DEARBORN — The American Association of Middle Eastern Women (AMEW) held its 4th annual fundraising dinner on Friday, May 16, at the Fairlane Club in Dearborn.  The event focused on AMEW’s mission to develop several facilities that will serve the Arab American community by offering support and social services to those who seek assistance.

AMEW is a non-profit organization whose goal is to improve society by focusing on issues like foster care, child abuse and public health awareness.  The organization’s board is made up of local educators, social workers and medical professionals, all of whom have a vested interest in advancing the community and supporting those in need.

AMEW President, Faye Awada, has served as a social worker in the Arab American community for twenty five years.  She spoke about the dire need for centers that cater to the needs of families in the community.  She said that although the implementations of these programs will take much time and effort, they will prove to be beneficial to the community as a whole.

“On behalf of all of AMEW, I want to thank everyone for their ongoing support and for their presence here tonight,” she stated.  “This will be a long process, but eventually, we would like to see this program grow and become a part of our community.”

The dinner hosted community members from a vast variety of fields, including legal, medical, and mental health fields. Awada said that the support of people in a diverse mixture of fields will help sustain the program’s mission.

“We have a lot of friends here from various professional fields,” Awada continued. “This leads me to believe that this program will prevail.  Our community has a lot to offer, and a program like this is long overdue.”

AMEW’s long term goals include opening education centers, as well as foster and shelter homes in the community.  These entities will serve Middle Eastern youth and their families who are facing difficult social issues.  The centers would provide services like child therapy and family counseling and support.

Brigitte Jawad-Hachem, vice president of AMEW, spoke to the audience about the importance of protecting the future of the children in the Arab American community.

“Our children are the target of our mission,” she stated.  “Let us join together and make a difference in the future of our community and the well-being of our children. Let us invest in a worthwhile cause: a transitional community shelter home here in Dearborn. Together, we can protect our children.”

Among the services offered by the centers will be the regular dispensing of information on child abuse, along with pamphlets on laws and legislation that pertain to families in the community.

The event also addressed problems within the foster care system, specifically, the rising issue of children being placed in homes with different religious traditions than the homes they were raised in.  One of the goals of AMEW’s centers will be to reunite families and ensure that children are well-protected throughout the entire foster care process.

The event featured a keynote address by Dr. Georges Jabaly, a physician and community member whose career has been dedicated to helping the less fortunate by providing them with medical services. Throughout his extensive career as a doctor, Jabaly has helped countless individuals who are without health insurance.  Over the past three years, Jabaly has helped over forty blind children in the Middle East who needed cornea transplants.

“I come here tonight to support this mission,” he said.  “Humanitarian issues affect us all. We need to support each other in this important program.”

Jabaly was presented with an award by Awada and the AMEW board members for his dedicated service to his community.

The program also included remarks from Maureen Meldrom, director of Breast Cancer Special Programs at Karmanos Cancer Center.  Meldrom, who has worked in the Arab American community to raise awareness about breast cancer, spoke about the importance of public health awareness.

For more information on AMEW, visit www.amew.org.