Help Kurdish House Keep its Community Centre

Hi, my name is Zilan and earlier this evening, I attended a lovely, lovely get together at the Kurdish House Community Centre (KHCC) currently located on 2760 Victoria Park Avenue with the beautiful ladies pictured above.

I personally went over there this time to say goodbye to one of the Board Members, Pirouza Khanm, but I ended up meeting many other women who are active within that community and witnessed them help uplift each other in an inspiring way.

Originally, we were supposed to meet at a restaurant that worked best for everyone who wanted to attend, but many of the ladies felt more comfortable doing a potluck and meeting in the privacy of the KHCC office. Boy did it end up being a good idea, especially for me. Each person who attended brought a unique dish filled with love and I couldn't have been happier to be in that environment (and this is speaking as an introvert).

I sat there, trying dish after dish and blending into the frenzy of conversation, thoroughly enjoying my status as a wallflower and listened to the ladies interact in a beautiful medley of this and the other. It was nice to be relaxed in a room full of others. Finally, an announcement was made and it dawned on me why the ambience felt and even looked like a scene from the Last Dinner. The Kurdish Community Centre wouldn't have enough funds to cover the rent for its office for the month of December.

It didn't feel good. I want these beautiful women, who run a successful Kurdish Language course, A Yoga class, and sessions on various issues such as mental health (to name a few), keep their space. I want them to have a place to commune that is their own, because they uphold the community during public events and gatherings and they do it all on a volunteer basis.

I have the goal of this gofundme set for 1500 dollars, however if we are the community that I know we are, when you donate what you can (and get a tax receipt for it), I trust that you will let your inner circles know and share this link with them so that we can achieve a goal of raising 5000 dollars. I believe that exceeding expectations is in us as Kurds and as allies of Kurds (we appreciate you more than you can know), and I also believe that giving this community a square three months to continue their service until they get out of this pandemic drought will uplift not only your community, but also your spirit.

Please only contribute what you can, but also be generous (within the scope of what you can). And please share this link with as many people as possible. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of you at parties that this community has hosted over the years, so I know you're all out there, and I would love to see the strength of our community during these difficult times, and see what we, as Kurds in a new land (I know most of us are immigrants) can do.

Many, many, many thanks in advance. Let's kill this.