Champions of education honored at 32nd ACC Gala in Detroit

DETROIT — The Arab American and Chaldean Council has become a community institution, and its annual Civic & Humanitarian Awards Gala has taken on a life of its own as a tradition highlighting the leaders who best embody the organization’s mission of serving those in need. 

The 32nd gala was held on Friday, Sep. 30 at the Renaissance Center with the theme “Education-The Road to Success” at the forefront.

Among those directly involved in the education field, Marsha Pando, the superintendent of Lamphere Schools in Madison Heights, and Roy Roberts, the emergency financial manager of Detroit Public Schools, were honored with Excellence in Education awards. 

Pando’s district has seen a large increase in refugees, which it has helped through the support of the ACC. “Many of them arrive not speaking or understanding any English at all, or they’re refugees having experienced war and things no one has had to experience,” Pando said as she humbly accepted the award and thanked her staff and the ACC, including President and CEO Dr. Haifa Fakhouri. 

The ACC has helped them provide translation services, clothing, food, courses on handling peer pressure and more. . .  read more

By Nick Meyer
The Arab American News