A concert of Persian Sufi music and poetry will take place on Saturday May 12, 2018 at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. The concert will feature two master musicians Houman Pourmehdi (tanbur) and Javad Butah (tabla).
All proceeds will benefit the Santa Fe Indian Center, which provides essential services and support for Native American youth and families in Santa Fe County, New Mexico.
Children’s mental health is a serious issue of public health concern that has been largely ignored. A national surveillance conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from 1994-2011 on the mental health in children shows that about 13% to 20% of children in the United States experience mental and behavioral health disorders in a given year. This is an important public health issues, which if not addressed appropriately and early on will have more severe consequences later on. The sad reality is that currently, suicide is amongst the most common causes of death in children 12-17 year-old in the United States.
To address this societal challenge, SSC – Wisconsin has launched a program to provide small grants to support individuals who pursue an education to develop careers which would ultimately support the mental health development of children and youth. These small grants are intended to cover either a portion of the tuition or the cost of books for one term and is paid directly to the applicant. They are meant for individuals who lack appropriate funding to support their education.
To learn more about the grant program, CLICK HERE.
December saw a tremendous amount of clothes sorting for Sufi Service Committee and conveniently so, considering the winter season. For the first three Sundays of December, volunteers gathered at Noor Oriental Rugs to partake in the proprietor’s delicious brunch servings as well as to sort donated clothes by age, gender, and size. The clothing donation project is of particular importance this month as many of the city’s homeless are in dire straits due to the combination of homelessness and frigid weather. After sorting the clothes on the first Sunday of December, volunteers descended upon the streets of downtown Boston to distribute clothing for those in need. Steve, Danny, Bill, Michael, Peter, Stephen, and Aiden were some of the core volunteers of this charitable and praiseworthy endeavor. In addition to the clothes, they also sorted donated kitchenware, bedsheets, and toys. Steve provided some musical accompaniment on guitar to help while everyone worked. After sorting, volunteers took clothes, sheets, toys, and silverware to the corner of Mass Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard, where another organization was running a soup kitchen. People were thrilled with the donations, particularly the blankets and jackets, which disappeared very quickly. Other involved organizations that day and throughout the month were Second Chances, Heading Home, and Housing Families.
The Sufi Service Committee is proud to celebrate 12 years of support for the Foundation Dr Javad Nurbakhsh in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The aim of the health center is “to improve the health outcomes of disadvantaged populations, without distinction as to origin, race, or religious, political or philosophical convictions”, in a country we love for its diversity.
To achieve this mission and goal the Foundation operates around 3 main activities:
1. A health center affordable for the most disadvantaged patients that, with a team of 60 professionals, provided 30,000 medical consultations in 2016.
2. A series of free health outreach and screening campaigns (Malaria, HIV, TB, …).
3. A social and welfare program that covers health care expenses; provides foodstuffs and school supplies; offers creative workshops for children; and supports income generating activities to assist families in achieving financial self-sufficiency.
Côte d’Ivoire has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV infection in West Africa. The life expectancy is only 54 years old and malaria kills thousands of people and children every month.
The approach of the Foundation Dr Javad Nurbakhsh and its Medical Center has been to create a high quality health care facility in a location where many local residents can afford to pay reasonable fees, but an area also easily accessible to more indigent populations. To attract and retain patients, they offer a wide range of state-of-the-art services at considerably less cost than other local facilities. The income generated from paying clients has been sufficient to underwrite the cost of treatment for those unable to pay.
The Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh Foundation works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and is an important part of their national network of community health centers. We ask for your support to enhance and maintain the Foundation, its medical center and all its projects for those in great need.
The Santa Fe Indian Center (SFIC) proudly announces the opening of its new office at 1420 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe and has appointed Caren Gala to serve as the new Acting Director. The SFIC was able to open a physical location due to donors from the Sufi Service Center, the Native American Advised Endowment Fund of the SFCF, and other major donors. The office, located in the Center for Progress and Justice, is now open Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will serve the urban Native American community of Santa Fe.
Gala, a member of Nambe Pueblo, is the former Programs Director for the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. She left the organization after 19+ years in 2011 to pursue independent contract work and continued producing events and programs including the Zia-Bernalillo Farmers Market and American Indian Community Day in Santa Fe. “Programs, education, health and social gatherings for the urban Native community are a high priority for the Santa Fe Indian Center. I encourage the Native community of Santa Fe to come in the office and learn about upcoming programs, services and resources we have to offer.”
The SFIC was established in 2008 as an all-volunteer nonprofit initiative dedicated to building a sense of community and providing support for Native Americans in Santa Fe. The SFIC sponsors and co-sponsors gatherings, serves as a resource center for those seeking special services, and helps families and individuals in crisis. Since 2011 the SFIC has assisted with educational, medical and funeral expenses, rent and food monies, auto repairs, clothing and shoes and more for those in extreme financial need and those who would otherwise do without.
With funding assistance from the New Mexico Health Equity Partnership, SFIC recently sponsored a Health Impact Assessment of the health needs of the urban Indian community and the ability of the Indian Health Service to meet those needs. The results of this study are now available to the public at the Santa Fe Indian Center’s office.
As part of its mission to support and enrich the Native Community in Santa Fe, the SFIC will continue to host community gatherings, book signings and workshops focused on health and wellness, arts and culture, education. The organization’s signature event called American Indian Community Day in Santa Fe takes place every year mid-September. This free public event features music, Native dances, food, art projects and many fun activities for the whole family.
The SFIC’s website is www.santafeindiancenter.org and can also be found on Facebook. For more information, call the Santa Fe Indian Center Office at 505-660-4210 or email at sfindiancenter@gmail.com
