Pearls Of Hope Community Center

THE YEAR 2021 FOR PEARLS WAS FILLED WITH MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LASTING MEMORIES FOR OUR YOUTH. IN FEBRUARY, WE HAD OUR RECLAIMING MALCOLM X NIGHT. THIS WAS AN ONLINE EVENT WITH OVER 50 ATTENDEES. OUR SPEAKERS INCLUDED OUR VERY OWN TEACHER, D. KARIMAH SHABAZZ, OUR LOCAL IMAM MAKRAM, AND THE GRANDSONS OF HISHAM JAABER, THE IMAM WHO SPOKE AT THE MALCOLM X FUNERAL. THE NIGHT WAS FILLED WITH POWERFUL STORY TELLING AND ENDED WITH AMAZING POETRY. IN APRIL, WE HAD OUR ANNUAL QURAN COMPETITION WITH STUDENTS FROM THE PRE-K, BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, AND ADVANCE CLASS. AWARDING OVER 10 STUDENTS. THESE WERE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE STUDENTS, STUDYING ALL YEAR, AND SHOWING WHAT THEY LEARNED. SUMMER TIME WITH SUMMER APPROACHING AND THE WORLD OPENING BACK UP, PEARLS HAD ITS FIRST IN-PERSON EVENT. IT WAS PACKED. PEARLS END-OF-YEAR PROGRAM WAS HELD AT A PARK. WHAT A TURN OUT. THE MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES CAME OUT AND PACKED THE PARK TO SEE THE STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM ONE PROGRAM TO THE NEXT. WE ALSO SHOWED RECOGNITION TO OUR WONDERFUL TEACHERS AND OUR AMAZING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. WITH THAT WE ALSO ANNOUNCED OUR FIRST IN- PERSON SUMMER CAMP SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED. OUR SUMMER CAMP WAS FOR FIVE WONDERFUL WEEKS. WE SERVED OVER 40 CHILDREN. OUR SUMMER CAMP (SUMMER OF FUN) PROVIDED EDUCATION, FUN, AND LASTING EXPERIENCES FOR OUR CAMPERS. THEY WENT ON 5 FIELD TRIPS, MADE A MOCK HAJJ TRIP, AND WON OVER 30 PRIZES IN OUR LAST DAY COOKOUT EXTRAVAGANZA. WITH SUMMER ENDING AND THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINNING, PEARLS DID NOT SLOW DOWN. WE STARTED OUR ACADEMIC AND MENTORING PROGRAMS IN SEPTEMBER AND IN-PERSON. WITH NEWS OF IN PERSON CLASSES, OUR FAMILIES JOINED US IN BIG NUMBERS. WE ENROLLED OVER 100 STUDENTS FOR OUR 2021-2022 PROGRAM YEAR. WITH SO MANY STUDENTS, WE MADE SURE THE YEAR WOULD BE VERY EXCITING. IN ADDITION TO OUR ACADEMIC AND MENTORING PROGRAMS, WE ALSO STARTED OUR EXERCISE PROGRAM CALLED CLIMB AGAIN. SERVING OVER 15 WOMEN WEEKLY. OUR YEAR ENDED WITH OUR ONE UMMAH ONE BODY EVENT HIGHLIGHTING THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF EGYPT. AT THIS EVENT FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ONLY, WE EXPLORED THE CULTURE, FOOD, AND RELIGION OF THE COUNTRY. WITH A FASHION SHOW, POETRY, AND A SLIDE SHOW HIGHLIGHTING EVERYTHING EGYPT.