MY Project USA's Class of 2024 in Local News! 

Graduates Receive Ohio Statehouse Commendations! 

We celebrated our Class of 2024 graduates at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center last week! MY Project USA’s founder and Executive Director Zerqa Abid, Administrative Consultant Dr. Sharon Watkins and Monique Kumara from The Women's Fund of Central Ohio presented each graduate with a certificate of commendation from Minority Leader Allison Russo and Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius L. Jarrells on behalf of the Ohio State House, along with graduation gifts from MY Project USA.

Three of our graduates: Sharmarke Abdi, Mukumbira Mukumbira and Asha Osman were interviewed by Anna Hoffman at NBC4 and Steve Levine at ABC6 and featured in the evening news! They shared their stories with strength and grace, and talked about how they aim to continue working with MY Project USA to mentor more youth like them. 

Each of these kids has worked so hard to beat the odds - from gun violence and horrible losses to a lack of resources. They have not just persevered, they have PROSPERED! We are so excited to see what these amazing young men and women go on to do next! And we are already working on helping to support the next batch of students as they make their way through High School, in hopes that they too can excel like Sharmarke, Mukumbira and Asha. Donations from all of you make so much of what we do possible. Please help us by contributing to funding the programs that help these kids beat all the odds. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For some people, graduating high school may seem like a common accomplishment. But for many youth in the Hilltop neighborhood, that diploma can feel out of reach.

The non-profit, MY Project USA, is celebrating several teens who beat the odds and are now the first in their family to graduate high school. These teens have survived gun violence, the loss of friends and family and not having a full support system. They say their graduation day was emotional for many reasons.

“It was very tough because the stuff that’s going on in our community, like the gun violence and everything,” graduating senior Sharmarke Abdi said.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A west Columbus community group working to stop gun violence and keep kids off the streets says it's now getting more help to keep peace in the streets.

Teens who've participated in its programs in the past are now looking to give back.

We are talking about kids who were lost in gangs, or drugs, or who have seen gun violence, or lost siblings or friends in front of their eyes to gun violence," said Zerqa Abid, founder of My Project USA.

Sponsor Hot Meals for Kids

Summer Programs Serving Hot Meals to all Students

Our summer programs serve healthy, hot meals prepared in MY Community Cafe to every student daily. For many students, this is the only healthy meal they eat. Please help us provide more meals to kids by donating to sponsor a meal.

What Does Being American Mean to You? 

MY Leaders Lab launches new MY Community Conversation Series

Whether you are a New American, an exchange student, going through immigration, or born and raised here...we all have different experiences that define what we think it means to be American. Our youth leaders at MY Leaders Lab invite you to join us in participating in the first event under our new "MY Community Conversation Series" at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center this Independence Day on July 4th from 12-2 PM.

Share your perspectives, listen to others, and engage in meaningful conversations about identity, values, and culture. This in-person event aims to foster understanding and unity within our diverse community. Let's celebrate the beauty of our differences and explore what unites us as Americans. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with others and reflect on what being American means to you!

Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA Served 10,635 individuals from 2085 Families with 4000 children in the Last 30 Days!

More Volunteers Needed On Week Days

This month has been extremely busy at the Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry. From May 25th to June 25th, the market served 10,635 individuals from 2854 families. More than 4000 children received food from the market in this period.

Thanks to our awesome partners from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. We could not do it without them! We also could not do all of this important work without MY Project USA team members Ezatullah Momand and Jajuan Parker and MY Family Pantry Director Ramy El-Assal. A special thanks goes out to our volunteers from Ohio State, Abbvie, Honda, CESO and other corporates and faith based organizations.

MY Deah's Warehouse:

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

We Are Looking For More Locations

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: 

   • 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
   • 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

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!