to bond with your children and get creative while you do it. While you can go the traditional “trick-or-treating” route, (an oldie but a goodie), why not put a fun spin on it and start branching out to create new ghoulie traditions you and your kids will love and remember for years to come?
Read MoreBushra Hormis is an Iraqi expatriate who came to America and faced many difficulties, including learning a new language, translating and filling out paperwork, and finding employment. Bushra thanked God when she heard about the Chaldean Community Foundation, which aids immigrants in general, and Iraqis in particular. Said Bushra, “I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Him for this great idea of providing useful and beautiful assistance.”
Read More“Mommy’s Salad,” as it was named by her children, is not just a salad—it’s a meal. On most dinner menus, salads tend to play a supporting role, served in small portions at the start of a meal. However, West Bloomfield resident Aida Yousif has taken the concept of a salad to a new level by elevating it to a full meal. Among family and friends, “Mommy’s Salad” is a favorite and has been at the top of the request list for many years.
Read MoreMartin Luther is credited with saying, “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven. Thus, let us drink beer!” Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to man. Before Adolphus Busch, Arthur Amstel, and Samuel Adams – before Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors, Michelob, the English Newcastle Brown Ale, the Irish Guinness, the Dutch Heineken, the Mexican Corona, the Belgian Stella Artois, and the Australian Fosters, there was Mesopotamian beer from Sumer.
Read MoreAutumn is a time of contemplation; it is when we take stock of where we are and perhaps re-evaluate and adjust our trajectory for the future. For many, it seems like an end – the end of summer, the end of the season, the end of the year drawing to a close. Early next month, on the 5th of November to be exact, our clocks will turn back for perhaps the last time, if opponents of Daylight Savings Time (DST) have their wish.
Read MoreIn the blistering heat of summer, Iraq’s infrastructure and institutions have managed to stay intact through another year. Its struggles with water, climate, electricity, and sectarianism preclude the country from making a significant economic recovery 20 years after the United States invaded its borders. Christian minorities often bear the brunt of Iraq’s various crises, which seem to compound rather than resolve. In late August, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court heaved another hardship on its Christian communities by officially upholding a ban on the importation, manufacturing, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
Read MoreDiya Butros Sliwa, a Chaldean political activist, lives in Erbil, Iraq, but he gives talks around the world on human rights. He visited North America recently where he gave talks and interviews in Michigan, in Canada, and he also plans to travel to Washington, DC. His goal is to bring awareness to the status of the rights of religious and national minorities in Iraq and Kurdistan.
Read MoreThe people sitting in the audience of the Niles Township High School board meeting focused all of their energy on the event that would take place in just a few minutes. They were adorned with joleh d’khomala, a traditional Assyrian outfit that shows off bright colors, embroidered patterns, and feathers coming out of the headdress.
Read MoreIn 2020, Nathan Pawl’s son, an honor-roll student, felt attacked because he wouldn’t wear a mask in school. This was in Walled Lake School District, and when Pawl, the father, tried to resolve the situation, he felt frustrated that he wasn’t being heard. Pawl then decided to act. He teamed up with Monica Yatooma, a former Oakland County Commissioner candidate, and Matthew Nelson, a Walled Lake parent, and they founded the Great Schools Initiative (GSI), a non-profit organization based in Michigan and dedicated to advocating for premium public education.
Read MoreIn today’s rapidly evolving world, establishing and nurturing a brand that captures the hearts and minds of consumers is an art form. One individual who has masterfully embraced this challenge is Lydia Michael, an author and brand strategist whose groundbreaking book, “Brand Love – Building Strong Consumer-Brand Connections,” released on July 25, 2023, by Kogan Page, a leading independent publisher of business books, has taken the marketing world by storm.
Read MoreMichigan is such a beautiful state. We are surrounded on three sides by water – fresh, glorious water – and have the advantage of experiencing all four seasons of the year, sometimes in the same week! (You may have seen memes on social media that say, “Everyone: “You can’t have all four seasons in one week.” Michigan: “Hold my Faygo.”)
Read MoreTragedy struck the village of Bakhdida during a wedding celebration on Tuesday evening. At least 120 have been declared dead and more than 500 people injured due to severe burns and or difficulty breathing in a fire in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains Province. The death toll is still rising.
Read MoreElla Lucia is a teenage wonder woman. She’s a star girls hockey player and an outstanding student who has made a verbal commitment to take her hockey skills and academic acumen to Harvard University, a prestigious Ivy League college. Lucia announced July 31 that she has “committed to the admissions process” at Harvard.
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