Eid al-Adha Greetings:

Wishing Our Muslim Friends & Family a Happy Eid al-Adha

Please Consider Supporting Our Latest Campaigns

Eid al-Adha Mubarak to our Muslim friends and family! May this blessed occasion bring you joy, peace, and abundant blessings. As we commemorate the spirit of sacrifice and devotion, let us come together in unity, compassion and gratitude. 

May your homes be filled with love, your hearts with contentment and your lives with prosperity. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous Eid filled with happiness and cherished moments. 

Eid Mubarak!

We also want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support of MY Project USA. We are extremely fortunate to have supporters like you.

We also humbly ask you to consider supporting a trio of ongoing campaigns:
   • Sponsor a Meal: We all know that hungry children are easy prey, especially in the Hilltop – an urban area on the west side of Columbus that lacks places to buy affordable, high-quality fresh food. A warm meal could give leverage to drug dealers, pimps or any criminal looking to entice a hungry child into committing crimes or trap them in human trafficking. That is why we started food distribution as soon as we embarked on our journey of protecting our youth and why we opened MY Community Cafe, a pay-forward cafe with all proceeds going to help fund our programs. Order. Donate. Feed a Future!
   • Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center: We have found the land for the recreation center, but we still need the community's help in funding the project. This is a crucial initiative, as youngsters in the Hilltop do not have access to a safe, year-round indoor recreation facility. There are about 10,000 children at risk of gang and gun violence in the Hilltop area, and this center will provide a safe haven. 
   • Funeral Fundraiser for Southpark Shooting Victims: As you probably know, there has been a rash of shootings in the Southpark neighborhood, and those tragedies have recently hit close to home for us at MY Project USA. MY Project USA is asking the community to help pay for funeral expenses for a family close to our organization. 

Anything you can contribute to any of our campaigns will be very helpful. MY Project USA is a Zakat-eligible, 501(c)(3) tax-exempted organization. 

MY Project USA wants to make sure your Udhiya/Qurbani sacrifice goes toward sustenance for those in need here in Columbus. Starting Friday, June 30, we will be accepting donations of frozen meat at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center (3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204). We will be passing out these donations to Muslim clients at our MY Family Pantry.

Please drop off your donations at the following times:
   • Friday, June 30 – 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
   • Saturday, July 1 – 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
   • Tuesday, July 4-Friday, July 7 – 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
   (We are closed Sunday, July 2 & Monday, July 3)

If you have any questions, or to schedule your delivery for a different time, call MY Project USA at (614) 905-0977.

Youth Development:

MY Leaders Learn How to Make Habotai Silk Scarves in 'Art Healing' Class

Thank You to Grace Johnson for Teaching Our Leaders!

Don't Forget! Columbus Youth United Summit is Scheduled for July 22

A special thank you to MY Project USA Board member Grace Johnson, who visited the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center on Monday to lead the MY Leaders group in an art healing class.

The students made Habotai silk scarves with natural dyes. They worked with marigold and onion (yellow/amber colors), logwood bark (purple), cochineal (red) and teal/aqua (a combination of indigo and weld). 

Thank you to MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid, MY Project Youth Program Director Katana Mullen, Youth Leadership Trainer Kay Wilson and many other MY Project USA staffers & volunteers for their efforts in making the program a success.

The summer program will have three focus areas: climate justice, guns/gang violence and substance abuse, as well as a girls' entrepreneurship portion. They will participate in the Columbus Youth United Summit, which will be held Saturday, July 22 at a site to be announced.

The MY Leaders Program offers a valuable opportunity for exceptional young individuals within immigrant and refugee communities. It brings youth from different socio-economic and social backgrounds into one room to work together on a common cause. By providing financial support through a stipend and recognizing their efforts, this program aims to empower under-served individuals to continue making a positive difference in their communities.

Thank you to the city of Columbus, the Ohio Department of Education, the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and the ADAMH Board of Franklin County for their support of our MY Leaders program.

Youth Development:

Ready! Set! PLAY! MY Summer Expedition Campers Having Fun During Our Sports & Recreation Camp

Thank You to Coach Cody Ballard & MY Project USA Staffers for Overseeing the Exciting Activities!

What a fun kickoff we had to our Sports & Recreation Camp on Monday! The MY Summer Expedition campers went to the Big Run Athletic Complex, where they got to play some basketball. 

Thanks to our special guest "coach" Cody Ballard, Brick Sports founder and co-owner, who led the fun! Coach Cody and his team led the youth through a great skills practice and talked about sportsmanship.

As always, thank you to all of the MY Project USA staffers and volunteers who work tirelessly to make the camps enjoyable for our youth.

Our Sports & Recreation Camp is full of fun activities created to keep our youth active! In addition to working on basketball skills on Monday, there were days when volleyball and soccer took center stage. Late in the week, the campers were slated to go on a field trip to ZipZone Outdoor Adventures! 

Thank you to the Ohio Department of Education for their support of our MY Summer Expedition camps!

Hilltop Tigers:

Bluegrass Bound: Hilltop Tigers to Play in Louisville at Annual International Cup Tournament

Under-18 Team to Participate in Tournament This Weekend

The Hilltop Tigers are proud to announce their participation in the Annual International Cup, which will be held June 30-July 2 in Louisville, Ky. The Tigers won the tournament last year and are excited to test themselves against good competition in the Bluegrass State.

MY Community Cafe:

It's a Great Day NOT to Cook! Order from MY Community Cafe!

We're open and ready to make the question of "What's for dinner?" an easy one tonight.
Order online now!

Order. Donate. Feed a Future!

📍 3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204 (Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center)
🕒 Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Global Gifts & Thrift: 

Head to Global Gifts & Thrift for a Unique & Fun Shopping Experience!

Don't Forget – All Proceeds of Sales from the Store Help Fund MY Project USA

We proudly offer an international, multicultural collection of gifts, artifacts, decorative items, clothing, shoes, household items and more. All proceeds from the store help finance MY Project USA's programs on the west side of Columbus. Visit Global Gifts & Thrift in Hilliard today!

SHOP. DONATE. BUILD A LIFE.

📍 4730 Cemetery Rd. (Next to the Hilliard BMV)
⏰️ Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Family Platinum Card: 

Don't Forget to Register for Our New Family Platinum Card

Eligible Families Receive Discounts, Holiday Gifts, 'Fast Pass' & More!

MY Project USA is still actively registering 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.

Annual Report: 

Have You Read Our Annual Report Yet? It's 32 Pages of Great Info!

If you have not yet read our latest annual report, click on the image above (or the button below) to download a PDF of the 32-page report. We did our best to put eight years of work in these pages, but that's nowhere near enough to attempt to tell the full story. 

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 helpadmin@myprojectusa.org.

MY Deah's Warehouse:

12 Locations In Columbus To Drop Off Donations – Truck Pick-Up Available For Large Donations

You can now drop off your donations of new and gently used clothes, shoes, books, toys and other small non-breakable items in a donation box near you. These locations include: 

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

We are looking for more locations. If interested in helping us or have any other questions, please contact us at warehouse@myprojectusa.org.