Community Development:

Fun in the Sun: Wedgewood Residents, Columbus Police Come Together at Annual Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival

MY Project USA Hands Out More than 300 Bookbags Full of School Supplies

It was a beautiful and peaceful afternoon Saturday at the Wedgewood Village Apartments, as MY Project USA and the Columbus Department of Police came together to help curb gang and gun violence at the Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival.

Hundreds of men, women and children gathered at the complex’s large field, where MY Project USA team members handed out 262 book bags full of school supplies to parents and children. More bags are being distributed to those who did not attend. We are grateful to INCA Relief for providing 47 school bags full of supplies and Starfish Assignment for providing 25 school bags with supplies. We also had free food, a bouncy house, giveaways of “blessing bags” and more.

Our friends from the Columbus Division of Police partnered with us for the event, and they brought a SWAT truck for people to check out, a vehicle and equipment from the department’s Underwater Search & Recovery team and even had a therapy dog, Maverick, on hand to greet residents.

This was a special afternoon, with residents and police officers mingling and building relationships.

We would like to thank the Columbus Division of Police for their support, especially Chief Elaine Bryant, Commander Erik Babcock, Lt. Amber Rich and all other officers who attended the event and met with residents. We would also like to thank professional emcee/songwriter, educator, mentor and audio engineer Eric Rollin, who performed for the crowd.

The food was provided by several wonderful Columbus businesses (click links for more info): Afghan Food Mart & Bakery, Al-Mustafa Market & Bakery, Apna Bazaar Bethel, Halal Munchies, Olive & Lime Cafe and Shawerma Bite. We appreciate all of these wonderful food sponsors and highly recommend each and every one of them.

We would also like to thank all of those who helped MY Project USA compile the school bags and supplies. Many wonderful, selfless men and women donated money and/or supplies, and we are thankful for all of those who helped put smiles on children’s faces.

Finally, thank you to all of the MY Project USA team members who worked hard to make the event run as smoothly as possible, especially Director of Community Development Sami Omerzai and Director of Community Outreach Taqdeerullah Aziz.

Community Development:

Columbus Police Help Make Wedgewood Event a Success

Several Uniformed Officers Met & Mingled with Wedgewood Residents

The recent Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival would not have been possible with the support of the Columbus Department of Police. We would especially like to thank Chief Elaine Bryant for her leadership. Special thanks also go to Commander Erik Babcock, Lt. Amber Rich and all other officers who attended the event and met with residents.

MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid and Commander Babcock spoke about the need for events like this to help make Wedgewood safer. Check out this video from the festival.

MY Leaders:

MY Leaders Conclude Successful Summer with Certificates of Recognition

This Program Transformed Our Youth This Summer

As part of the Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival, our MY Leaders group of young men and women received recognition as the summer came to a close.

MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid handed out certificates of recognition near the conclusion of the festival. Abid created the MY Leaders program with the goal of creating a youth-led organization of boys and girls ages 14-18 who want to make a positive impact on their community. This summer, the MY Leaders group focused on gun/gang violence and climate justice and even hosted their own youth summit.

Abid was joined at the certificate ceremony by Youth Program Director Katana Mullen, who helped guide these young men and women throughout the summer. Special thanks also go to Assistant Program Director Muna Cheik for creating the certificates and for all of her work this summer.

- Certificates for Leadership (8): Layla Sylvester, Irshad Shinwari, Madina Ibrahim, Ashaa Osman, Zulfiqar Akundzada, Rezwan Akundzada, Noman Wali and Mohamed Mohamed. 

- Certificates of Academic Achievement for APEX and Khan Academy Work (10): James Coleman, Layla Sylvester, Khadija Abdi, Mohamed Abdi, Mohamed Jaffar, Zahra Abo, Mohamed Mohamed, Madina Ibrahim, Mukumbira Mukumbira and Maryan Jaffar.

