thaakat atlanta 2011-2012

7/31/2019 Thaakat Atlanta 2011-2012

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2011-2012

Thaakat Atlanta Chapter2011-2012

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

Mother Teresa

Thaakat Foundation


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Thaakat Atlanta Chapter 2011-2012

I. Mission Statement..2II. Atlanta Board of Directors.3III. Letter from Directors....4IV. Events

a.Fundraising..5b.Volunteer..8

V. How my Dream became a Reality...9By: Ayesha Lodhia

VI. Fighting for a Cause.10By: Caryn Dreibelbis

VII. Deans Award...11VIII.Thaakat OU Team..12IX. Overview of Events & Causes ..13

By: Amber Lamar

X. Global Projects...15By: Rikita Patel

XI. Thaakat Spirit...16XII. Thaakat Art...17

By: Ayesha Lodhia

XIII.Donors & Supporters..18XIV.Peace. Love. Thaakat. ..19


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Our mission is to promote charitable

giving among students and youngprofessionals in the local and national

community and beyond. To drive amovement of creative altruism,

unparalleled giving and preservation of

diversity and culture. To bring hands on

volunteerism to our local communities

and hope to our global society.


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Thaakat Foundation has been thriving for four years and is now rapidly expanding through thecreation of new college chapters, one of which is Thaakat Atlanta active at Oglethorpe University.

Thaakat Atlanta was once a dream for our founder and president Ayesha Lodhia, and it was one ofthose daunting dreams that she was unsure she could reach. Yet, Ayeshas unwavering belief in thepower and mission of Thaakat Foundation to change the world encouraged her to forge ahead.

The student chapter of Thaakat Atlanta was officially approved as school organization in September

which was after our first debut to the school at the activities fair. Our little group of three girls had asimple goalto get at least 10 people interested in joining Thaakat; we placed up colorful signs,arranged t-shirts and wristbands, and laid out the flyers for our first event Top it with Thaakat. Our day

at the activities fair far exceeded our goal, and we received a list of 73 names of people who wereinterested in Thaakat. It was this first, overwhelming response that encouraged us to push further and

plan events for each month in the school year.

According to our board, two of the most memorable events we arranged were Thaakat Delight and

Will You Be My Thaakat. Thaakat Delight was our chance to show the school what set ThaakatAtlanta apart from other student groups on campus, which was our diversity. We provided food

(most of which students had never experienced before), henna, and music in order to raise moneyfor our global projects. Our new group members were present and eager to share the work ofThaakat with their peers.

Will You Be My Thaakat was an event in which we made valentines for women and children whowere victims of domestic violence and housed at Stronghold Atlanta. We cosponsored the event

with Amnesty International, who brought petitions to sign about domestic violence and discussedthe social implications. The event was inspiring to watch as college students took time out from their

lunch (or last minute chances to study before exams) to make someone elses day brighter andmany people were beginning to recognize our group. Now when we said things like Come toThaakat Atlantas event people no longer said Huh? or Whats that?!?! and instead ensured us

they would drop by after they finished lunch.

Another dream that came true this year was Thaakat Atlantas Swag the Swab to encouragestudents to become registered in the national bone marrow registry as potential donors. At first,when we would talk to people about whether Oglethorpe students would be receptive to an event

we were greeted with an abrupt no, but after we saw the enthusiasm the Thaakat leaders at thenational board had for bone marrow it was impossible not to try. Again Oglethorpe Universitys

student body rose above our expectations and we registered almost 60 people this year.

Ultimately, this year was a successful start for Thaakat Atlanta and due to our many supporters we

were able to raise $8,000 for our global projects. The dedication of our members and the support ofour contributors have made us determined to set our goals higher for next year and with continued

support we are certain they will be achievable.

Thank you for a wonderful year!

Love, Thaakat ATL Board of Directors


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Thaakat Delight

October 19, 2011

Fundraising event forPlumpynut at Oglethorpefor students to enjoy Indo-Pak culture.

Top it with Thaakat

September 8, 2011Our first fundraising eventat Pinkberry for our global

projects.


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Coexist Food Drive

January 23, 2012

Bake Sale/Kitchen DayJanuary 25, 2012

Trick-or-Treat

October 31, 2011

Fundraising event forPlumpynut.

Thaakat Ornaments for Christmas tree at schoolDecember 25, 2011


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Will you be my Thaakat?

