DEARBORN – The Lebanese American Heritage Club has a long, storied history in the local community, but the focus was once again on the future during the non-profit’s 24th Annual Awards Gala on Friday, May 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel here. 

The 51 award recipients each received $1,000 scholarships, and are shown above posing with LAHC offcials. The club has given away more than $1.5 million dollars in the past 20 years in scholarships, working in Dearborn working to promote and preserve the Lebanese heritage in America.

“We’re nowhere near finished, we’ve got great goals to achieve,” said  Mariam Jalloul, a senior at Fordson High School who’s Harvard University-bound for next year. Jalloul was one of  51 scholarship winners of $1,000 from various Middle Eastern backgrounds ranging from Lebanese to Yemeni to Palestinian Americans. The LAHC has now given out more than $1.5 million in scholarship money over the past 20 years. 

Jalloul gave the students’ remarks on behalf of peers, who hailed from both high schools and colleges.

“Thanks to the help of sponsors and the Lebanese American Heritage Club’s scholarships, our financial burden has eased significantly,” she said. “Thanks for your generosity and thanks for believing that we can change the world through the means of higher education.”  

The LAHC’s event was focused on diversity this year, with a unique musical montage combining the soothing sounds of church singers and the Muslim prayer call highlighting the evening. Singer/musician Hana Malhas provided entertainment and was well-received by the sizable crowd, and various dignitaries including community leaders and officials attended. The new Helen Thomas Scholarship in Communications was also announced. 

The organization gave out awards to distinguished individuals and organizations, with the University of Michigan-Dearborn receiving the ‘For Excellence & Great Achievements: Partner in Education’ award, accepted by Vice Chancellor Stanley Henderson. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mona K. Mazjoub of Dearborn received the ‘For Excellence & Great Achievements in the Judiciary’ award and thanked the LAHC. She also had advice for those in attendance, speaking on the need for greater engagement to solve Arabs’ image problems. 

“We come (to events like these) and we congregate and we celebrate each other and we all say with deep, heartfelt sincerity how proud we are,” she said. But respectfully I submit that this is not enough…Tonight I urge all of the Arab American students here and those who follow them to be mindful that we desperately need to expand the audiences for these excellent productions, documentaries and programs to a much broader audience,” she said. 

“We need to learn to be more inclusive, we must all be better ambassadors and do everything we can to make an impact on our local and national governments and civic groups while speaking in one clear, organized institutional voice focusing on delivering our messages to where they will do the most good,” she added, also saying that she hopes to see the day when diversity and Arab achievements are embraced on a wide scale. 

Emcee Ron Savage of Fox 2 News also directed the audience’s attention to the LAHC event program for founder Ali Jawad’s special remarks highlighting diversity.

“Embrace American values and pursue the best that this country has to offer you, for America holds all the opportunity in the world for those who are willing to work for it,” Jawad wrote.

“Remember also, though, as you go through your professions, that with being an American comes a responsibility: to give back to your family, your community and your country.”