If you like anything we are doing, please donate at paccusa.org/donate Every dollar helps keep us going!
We hosted our first ever Community Resource and Health Fair at Gould Park in Paterson. The purpose of this event was to provide our community members with free healthcare screenings, resource sharing and services to help them better navigate their way through society. We had 19 organizations join us in giving back to our community. Check out the full photo album from the event to see more.
Since September marks back to school season, we hosted an interactive discussion with Thuraya Zeidan titled “How to Incorporate Palestine into the Classroom.” This conversation allowed students, parents, and educators to learn more about Palestine advocacy in schools and how to properly represent Palestinian students. We had 21 people in attendance on zoom and 697 views on Facebook.
We hosted a Blood Drive at PACC in collaboration with the American Red Cross with a turnout of 16 donors, equating to 17 pints and saving 51 lives.
This month we restarted our monthly women’s brunch after a short break for the summer. We had 26 women join us for a workshop where they learned how to look after their mental health with Ahlam Mohammed from SMILE.
Given the upcoming anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, PACC highlighted and honored the lived realities and struggles of all Palestinian refugees worldwide for the month of September. As part of our commitment to bridging all local, national, and global Palestinian communities together, we highlighted the Shuafat Refugee Camp, Askar Refugee Camp, and Rashidieh Refugee Camp.
We continued sharing our Homeland Project trips on our social media platforms! Showcasing our trips to Ramallah, Bethethlam, Nablus, Al-Quds, Akka, Haifa, Ras al Naqoora and Battir. Check out our trip album and the rest of our social media posts!
We hosted a table at the Clifton Street Fair earlier this month. PACC as well as many great local organizations came together to display the services they offer to the community. We showcased our program booklets for our upcoming fall session, sold some of our PACC merch, informed those who passed by our table about the many things we do at PACC, and we advertised for our upcoming first ever Community Health and Resource Fair!
In an effort to mentor and support the local SJPs in the Tri-state area, we hosted our first ever convening where we invited the board members of various SJPs to come together and discuss current issues they are facing, as well as celebrate the progress they have made thus far and collectively plan for future events. Given our successful turnout, we plan to remain in touch as a collective throughout the academic year and plan a second retreat focusing on political strategies for all members of the organizations next year. Thank you to the SJPs of Wiliam Paterson, Fordham, Drew, Rutgers Newark and New Brunswick for coming and making it a success.
We hosted the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s annual board retreat at PACC, and offered a presentation on our mission, vision, activities, milestones, and success of the community. We appreciate CAAP’s continuous and generous support of PACC and look forward to our future endeavors with them.
The Asbury Park Trinity Church Racial Justice Group asked us to facilitate a workshop that provided an overview of the Palestinian struggle. The workshop weaved historical and contemporary effects of settler colonialism, apartheid, and the separation wall in Palestine through three main themes: racial justice, indigeneity, and border issues. Check out all the workshops we offer and request one from us here!
To continue supporting our community, we hosted a mutual aid event where people donated clothing, household items, baby items and lightly used furniture for those in need to pick up. With your generosity, over 50 PACC families were able to benefit and leave our center knowing they have a place to trust for ongoing support. A special thank you to our amazing volunteers!
Registration for our fall session is officially open! A few of the programs we will be offering to the community this fall season include dabka, cooking club, tatreez, basketball, soccer, a brand new sewing program, and more! The Fall 2022 session began on Saturday, October 1, but registration will remain open until Friday, October 14. There’s still time to register for anyone interested! If you would like additional information about our fall programs or would like to register for any of our programs, please visit our website.