February 14, 2012

Thaakat Atlanta and

Amnesty Internationalmade valentines forvictims of domesticviolence housed atStronghold Atlanta.

Swag the Swab

April 2 & 3, 2012

Bone marrow registrationdrive.


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MedShareJanuary 14, 2012

Sorting unused medicalsupplies, to be shippedoverseas.

Senior ConnectionsApril 13, 2012

Helping with thepreparations of meals forthe seniors.


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One day in April 2011, as I was scrolling through the Thaakat wordpress, I became amazed by all thethings the Thaakat team had been doing. I asked myself, I wonder if I can start a Thaakat chapter in

Atlanta?, and immediately I messaged Uzma Bawany Ali, the founder of Thaakat and my cousin, askingabout it. From there, it became my new dream to establish a Thaakat Atlanta chapter because everything

about Thaakat was inspiring. I realized how life is not just about the latest fashion trends or shopping all day, iabout making a difference in someones life. I worked day and night to make it happen. Although it was a

rocky start, I was determined to have my dream turn into reality because I knew that one day my hard worwould pay off. The thought of being able to reach out to people in need kept me going. Of course, to mak

Thaakat Atlanta official, I made a Thaakat Atlanta Facebook account. On May 10, 2011 Thaakat Atlanta

was officially founded.Next, I had to find people who were willing to help me fulfill this dream. By far this was the hardest par

of the process because it was difficult to find people who were willing to give up their time to help. I was so

discouraged by the responses I was getting. However, I would always call Uzma for advice and she wasalways there for me. She encouraged me all the way and I couldnt have done it without her. Every day, mthoughts on how to start this chapter were constantly floating in my head. I was looking forward to having bevents and volunteer projects. One day when I was carpooling to summer classes with my friend Caryn, I to

her about all the problems I was having trying to start a chapter. Then, we decided to register ThaakatAtlanta at Oglethorpe. At first, both of us were a little worried about mixing Thaakat and school together

because we wanted to give both a fair amount of time. However, we got over that fear and filled out theform to register at school.

In August, there was an activities fair at school, this was our first opportunity to expose Thaakat at

Oglethorpe University. Our table was full of colorful posters, flyers and us rocking our Thaakat shirts. To our

surprise we got 73 people to sign up for emails. I couldntbelieve it! But it was true, I could see my dream

slowly coming true. On September 14, 2011, Thaakat Atlanta was officially registered at Oglethorpe UniversitThroughout the semester, we planned many events and tried to get involved on campus as much as wecould. Today, we have 30 members on our team, including support from our family, friends, and professors.

We are blessed to have passionate people on our team. Everyone on campus was always asking about

Thaakat! It has been the most amazing experience to watch Thaakat Atlanta grow. My dream hadbecome a reality in less than a year.

On April 10, 2012 we received the DeansAward to Thaakat for Outstanding Achievement by aStudent Organization. That day my whole team could not stop smiling, we were all so proud of ourselves. I

was on top of the world because all that hard work paid off! I am so thankful to God for my Thaakat teamand all the supporters we have today. Receiving this award has motivated our team to work even harder

and achieve even more in our upcoming years. Today, Thaakats mission is my mission. Thaakat is very closeto my heart and I cannot imagine a second without it. Thaakat has changed my life in many ways and I feelike a new person. Truly, if you strive for a noble cause, God is sure to help you through all the obstacles you

may encounter, so never give up. All this positive change has made me a more confident person, teachingme to never stop dreaming. And this is how my dream became a reality

Ayesha Lodhia|President


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First of all, I would like to thank my friends and family for the enormous amount and support and

encouragement they have provided me as I go through this journey of learning to box. For the pastmonth I have been training at Decatur boxing club and slowly improving the awkward, clumsymovements and intense nerves that I felt when I entered my first class. During, this first class I was

asked to be involved in Decatur boxings first college fight night in Atlanta to raise money for thecharity of my choice, and although I was terrified about actually boxing the choice from here was

easy.

