ACCESS Emeritus Board Member Andrea Awada-Zeaiter to retire

The ACCESS staff and Board of Directors congratulates educator and community activist Andrea Awada-Zeaiter on her upcoming retirement from the Dearborn Public School System (DPSS). Awada-Zeaiter, an ACCESS Emeritus Board Member, has served DPSS since 1978. She has dedicated her life to helping thousands of children succeed in their education and in life. She began her career as a paraprofessional at Fordson High School, where she also began teaching, as well as sponsoring the Arabic Club, Folkloric Dance Group, and the Cultural Exchange Program. Awada-Zeaiter has received many awards and commendations for various leadership initiatives. She will now retire from her position as the first principal and founder of Geer Elementary School in Dearborn. We thank Awada-Zeaiter for being such an amazing community partner to ACCESS, and congratulate her on a successful life-long career as a dedicated educator. Read her full bio here.

A retirement celebration for Awada-Zeaiter will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 31 at Byblos Banquet Hall, 7258 Chase Rd. Tickets are $30 per person. RSVP to 313-827-2300 by May 17.

Anniversary Dinner serves up memorable fare

The 42nd ACCESS Anniversary Dinner on Saturday, April 27, was definitely an evening to remember. Our inspiring and empowering program included Arab Americans of the Year Diane Rehm, host of National Public Radio’s The Diane Rehm Show, and Henry Ford Health System transplant pioneer Dr. Marwan Abouljoud. We also featured scholarship recipients; our dynamic JIRAN youth group; and had an appearance by the young musicians from Dearborn’s Maples Elementary School. Like our work at ACCESS, this program showcased the wide-ranging successes and diversity of the Arab American community, from the local to the national level. We thank this year's sponsors Comerica Bank, Ford Motor Company and a host of other community partners. Click here to see photos of this year's event.

National Arab American Service Day unites community

The 9th annual National Arab American Service Day on Saturday May 11 was a great success. Organized by the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC),  project of ACCESS, the event consisted of several projects in 12 cities across the country. In Detroit, we partnered up with Project 313 and Motor City Blight Busters to do community clean up and restoration in the Old Redford area, 17405 Lahser Rd., Detroit. More than 300 volunteers came out and planted vegetable gardens, built and painted garden beds, painted  fences,  boarded up abandoned homes, general trash sweep and clean up, mural painting, and assisted adjacent small businesses with community projects. Thank you to everyone who participated, and check back soon for photos.