Terror Hits MY Project USA's Family Again!

5 Year-Old Child Shot While Sitting in Family Car

Fractured Bone, Wounds & Trauma Will Take Time To Heal

Mother and Children Traumatized, Need Immediate Assistance

Family, 

Terror hits our home again!

A 5 year old girl was shot in Wedgewood on July 28 while sitting in her family car with her mother and siblings. I have known this little princess since she was born. Her mother was one of the teen founding members of our MY Reading Warriors initiative in Wedgewood back in 2016. She is like a daughter to me. She is now a single mother of 4 children, a student and a part-time worker to support her family. She has been tirelessly working to protect and empower children in Wedgewood in various capacities over the years, including serving summer meals to kids in the midst of gun violence last year. 

On July 28, one bullet passed through her pelvic area ripping the tissues and fracturing her pelvic bone. Another bullet was stuck in her little arms and was taken out by a surgery. We are beyond grateful to God's mercy that she miraculously survived and will be celebrating her 6th birthday tomorrow. She has a very long road to recovery. Her mother, does not have means and savings to take care of her and her siblings on her own.

Yesterday, she returned to her work, and the little princess ended up having more bleeding and had to return to the hospital last night. Her mom cannot go back to her work for some time. She needs our immediate help.   

Per her request, we have started a fundraiser to help offset the financial burden coming her way by buying her a car that isn't riddled with bullet holes, helping her move her kids into a safer neighborhood as they are too traumatized to return to Wedgewood, and providing her a safety net while she is unable to work while focusing on taking care of her injured child and other traumatized children. Please help us provide our sister the help she needs to get her and her kids through this terrible ordeal. Donate what you can through our Facebook fundraiser. Other ways to donate are linked below.

Last but not least, I must say this shooting has shaken me deeply once again. The recurring pain and grief of losing Issa two years ago was fresh last week, when I received this call from her mother crying for daughter's life. It broke my heart and it brought the entire community to an edge. This must stop. 

I launched MY Project USA almost 10 years ago to protect and empower these children and their families. Regardless of the fact that we have saved hundreds of children from drugs, gangs and food insecurity, we are not able to do much in saving these kids from guns in the neighborhoods.  As I stand with this little princess and her mom today, I call for justice. I implore those with the power to provide justice to take a long, hard look at this issue and come up with policies and programs that help to actually rehabilitate troubled youth and protects residents so that no family and no child ever has to be scared to sit in their own car or go back to their own home.

Please keep us in your prayers and donate generously!

In Solidarity with Youth & Families,

Zerqa Abid

Founder, President and Executive Director

Youth Leaders Collecting School Supplies For Kids in Need

300+ Kids Can Benefit From Your Donations!

Thank to our generous community members in ICNA Relief for their donations for our back-to-school drive and our Hilltop Free Clinic med students who came to help pack bags with us! We are still in need of a large number of supplies to provide to 300 kids who do not have the means to buy supplies themselves. Your donations will make a world of a difference to these kids and their parents! Please contribute what you can!

Ohio University Med Students Tour The Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center

Dr. Robin Newburn Joins the Hilltop Free Clinic Board of Directors

Ohio University Med students in the Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways (RUSP) program toured the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center and learned about MY Project USA, addiction and drug medication, and how MY Project USA plays a role in helping to combat addiction. Students also helped pack backpacks for our back-to-school drive! 

We are also excited to announce that Dr. Robin Newburn, the Associate Director of RUSP - Dublin, and a Professor at Ohio University has joined the Hilltop Free Clinic Board of Directors! Dr. Newburn brings with her a wealth of knowledge and a ton of ideas to continue making the Clinic better and more accessible to all. We are truly honored to have her on board! 

Hot Meal Funds Have Depleted! URGENT FUNDING NEEDED!

$15,000 Needed To Continue Hot Meals Program

MY Project USA provides more than 100 meals per day to students participating in our youth programs. For many students, these are the only healthy meals they eat. We know that food security is vital for protecting youth, because hungry kids are easy prey. At this point in time, we have run out of funds. Please help us continue providing these kids healthy, hot halal meals by donating to our hot meals program. Every dollar helps! 

The Hilltop Youth Soccer Summer League Ends on a High Note! 

The Hilltop Tigers Win in All Age Groups! 

The Hilltop Youth Soccer Summer League ended on July 31st with a fantastic last game and a fun-filled and uplifting awards ceremony! We are so very proud to announce that our very own Hilltop Tigers teams won in all 4 age groups! This summer has been one of a lot of growth, motivation, and hard work. We are inspired every day by the dedication of these wonderfully talented kids and their coaches.

A huge thank you to every one who has cheered these kids on, and especially to our volunteers who helped keep the league running smoothly. Special shoutout to our sponsors, without whom this year's summer league would not have been possible: the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, ADAMH Board of Franklin County, Pomante Contractors, Modern Ohio Realty, Premier Auto Care, Fruitblenderz, Holly Hood Inc, D Dalla Trucking, FMB Clothing, Inflammable USA and DC Expediting. 

And finally, a well-earned CONGRATULATIONS to our winning teams: 

• U8 - Hilltop Tigers (FC Elite) - Coaches Ahemd Abdi/Gulled Osman
• U10 - Hilltop Tigers (Allstars) - Coaches MK/Omar Ibrahim
• U12 - Hilltop Tigers (Glory Boyz) - Coaches Daud Daud/Mohamed Ibrahim
• U15 - Hilltop Tigers (Nike FC) - Coach SK

Hilltop Tigers Recruited to the Columbus Crew Academy! 

Six of our Hilltop Tigers players had the opportunity to try out for the Columbus Crew Academy, and we are very excited to announce that 3 of them have been accepted into the Columbus Crew Pre Academy 2012! We are incredibly proud of Yerrow Yerrow, Osman Khamis, Hassan Abdikadir and their Coach who has been training them for the last 2-3 years, Ali Jeylani! Please join us in congratulating these players, and wishing them well on their soccer journey! To help more youth like Yerrow, Osman and Hassan, consider donating to our Soccer program. 

MY Summer Expedition Learns to Cook! 

Students Have a Fun Week of Cooking and Making Music!

Students participated in multiple Cooking & Nutrition classes with Local Matters where they learned to make yogurt fruit & granola parfait bowls and veggie and hummus wraps. Students learned how to cut properly, what the My Plate is and all the healthy food groups needed for a balanced diet. They learned about the details of what fruits/veggies/proteins/grains/and dairy provide to people (vitamins, mineral, fiber, sugars, muscle support, and more), the value of whole foods over processed foods, and the value of trying new foods! 

Students also had a fun week in Music Camp where they learned to play hand drums and all about tempo, rhythm, different drum hits and the sounds they make, and how to create music with a group. They also learned how to do song writing and connect word sounds with rhythm, and then learned how to play "Happy Birthday" on the Ukelele! Read the latest MY Summer Expedition Newsletters to see more of what the kids have been up to! 

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.

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 Nasir Shinwari at (614) 905-0977 with questions or if you are interested in partnering with us. Thank you!