In summer of 2011 a very close friend of mine, Ayesha Lodhia, informed me about social network

with a cause that was uniting students across the nation for a cause, Thaakat Foundation. At first(much like my stepping into my first boxing class) when she asked me if I wanted to be involved I

was leery; I was worried about a multitude of things that now seem so selfish like if I would haveenough time to juggle the hefty responsibility or would it interfere with my love afternoon naps, and

it turns out Thaakat does in fact interrupt my afternoon naps. Yet, Thaakat Foundation has given mean avenue to feel inspired about the world around me again by reminding me that there are other

students that are passionate to help out the global and local needs that surround them. With thisbeing said, it is obvious that I have chosen to represent this charity at Atlantas first college fight

night. Now I know you have all heard that catch phrases about Thaakat, that we are a socialnetwork with a cause, a great resume builder, or an amazing organization full of bright-minded,

socially conscious students, but truly to me Thaakat Foundation is a family. We are a family that seesthe faults of the world and are determined to change it. No one should be in poverty, no one

should lack an education, domestic violence should cease to exist, and the sick should not have tostruggle to find donors. Yet, these things do exist and they exist everywhere; Thaakat Foundation is a

family unwilling to let these situations go by unnoticed. Heres where you come in!

Caryn Dreibelbis|Vice President


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On May 10, 2012, we were honored with the Deans Award toThaakat for Outstanding Achievement by a Student Organization.


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OU Thaakat Board Members

President: Ayesha Lodhia

VP: Caryn Dreibelbis & Parth Patel

Treasurer: Anish PatelSecretary: Ravina PatelCommunity Service: Terrika Cook

Global Ambassador: Rikita PatelEvents Manager: Alma Kadri

Public Relations: Amber Lamar & Nidha Jivan


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Miracle of PlumpynutToday in Somalia and East Africa, hundreds ofthousands of babies and children die from

malnutrition. Their mothers feel hopeless as theirchildrens lives go away in their arms. No food, no

electricity, no clean running water. Is there a solutionto this catastrophe? The answer lies in the miraclefood called Plumpynut.

Plumpynut is a ready to use peanut-based paste

in a foil wrapper. It was developed in 1999 by Dr.Andre Briend, a Nutritionist at The Research Institute

for Development (IRD), and Michel Lescanne,Founder and CEO of Nutriset. Both are located inFrance. This product is only used for famine relief.

Plumpynut is made out of peanut paste, vegetableoil, milk powder, powered sugar, vitamins andminerals. Each pack has 500 calories. Usually each

packet is eaten twice a day for two to four weeks,depending on the childs condition. Plumpynut

helps build a baby and childs immune system,

provides essential nutrition, and helps build muscle.Dont worry about allergies to peanuts. Thats only

developed nations issue, so the paste is fine to eat.The cost of this miracle is usually only US $35 perchild.Thanks to Plumpynut and non-profit organizations

such as Thaakat Foundation, childrens lives havebeen saved. For example in 2005, regions in Niger

had the highest malnutrition rates. Now afterPlumpynutwas successfully distributed, the regionnow has the lowest malnutrition rate. Plumpynut

now treats more than 12,000 healthy children.

Delicious Act of Thaakat DelightColorful scarves of the rainbow coveredour tables and windows. The sounds offestive American and Indian music inspir

the body to move. The savory scents oftraditional Indian food fill the air. Postersof Thaakat and Plumpynut catch your

eye while you walk past. Happy

customers were in awe of their beautifulhenna art, by Henna Artiste of Atlanta.The feelings of compassion helps tofurther spread our message. This was

Thaakat Delight.For those who missed us, or just simply to

recall, Thaakat Delight was an eventheld by Thaakat Atlanta at Oglethorpe

University. The event was held on the

campus in the Emerson TV lounge onOctober 19, 2011. It lasted from 12-2 pm

All board members and volunteers in out-shirts, came together to make this evenpossible.

Our purpose was to have an event toraise awareness about our organizationand raise money for malnourished

children in East Africa and Somalia. Themoney raised will be used to distribute

Plumpynut to children in need. Thanks tthe kindness and support of theOglethorpe community, Thaakat Atlanta

raised nearly $300 for the cause andThaakats overall goal of $11,000 for the

11.11.11 campaign.

Articles written by:

Amber Lamar | PR Team | Thaakat OU


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Sharing our Thaakat at MedShareOn January 14, 2012, the Thaakat Atlanta teamvolunteered our time and served our

community at MedShare@ in Decatur, Ga.