- Certificates of Completion for the MY Leaders Summer Program (27): Layla Sylvester, Madina Ibrahim, Asli Mohamed, Ashaa Osman, Maryan Jaffar, Habiba Hussein, Khadija Abdi, Zahra Abo, James Coleman, Sharmarke Abdi, Hamse Yusuf, Mohamed Jaffar, Mohamed Mohamed, Abdihamid Mohamed, Abdullahi Issa, Zulfiqar Akundzada, Rezwan Akundzada, Noman Wali, Ibrahim Salat, Mohamed Abdi, Mukumbira Mukumbira, Mansoor Wali, Jalat Shinwari, Qasim Omerzai, Irshad Shinwari, Hassan Musa and Micah Bush.

Special thanks go to the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, Ohio Department of Education, ADAMH Board of Franklin County and the City of Columbus for their support.

Community Development:

MY Project USA Proud to be Main Sponsor & Participate in Afghan Independence Day Event

MY Project USA was proud to be the main sponsor and participate in the Afghanistan Independence Day celebration Sunday at Thompson Park in Upper Arlington. 

It was a wonderful afternoon, full of cultural performances and vibrant festivities. MY Project USA team members provided a bouncy house, popcorn and more. Thank you to the Afghan Association of Central Ohio for inviting our organization to participate.

MY Project USA is proud of its efforts in aiding the Afghan community of new Americans that arrived in 2021. With the help of the Welcome Fund, we have helped several Afghani men and women earn their driver's licenses. We have also provided English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for these men and women and helped them find employment. 

It is a great example of how MY Project USA is working to accomplish its mission to protect and empower families. MY Project USA has served approximately 250 families from MY Deah's Warehouse and more than 70 families get help from MY Family Pantry every week. Additionally, approximately 50 individuals have gained employment with the help of MY Project USA’s workforce development programs.

Thanks to MY Project USA team members, and Afghan natives, Sami Omerzai, Taqdeerullah Aziz, Noorullah Shinwari, Nasir Shinwari, Ezatullah Momand and Fazal Rabi Rahmanyar for their efforts at the event.

MY Family Pantry:

Another Busy Week at MY Family Pantry Sees More Than 1,700 Served Nutritious Food, Household Supplies

It was another successful week for the wonderful men and women who helped serve 452 families and 1,724 individuals from Tuesday, Aug. 15-Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry.

The pantry saw 56 new families and offered nutritious food, including potatoes, corn, strawberries, bananas, bread, formula, lentils, peppers and more.

MY Project USA would like to thank MY Family Pantry Director Ramy El-Assal and his entire team from Ohio State (including Michael Abou-Elias, Rahaf Shalash, Noora Rajjoub, Elsa Wani, Stella Aboshahba, Nawal Abdinur and Chai Annamreddi) and other volunteers for helping on Saturdays. This past Saturday was also move-in day at OSU, so it was a busy weekend for many of our volunteers. Good luck this semester!

We also want to give a big shout-out to our staff Ezatullah Momand, Jajuan Parker & Kristina Arnold, who make the pantry a success each and every week. Thanks to their hard efforts, we distribute fresh produce and groceries to hundreds of individuals in our community weekly.

Annual Banquet:

Save the Date! Annual Banquet Set for Saturday, Nov. 4

Event will be Held at the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University

MY Project USA is proud to announce the date and location of our annual banquet. The 2023 banquet will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University. Stay tuned for more info about this great event as we get closer to November!

Global Gifts & Thrift:

Let MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid Show You Some of the Best Items at Global Gift & Thrift

Check out the great selection today. We're located in the Hilliard Shopping Center next to the BMV. All proceeds of sales go to funding MY Project USA's programs. Happy shopping!

Shop. Donate. Build a Life!

📍Address: 4730 Cemetery Rd. Hilliard, OH 43026 (next to the BMV)

MY Community Cafe:

Don't Want to Cook Tonight? It's Time to Order from MY Community Cafe!

It's a great day NOT to cook! Visit MYCommunity.Cafe and order your lunch or dinner today! Get great food and support MY Project USA's programs.

Order. Donate. Feed a Future!

📍Address: 3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204 (at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center)

Family Platinum Card:

Register for Our New 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.

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 – 7413 Maxtown Rd. Westerville, OH 43082
• Omar Ibn El-Khattab Masjid – 580 Riverview Dr. Columbus, OH 43202
• The Destiny Center – 1561 Old Leonard Ave. Columbus, OH 43219
• Bethel International United Methodist Church – 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.