Rumi Forum and American Turkish Friendship Association of Delaware (ATFA-DE) hosted the 6th Annual Friendship Dinner on November 12, 2015.
The program started with the welcoming remarks of the Director of ATFA-DE, Ergin Sarikaya. He outlined some of their activities in 2015 and their partnerships with the community.
Following his remarks, Dr. Mehmet Saracoglu, Director for Government, Media and Community Affairs from Rumi Forum (Washington, DC) talked about appreciating everyday heroes and why is it important acknowledging the unrecognized leaders of our community. He concluded his remarks with Rumi Forum`s Honorary President, Mr. Fethullah Gulen`s acceptance speech for the 2015 Gandhi, King, Ikeda Peace Award from Martin Luther King, Jr.`s alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.
The program was dedicated to the humanitarian aid efforts of Embrace Relief and their “Syrian Blanket and Coat Drive” project. CEO of Embrace Relief, Osman Dulgeroglu, spoke about the importance of this project and the immediate needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey. The special guest of the event was Delaware`s US Senator Tom Carper. He emphasized the significance of coming together around these meaningful projects as a way of extending our hands and hearts to people in need.
Dinner program continued with the remarks of Rev. Greg Jones from the Westminster Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, Delaware) and State Representative Paul Baumbach. Rev. Jones talked about how we can help beyond religions and nations and Rep. Baumbach`s message was about providing support to people in need as Delaware society. The event concluded with a reminder about the aid drive.
