FEZANA is celebrating 20 years this year!
Let us all get together and help FEZANA celebrate this great anniversary!
Yes, that is correct. FEZANA turns 20 years old on June 2, 2007. Just look how far we have come. FEZANA is now a strong 25 Associations and 12 small groups. FEZANA started with four FEZANA Funds and has grown to 15 funds, of which 5 are endowment funds. FEZANA started with a handful of committees and has now grown to over 20 committees and several working groups, run by dedicated volunteers serving the community. And FEZANA continues to grow each year. FEZANA elected executives continue to strive to serve our community in new and better ways.
As we continue to grow and the needs of the community continue to grow, we need a place to call “HOME.” Last year our president, Rustom Kevala, had the foresight to form the “Infrastructure Working Group” (IWG). On February 8, 2007 the IWG, chaired by Shahrokh Mehta, with the help of Bella Tata, reported their findings and recommendations to FEZANA. According to their report, there is an immediate need for a permanent office and a paid administrator if we are to continue on our path towards making Zarathushtis a viable force in North America.
Hence, the time is NOW to start building the necessary infrastructure, office space, clerical and administrative support that will ensure that all the Member Associations as well as the North American Zarathushti community can avail of the benefits of FEZANA’s activities to the fullest extent. A professional staff and a central office space for conducting the administrative tasks of communication, correspondence, recordkeeping, publishing, archiving, etc., will greatly assist the current and future elected officers of FEZANA in performing their tasks diligently and efficiently.
The office should be in a central location, accessible by all communication links, and present a professional, businesslike appearance to all visitors. At the recent FEZANA AGM in Dallas in April of this year, all the Associations representatives approved the need for an office. On that auspicious day we were able to collect a total sum of $10,000 in checks and pledges from the individual Association representatives and committee chairs. The Zoroastrian Associations of Chicago, Houston and New York have also offered space at their centers for nominal rental fee for the FEZANA office.
To meet these recurring costs without taxing our Associations, FEZANA is setting up the FEZANA 20th Anniversary Fund. This will be an endowment fund to support the FEZANA office. I am happy to report to you that Yasmin & William Cumming of Santa Rosa, California, have already pledged $50,000 to start the Fund, provided that FEZANA can raise another $50,000 to match their donation within one year. This is where even a donation of $1000, $500 or even $100 will count. Thus EVERYONE CAN BE A PART OF FEZANA’s 20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. All donors will be acknowledged as MEMBERS of FEZANA’s 20th Anniversary Fund and their donations will be acknowledged in the FEZANA Journal. Donors of $25,000 and above will become FOUNDERS of the endowment; donors of $10,000 to $25,000 will become SUSTAINERS; and donors of $5,000 to $10,000 will become BENEFACTORS. Names of these donors will be displayed at the entrance to the FEZANA office.
With your donations and support, FEZANA will have a home and a place to keep our history under one roof. Please give from your heart since your donation will mark a turning point to build our own infrastructure in North America during FEZANA’s 20th Anniversary year.
Please make your check payable to FEZANA, indicate “20th Anniversary Fund,” and mail to:
FEZANA Treasurer
Katayun Kapadia
3 Preamble Drive
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
For donations of appreciated securities, bonds, etc. please contact me, Jerry Kheradi, at JerryKheradi@aol.com or 401-353-2343. All donations are tax deductible in the United States.
Thanking you and may Ahura Mazda bless you and your family.
Jehangir Kheradi, MD, FACG, Chairperson
FEZANA Funds and Finance Committee
Committee:
- Katayun Kapadia, FEZANA Treasurer
- Rashid Mehin
- Behram Irani
- Celeste Kheradi
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