MedShare@ is a nonprofit organization thatcollects unused medical supplies andequipment surplus and distributes fromhospitals, clinics and doctor offices. Then they

are shipped to developing countries across theworld in need. All day we separated needles,

scalpels and other supplies. Afterward, we allcame together to package each one withmore medical supplies and care. We later

found out that the supplies we were packagingthat day were going to be sent to Jamaica

and certain parts of Africa. Together withMedShares Elizabeth Haskell and PaulKennedy and Thaakat Atlanta, our work shared

our mission of Peace, Love, Thaakat to theworld.

For more information on MedShare@, pleasego on their website atwww.medshare.org.

Will you be my Thaakat?Another Valentines Day has come and gone. It was

filled with happy people, colorful posters, with love

songs filling the air at Oglethorpe Universitys

Emerson TV lounge. Thaakat Atlanta and Amnesty

International of Oglethorpe University joined forces

for our Valentines Day event, Will You Be My

Thaakat? for Stronghold Atlanta. Stronghold Atlanta

or Stronghold Cooperative Ministries, Inc. is a

resource center for women and children who were

victims of domestic violence. Amnesty International

provided information about the perils of domestic

violence. Petitions were also welcome to anyone

willing to stand up and show awareness of what true

love really is and that it shouldnt hurt in any kind of

way.

For this cause, Thaakat Atlanta provided art supplies

to everyone for making Valentines Day cards for thewomen of Stronghold Atlanta. By making these

cards we not only show our general concern, but

want to bring encouragement and strength to these

women in their time of need. So together from

Thaakat Atlanta and Amnesty International for

Valentines Day and beyond: Love, Peace and

Thaakat.

For more information about Stronghold Atlanta,

please go on their website

atwww.strongholdatlanta.org.

Senior ConnectionsToday was the last day of Oglethorpe University Day of Service for the academic year. Members of Thaakat

Atlanta came along to help pack meals and set up rooms for Senior Connections@ in Chamblee, GA. off of

Peachtree Rd. NE. My role was being part of the assembly line that packed meals for Meals on Wheels, by

filling a section of the plates with cabbage. You can see me on the Senior Connections@ Facebook page

showing some cafeteria realness. Afterward, all of us helped clean the areas we used.

While packing cabbage on an assembly line, I messed up at first. The assembly line moved so fast I thought I

was having whiplash! The supervisor kept correcting me and shaking his head before I finally got it right. It

made me really appreciate cafeteria workers and that Im not cut out for this kind of work and really need to

get my degree. While stuffing frozen cabbage into its designated place, I spoke with another volunteer. She

asked why I was there and then I re-asked the question. She told me that she had had too many speeding

tickets and had to do seven more days to finish her community service. Then I asked her if she would comeback again after her time was up. She responded by saying, Yes I would, the people are really nice here. But

Id probably only come once a week.

At the end of the day, all of us came out to help our community. No one was acting. Anyone can wear T-

Shirts with their faith or Thaakat on it, but at the end of the day, its not what we wear but its how we live. We

are Thaakat and become it every day. So show your Thaakat (strength) in everything you do. Peace, Love,

and Thaakat.

For more information about Senior Connections please go onhttp://www.srconn.org/, Oglethorpe University

atwww.oglethorpe.edu, and Thaakat Atlanta athttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlanta
http://www.medshare.org/http://www.medshare.org/http://www.medshare.org/http://www.strongholdatlanta.org/http://www.strongholdatlanta.org/http://www.strongholdatlanta.org/http://www.srconn.org/http://www.srconn.org/http://www.srconn.org/http://www.oglethorpe.edu/http://www.oglethorpe.edu/http://www.oglethorpe.edu/http://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.oglethorpe.edu/http://www.srconn.org/http://www.strongholdatlanta.org/http://www.medshare.org/


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Project Re-born

The village of Blama Perri, Sierra Leonewelcomes a new born. However, the baby is

malnourished and has severe infections, whilethe mother is resting on an unsanitary, dirtfloor. This village has gone through 11 years of

civil war and the nearest hospital is threemiles away by a motorcycle, which woman

who are nine months pregnant should not betraveling on. This city is consisted of mainlywidows and children. It lacks proper birthing

centers which is the reason why the babies

are born malnourished. Thaakat raised $5,000and these funds will be used to help build amaternity center for the residents of BlamaPerri.

Thaakat also helped build five childrescuecenters in Blama Perri. These rescue centershouse 100 residents and keep them from

terminal diseases. The maternity center will

help 1,000 expecting mothers in this villageand other nearby communities also. It will

ensure the patients with proper sterilemedical supplies in an hygenic surrounding.

