(L-R) AASF Chairman Allie Berry, LAHC President Sam Salamey, LAHC founder Ali Jawad, Ghassan Saab, CEO of Sorensen Gross Construction Services and LAHC executive director Wassim Mahfouz.

DEARBORN — The Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) distributed $103,000 in scholarships to 43 deserving students on Friday, May 8 during its 27th annual awards gala at the Adoba Hotel.

The scholarships will assist young men and women in their pursuit of higher education and were awarded in the amounts of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $5,000 and $13,000. 

This year’s scholarship distribution amount is a major increase from the $60,000 in scholarships the LAHC awarded last year. 

LAHC President Sam Salamey said the organization’s 27 years of continuous and generous giving is a compelling testament to its unwavering commitment to the advocacy and support of higher education. 

Salamey thanked the LAHC’s volunteers, members, board of directors and Executive Director Wassim Mahfouz for their “countless hours of selfless work.” 

“2015 has been a tremendous year for the LAHC,” Mahfouz said. “We were able to further grow our programs and forge new partnerships, which in turn has allowed us to serve people in a more efficient way.” 

He thanked the University of Michigan Dearborn, the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Lawrence Technological Institute, Michigan State University, Henry Ford College, Wayne State University and Oakland University for partnering with the LAHC to make this year’s scholarship distribution possible. 

The monetary value of the scholarship varies from one academic institution to another, pending the matching agreement the LAHC has in place with the universities. 

Mahfouz said the LAHC is in the process of moving its executive offices. 

“This will allow the LAHC to hire more staff, interns, volunteers and implement new programs and in turn serve more people,” he said. 

This year the LAHC announced the addition of two new categories for its scholarship program, including the Russell J. Ebeid scholarship and the Mustafa Hammoud Scholarship.  

“In memory of the late Mustafa Hammoud, who paved the path of success for his family, friends and community,” said Suehaila Amen, LAHC first vice president and treasurer. “We remember him with this scholarship to continue his commitment to education and achieving the American Dream.” 

The LAHC Award for Excellence and Great Achievements was presented to Colleen Abdoulah, chairwoman of the board of WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone, and philanthropist Ghassan Saab, CEO of Sorensen Gross Construction Services. 

“To me education stands out as the only thing that will lift the standard of a community once enough people are educated,” Saab said. 

He said he pondered whether to accept the recognition because he doesn’t like to be in the limelight. 

“The name of the organization embodies a few of my passions,” Saab said. “The Lebanese, the American, the heritage. Our heritage is what defines our existence. Education is an investment in the future…I had to accept this award.”

Abdoulah discussed her position as the chairwoman of WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone. She has been in leadership positions since the beginning of her career. She credits that to the values her Lebanese father and Romanian mother instilled in her.  

“We had to, as people said tonight, learn to pay it forward,” Abdoulah said. 

She said her personal definition of a leader is that you are there to serve others in a way that brings out the best in them and yourself. 

“It is not about what you sell or what your company does,” she said. “It is about how you do it that matters.” 

She recalled her first investor meeting in New York where she was asked about her plans for WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone. Abdoulah said she responded naively and spontaneously, saying that when somebody leaves the company they will say that they are a better person for having been there.  

“I wanted to create an environment where people thrived and where they felt honored and respected and that they could contribute the gifts that God gave them,” she said. “And if we created an environment like that, people would give their best and we would be successful. And we grew in revenue over a decade, so it works.”

The LAHC is a leading advocate of higher education and has the largest scholarship assistance program in the area. Throughout the past 27 years, the Arab American Scholarship Foundation Program has awarded some 1,200 students of high academic distinction more than $1.3 million dollars in scholarships.

Ford Motor Company’s Shawn Wilson reminded scholarship recipients they are not blessed in life to keep blessings to themselves.  

“You are blessed in life to help others,” said Wilson, manager, multicultural & community engagement, with the Ford Motor Company Fund. “Whether it is helping a sibling go to college or helping your community in other ways. Everyone here, all of these sponsors, everyone that is investing in you is asking you to give back and pay it forward. I hope you will answer that call.”

Mitch Slape, senior vice president of Walmart’s Great Lakes Division, talked about the LAHC. He said the organizatonbrings tremendous energy to the community. 

Hussein Hachem, the president of the LAHC’s Youth Leadership Committee, said that group strives to promote community service to young volunteers and educate them about the importance of giving back to the community. 

Christina Petrosian, the manager of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Middle Eastern American program, said the federal agency values an organization like the LAHC that invests in their youth and instills in them a responsibility not only to their community, but to continue with their education and give back to their community. 

LAHC founder Ali Jawad and Arab American Scholarship Foundation Chairman Allie Berry were also in attendance and have played crucial roles in the success of the LAHC over the decades. 

Entertainment was provided by the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“The LAHC is phenomenal at what it does, how it serves the community and especially the youth and the young people,” said Paul Abbate, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit division. 

WXYZ Channel 7 reporter Simon Shaykhet served as the evening’s master of ceremonies.