DEARBORN — Since 2011 the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) has noticeably expanded its philanthropic efforts in the community through a series of new programs. On Monday its members distributed 109 backpacks filled with school supplies to students at Geer Park Elementary School here as part of its Back to School Program.  On Thursday about 100 students from Universial Learning Academy in Westland also received backpacks. The LAHC is preparing to continue the initiative as it moves forward with plans to provide backpacks to students at schools in metro- Detroit throughout October.  A total of more than 1,000 students will reportedly be served through the program.  

Students at Geer Park Elementary School in Dearborn pose after receiving backpacks filled with school supplies from the LAHC on Monday.

Just last week the LAHC teamed up with Walmart to provide food to needy people through its Hunger Relief Program. LAHC also plans on holding a turkey drive this November along with a clothing drive this Winter aimed at keeping underprivileged families warm. 

Many of the LAHC’s new initiatives follow the launch of its Young Leaders Committee (YLC), and Hunger Relief Program which includes a serious of sub-programs such as its We The People, Feed The People.  Both the Hunger Relief Program and YLC were formed in 2011. The YLC has played a major role in the organization’s latest efforts. In 2011 when the Somalia humanitarian crisis emerged the group managed to raise $120,000 for victims. YLC has also been instrumental in providing food for needy people living in Wayne County as well. The YLC has a local chapter at Henry Ford Community College, and plans on establishing additional chapters at other academic insitutions in the region.

“What they are doing is heart warming. The effort and time they put into supporting all these programs is incredible,” said Wassim Mahfouz, executive director of the LAHC.

He noted one of the most important influences the YLC has on its members is instilling good moral principals in them by encouraging the youth to give back to the less fortunate and contribute to the community.

“These activities are helping shape their lives, and the great thing about the youth is they bring this unique new type of energy, and sky’s the limit for them,” Mahfouz said.

In 2013 the LAHC will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its scholarship program, one of the largest of its kind in the metro-Detroit. Every year about 70 students each receive a $1,000 scholarship. Mahfouz says scholarship recipients have come back in the capacity of scholarship donors to help fund the same program that once supported them. Today LAHC scholarship recipients are working professionals in fields such as education, medical and law. LAHC has served the community for more than three decades by providing financial assistance to college students, among several other resources to residents in southeast Michigan.  

“For our members the work we do is very rewarding. This organization has always been very close to the community,” Mahfouz said. He’s distributed backpacks to students, after lecturing them on the importance of pursuing education.