Husam Ahmad, chairman of HAKS, honored at meet.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: The South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) kicked off its 15th anniversary coming up next year with a reception on at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center in Queens, New York, last week.
The first in the series leading to the gala next year, the reception was attended by around 100 people, including elected officials, SACSS’ board members, and supporters. The band Grey Scale kept the tempo up for the evening.
Lauding SACSS’s vital work in the area of healthcare enrollment, chief guest Dr. Ram Raju, President and CEO of NY Health and Hospitals Corporation, in his address mentioned the work that SACSS has been doing of helping people get healthcare access, according to a press release.
Nisha Agarwal, Commissioner of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, mentioned that access for the new immigrants to services was critically important. Speaking about the new municipal ID cards program in New York City, she explained how it would help immigrants in the city. She said that the new ID cards will ensure that newcomers to the city are able – regardless of immigration status – to participate in all facets of the city – to sign leases, to open bank accounts, and to live their lives in the open.
The highlight of the evening was honoree Husam Ahmad recalling his humble beginnings before achieving the American dream. Ahmad is co-founder and chairman of HAKS, a consultant firm providing engineering, architectural, and construction management services.
Involved in two organizations promoting education and economic well-being of South Asians, Ahmad said he would now include SACSS in his list of organizations that he would support and work closely with.
“SACSS is doing a phenomenal job of helping our seniors and our women and my goal is to stay connected with them as long as I live,” he said.
Presenting the award to him, Congresswoman Grace Meng commended Ahmad’s service to the community and the educational and economic opportunities he was providing the deserving and needy individuals.
A tribute was paid to late Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, a founding Board Member of SACSS by SACSS’ president Runi Mukherji-Ratnam when she raised a toast to her energy, kindness, friendliness and generosity.
Executive Director of SACSS, Sudha Acharya, recaptured the achievements of SACSS and acknowledged the valuable support it has been receiving from various sources. She also spoke of the support that SACSS has come to rely on from New York City Council Members Peter Koo, Daniel Dromm, Rory Lanchman, Paul Vallone, and Mark Weprin, and also Borough President Melinda Katz and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic.
SACSS, located in Queens, NY, has served more than 18,000 individuals for free in 14 years. It assists immigrant South Asians to become confident and self-reliant in their adopted country, by connecting them to vital services, including healthcare, offers English and computer classes for securing employment, and provide counseling services to vulnerable individuals and families.