A Letter from Our Founder & Executive Director: 

In Little Skylar, I Found Hope. I Found the Affirmation!!! 

This Little-in-Size But Giant-in-Spirit Leader Knows What's Needed in Wedgewood

Family, 

Last Thursday, our MY Summer Expedition camp kids interviewed me about the Issa Jeylani Recreation Center. They were asking about the purpose of the center and how they can help. These are elementary school kids, and I told them that they can pray for us and can raise some money through lemonade sales and bake sales.

As I said that, a little girl raised her hand and asked if I would be in the youth center the next day. I asked her why. She replied, "I want to give you the $60 that I saved for myself."

I instantly felt so very emotional. After thanking her, I asked her why would she give her money to me. She replied, "I live in Wedgewood and there are a lot of shootings. Children are in danger. So it's a good thing that you are building this center to save children. That's why I want to help you."

I stood there kind of numb for a few seconds. The first thing that came to my mind was that I wished I could take her to meet our mayor, county commissioners and others who have control of the grant dollars and could help us build the center and expand our programs to serve more children in Havenwood, Southpark and Wedgewood, which are the hotspots of the youth gang violence on the Hilltop.

As this flashed in my mind, I looked at this little-in-size but giant-in-spirit leader, who looked so determined to change the world. I was choking with tears in my throat, but my heart was uplifted. I took that as a sign of God's blessings. 

In little Skylar, I found hope. I found the affirmation!!! 

No nation, no community and no neighborhood could be defeated if their children know what they need to do. Nobody can defeat Wedgewood because it has this precious child living there. 

Little Skylar came to my office the next day to give me two $5 bills with the permission of her mother. I have kept those bills in a Ziploc bag and have promised her that we will use them to buy something for the center that she will place there once it's ready. 

This is a little girl from Wedgwood. A little girl in our program learning to share and care. Learning to empower and uplift her neighborhood and community. The good news is that she is not alone! We have approximately 150 youth participating in different summer programs now and they are all exposed to similar messages. They are all our hope and our future. 

The sad news is that we also have a few youths in this same neighborhood who are lost and have been making bad choices. They have guns and have been terrorizing the community with their violent acts. 

My team, volunteers and staff, along with youth leaders, are committed to providing meals and other services to these neighborhoods. We are concerned and cautious – but not deterred – by these acts of violence. Instead, we are simply focused on Skylar, Sharmarke, Layla, Mukumbira, Habiba and many other bright youths who have chosen to be on the right side and have been making a difference every single day. 

Family,

We are so grateful for your generous donations towards meals and stipends for these children. Thank you to the Noor Islamic Cultural Center for their help in this initiative. Please continue donating. With your help, I promise to foster more youth like Skylar. Your gifts make it possible and your generosity is contagious. It's reaching our kids and they are modeling after you. God bless you!!!

In solidarity with youth and families, 

Zerqa Abid,
Founder & Executive Director
MY Project USA

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. Sadly, this tragedy has affected two siblings. One has lost their life, while the other is on life support.

Anything you can contribute will be very helpful. MY Project USA is a Zakat-eligible, 501(c)(3) tax-exempted organization. We also ask for your prayers as the Southpark community grieves for those lost.

MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid and our Social Worker Nacima Aden will be working in the neighborhood to help in any way we can.

MY Project USA in the News:

'We Are Not Addressing the Root Causes of These Problems:' Zerqa Abid Talks to NBC4 after Rash of Southpark Shootings

MY Project USA Looking for Support to Help Stem Violence

Thank you to Anna Hoffman of NBC4 for her report on the rash of shootings in the Southpark neighborhood and the efforts of community leaders like MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid in stemming the violence.

“Every morning when I wake up, I check my phone and I’m afraid that I’m going to see the same kind of news,” Abid told NBC 4.

According to Columbus police, there have been at least 15 shootings on Canonby Place – the street that runs through the Southpark Apartments complex – in 2023. That includes three alone in June. MY Project USA works with children from Southpark as well as Wedgewood.

“They need some kind of support on the financial side, they are very poor,” Abid told NBC 4. “They are living in inhumane situations.”

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein has sued the owners of the Southpark Apartments complex in an attempt to stem the violence.

"We have a gameplan in place that involves adding more security, adding more lighting and giving CPD access to the close circuit television, putting in license plate readers," Klein said.

Said Abid: “We are not addressing the root causes of these problems, and those root causes are the issues I’m talking about: food, stipends, good programming recreation. If we are not seriously doing it now, I am still worried that the coming weeks are going to be more violent.”

Youth Development:

Summer Campers Show Their Excitement for Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center

Students Learned about the Project During Community Leadership Camp

As part of our MY Summer Expedition series of weekly camps, children in our recent Community Leadership Camp learned about the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center. They learned why it’s needed in Columbus, how it honors Issa and how they can help make it a reality. On the final day of camp, we talked to the kids about what they learned.

Here are some of their responses!

Community Development:

MY Project USA, Noor Islamic Cultural Center Raise Money for Meals During 'A Night of Hope'

Fundraiser Brings in Enough for 4,000 Meals – Much More Help is Needed!

MY Project USA's Goal is to Serve 100,000 Meals in 2023

MY Project USA would like to offer a big thank you to the Noor Islamic Cultural Center for hosting our "A Night of Hope" benefit dinner on Friday. It was a wonderful evening with awesome support from the Muslim community. We were able to inform those in attendance about the mission of MY Project USA and talk about how food is one of the biggest challenges we face as an organization because – as we all know – hungry children are easy prey.

Thanks to our Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid for her presentation, as well as Board member Judge Sheryl Munson and Community Outreach Coordinator Shirell Shaw for speaking to the audience.

We were fortunate to raise enough money to cover the cost of approximately 4,000 meals for at-risk children in Columbus, which will help keep them away from danger and keep them on a path to success. We still aim to serve 100,000 meals in 2023, however, so much more help is still needed! 

All in attendance also got to sample some delicious food from MY Community Cafe.

Hilltop Tigers:

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

Under-18 Team to Participate from June 30-July 2

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.

Community Development:

MY Project USA Honors Wedgewood Manager at Monthly Meeting

At the monthly partners meeting called by MY Project USA at Wedgewood Village Apartments, we took the opportunity to recognize the efforts of Wedgewood manager Hakima Cheik for all she does for the Wedgewood community. She has been a blessing to work with, and we are honored to consider her a friend.

Quarterly Meeting Highlights Passion, Diversity of MY Project USA

The diversity, passion and commitment of our staff and volunteers was on display Thursday evening during MY Project USA's quarterly meeting at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center. Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid inspired the audience, and Board member Uzair Qidwai gave several updates organizational updates. Plus, everyone got to eat delicious food from MY Community Cafe (see below!).

MY Community Cafe:

Did You Know? MY Community Cafe Can Cater Your Event!

MY Project USA had its quarterly meeting on Thursday evening at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center, and everyone in attendance sampled some of the best food MY Community Cafe offers.

Whether you need catering help or just a delicious lunch or dinner, MY Community Cafe is here to help. Order online at MYCommunity.Cafe today!

Global Gifts & Thrift: 

While Supplies Last – Select Items Now 50% Off at Global Gifts & Thrift

See Store for Details on Which Great Items Are on Sale

Don't forget! All proceeds of sales at Global Gift & Thrift go to funding MY Project USA's programs. Happy shopping!

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.