Kachra KundiThe village of Kachra Kundi in Karachi, Pakistan ishome to more than 300 families. Kachra Kundi is

located approximately 50 miles away from the

city Karachi; where the city dump trucks makedaily rounds at Kachra Kundi. The garbage

collected at Kachra Kundi is what the familieslive off of. Every family member (husband, wife

and children) are engaged in this business. Theyearn a profit by collecting the wastes andreselling it to recycling centers. These innocent

people have no education along with no simpleresources such as electricity, gas, and clean

water. They are being affectedwith poisonous gases and smoke when garbage

is being burnt. Also, there is no well-qualifieddoctor to help them because the area is one ofthe least hygienic places. But there is onehumble and noble man who has become one

source of protection for the residents, Dr. Sultanhas agreed to practice in this unsanitary

environment.On December 2011 Thaakat visited the site andwith the help of one of our partners, Idara Al

Khair, we are building an educational facility forthe students. About 8 years ago, our partner

brought in 16 teachers who had lots of hopesand dreams for the children and the city ofKachra Kundi. The educational facility will also

provide education to 10 other villages aroundKachra Kundi gathering approximately 250

students (40% girls). This facility will be onlyminutes away from the students villages and itwill be free from pollution and diseases. The

construction for this project has begun inJanuary 2012. The school will be managed by

Idara Al Khair and parents have already beganregistering their children. We have also been

working with another partner of ours, em[Power],who are also a non-profit, to help install a wasteto energy generator, that can help power theschool and the health clinic. Thaakat raised

$11.000 for this project! Plus, 9 classrooms are

almost walk in ready!!!Articles written by:Rikita Patel | Global Ambassador | Thaakat OU

Sources: thaakat.wordpress.com


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You lose nothingwhen fighting for

a cause In mymind the losers

are those who

dont have acause they care

about.

-Muhammad Ali

Caryn running at a 26mi Womens Nike Marathon in Thaakat shirt.

1

stThaakatAtlanta

Donationbox

1sttablereserved

forThaakat

Atlanta shaved in Omars head

Ilove

Thaakat!


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DonorsAbdul Rehman YaqubLodhia FamilyDreibelbis Family

Patel FamilyFarooq & Salma Gandhi

Teli FamilyYousuf & Farida PochiWada Family

Malik FamilyIqbal Lodhia

Rahim KhimaniShiraz FamilyEast Cobb Islamic Center (ECIC)

Mohammad & Habiba SiddiquiBritto Maria Joseph

Faheem AdamRais & Mariam UsmanAjay Agarwal

Rajesh ShahShabana Khan

Sadiya ShahnwazEvan M. Altman

Daliah BrillRonnye ShamamRonald WeinsteinSamir Hanif

Husna GhafurSohpia Patel

Maha HosinTasnim AhmedKadri Famliy

Irving GuzmanSusan Contreras Kopplin

Katrina SharpeJivan FamilyDavid Matsil

Frances KiradjianKendra Hunter

Jeet Kumar Budha MagarTony GoldenRaza Bhatti

Thaakat t-shirts Courtesy ofMohammad I. JamalGeorgia Trading Post Inc.

University Support

Oglethorpe University


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National Board Linkswww.thaakatfoundation.orgwww.thaakat.wordpress.com

www.thaakat.tumblr.com

www.twitter.com/thaakatwww.facebook.com/Thaakat.FoundationEmail: [email protected]

Atlanta Board Linkswww.atlthaakat.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/thaakatatlantawww.facebook.com/thaakat.atlanta

Email: [email protected]
http://www.thaakatfoundation.org/http://www.thaakatfoundation.org/http://www.thaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.thaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.thaakat.tumblr.com/http://www.thaakat.tumblr.com/http://www.twitter.com/thaakathttp://www.twitter.com/thaakathttp://www.facebook.com/Thaakat.Foundationhttp://www.facebook.com/Thaakat.Foundationhttp://www.atlthaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.atlthaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.twitter.com/thaakatatlantahttp://www.twitter.com/thaakatatlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.facebook.com/thaakat.atlantahttp://www.twitter.com/thaakatatlantahttp://www.atlthaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.facebook.com/Thaakat.Foundationhttp://www.twitter.com/thaakathttp://www.thaakat.tumblr.com/http://www.thaakat.wordpress.com/http://www.thaakatfoundation.org/

thaakat atlanta 2011-2012

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