Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center:

Ali & Bashir Advocate for Their Community & the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center at the Ohio Statehouse

MY Project USA Proud to Help Empower These Great Young Men

Thank You to the State Representatives Who Met with Our Delegation

Part of MY Project USA's mission to protect and empower young people and families includes providing opportunities for our young people to get experience advocating in front of elected officials. Recently, two of our young MY Project USA team members, Ali Jeylani and Bashir Ahmed, joined our Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid at the Ohio Statehouse to lobby state representatives for their support in providing capital funding for the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center.

The trio had several meetings with state reps throughout the day on Tuesday. It was a great experience for Ali and Bashir, who were able to tell these esteemed elected officials why the recreation center is so important to them and their community.

"We kind of got to see the reality of how these things kind of work, when it comes to wanting to get support from people that can actually influence things and make things happen," Bashir said.

As noted in last week's newsletter, the Ohio state legislature is currently in the process of evaluating requests for capital funding, and MY Project USA has submitted the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center as a project to consider. We were humbled that several state reps took the time to talk to Zerqa, Ali and Bashir on Tuesday, and we hope that the rec center will have their support.

Thank you to the following state representatives for meeting with us: Dave Dobos, Mary Lightbody, Allison Russo and Dontavius Jarrells (pictured above). We also met with an aide for Munira Abdullahi and have a future meeting scheduled with Anita Somani.

As you know, MY Project USA has not been able to find any consistent year-round recreation location that could accommodate daily practices and games for the children in our Hilltop Tigers soccer program. There are approximately 10,000 children at risk of gang and gun violence in the Hilltop area, and this 2.13-acre center will provide a safe haven to hundreds of them each year. We have found the site for the center but still need to acquire the funding to make it a reality.

If you would like to help us on our long road toward building the center, please donate today via the black button below. 

MY Project USA Team News:

A Fond Farewell to Youth Program Director Katana Mullen

Katana Has Left MY Project USA to Further Continue Pursuing Her Education

MY Project USA is saying a bittersweet goodbye to our Youth Program Director Katana Mullen.

Katana left the organization at the end of 2023 to further continue pursuing her education and prioritizing her family. We wish her nothing but the best moving forward!

"Katana Mullen was one of the most compassionate and caring team members that MY Project USA has had over the years," said MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid. "We are especially grateful for her investment in the empowerment of our girls. She has made a major impact in the lives of several young ladies and has made them a part of her legacy."

We were honored to have Katana a part of our organization. Her kind and loving heart made her a valued team member, and all of us at MY Project USA – from the staff, to the volunteers and the young people we serve – will miss her terribly. 

Community Development:

Supporting Our Sisters: MY Project USA, Covenant Baptist Church Join Forces for Female-Only Classes Starting in February

Call (614) 306-0366 or Email dir.outreach@myprojectusa.org with Questions

MY Project USA is proud to announce a pair of new classes to help women in the new American/refugee community here in Columbus. With the Covenant Baptist Church as our partner, we are proudly offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Cultural Orientation classes starting in February.

All classes will be held at Covenant Baptist Church (5100 Dierker Rd. Columbus, OH 43220). The ESL classes will be held every Tuesday from 5:30-7 p.m. beginning on Feb. 13. The Cultural Orientation classes, which will help attendees learn more about American culture, will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and will be held every Wednesday from 5:30-7 p.m.

There will be free childcare offered during the Wednesday Cultural Orientation classes ONLY. 

Thank you to our partners at the Covenant Baptist Church for providing a location for these much-needed classes! 

MY Deah's Warehouse:

12 Locations in Columbus to Drop Off Donations – Truck Pick-Up Available for Large Donations

MY Project USA is searching for more locations across central Ohio where people can leave their donations of new and gently used clothes, shoes, books, toys and other small non-breakable items. We need your support!

We will collect the items from the bins weekly (or more frequently as needed) and sort them in our warehouse. Once organized, we offer the items for free to clients in the communities we serve. Some items are also sold at Global Gifts & Thrift, a retail location in Hilliard that is based on the Goodwill model. All proceeds of these sales go toward funding our programs.

Our organization will ensure that the area around the bins remains clean. Please contact Noorullah Shinwari at (614) 817-9159 with questions or if you are interested in partnering with us. Thank you!

If you are looking to drop off items to donate, our bins are at the following locations:
   • Ahlul Bayt Society – 2580 W. Dublin Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43235
   • Bethel International United Methodist Church – 1220 Bethel Rd. Columbus, OH 43220
   • Covenant Baptist Church – 5100 Dierker Rd. Columbus, OH 43220
   • Global Gifts & Thrift – 4730 Cemetery Rd. Hilliard, OH 43206. (Business Hours Only)
   • Heritage Christian Church – 7413 Maxtown Rd. Westerville, OH 43082
   • MAS Youth Center – 4615 Northtowne Blvd. Columbus, OH 43229
   • Masjid Nimrah – 4501 Refugee Rd. Columbus, OH 43232
   • MY Deah's Warehouse – 4004 Fondorf Dr. Columbus, OH 43228. (Business Hours Only)
   • Noor Islamic Cultural Center – 5001 Wilcox Rd. Dublin, OH 43016
   • Omar Ibn El-Khattab Masjid – 580 Riverview Dr. Columbus, OH 43202
   • The Destiny Center – 1561 Old Leonard Ave. Columbus, OH 43219
   • The First Congregational Church – 444 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215
   • Turkish American Society of Ohio (TASO) – 2885 W. Dublin Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43235

Family Platinum Card:

Register for Our Family Platinum Card Today!

MY Project USA is still actively registering low-income clients for our new Family Platinum Card. This brand-new initiative is FREE and has several benefits.

Benefits Include:
   • 20% off discount at MY Community Cafe and Global Gifts & Thrift
   • Monthly prize raffles
   • Holiday gifts
   • “Fast Pass” (a way to speed up the sign-in process) for MY Project USA events    
   • Special “Members Only” events
   • And MORE to be announced!

Please come to the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center (3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204) to sign up.

MY Helpline:

Rent & Utilities Support Available at MY Project USA

We have been working very hard in securing grants and building collaboration with other partners to help our clients. Thanks to The Columbus Foundation, United Way of Central Ohio, and IMPACT Community Action, we are still able to help more of our families with their rent and utilities. If you or someone you know needs help, please ask them to contact us at (614) 905-0977 or help@myprojectusa.org.