About Memphis ISP
In December 2011, Dr. John Smarrelli, president of Christian Brothers University, extended the offer of a tuition waiver to an ISP student. As in other ISP communities, a pre-condition was set: a local ISP Support Group must also be formed. According to the ISP model, the Support Group provides friendship and advice to the student, as well as support in fundraising to cover housing, books, and other incidental expenses.
Right away an anonymous donor pledged $5,000 per year to help defray these costs. ISP Support Group members have also made pledges and donations. We are currently raising funds for Mustafa's final year at CBU. Our hopes for the Iraqi Student Project, however, are much broader and deeper than mere fundraising. We want to seize this opportunity to further dialogues that may bring healing to our Memphis community as well as communities in Iraq and among refugees in Syria and other countries. The theme of our first big fundraising event was "International Understanding and Friendship." We brought people together across backgammon and domino tables to listen to music and poetry from many lands and many perspectives and to sample the tastes of a traditional Iraqi "Chaikhana" or teahouse. We are currently planning a second fundraising event for Fall 2015. More Info
Rebekah
Memphis ISP Support Group Coordinator [email protected] Memphis ISP Support Group - Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/ groups/memphisiraqistudentproject/ |
About the Memphis Support Group
In late January 2012, ISP's co-founders, Gabe and Theresa, sent out an e-mail query to their friends and supporters, "Do you know anyone in Memphis, Tennessee?" This e-mail made its way to several of us in Memphis who felt called to step forward to form the ISP Support Group that has allowed ISP to become a reality in Memphis and at CBU.
Rebekah had never met Gabe or Theresa in person, but she had collaborated with Gabe on several articles. She saw ISP as an exciting opportunity to bring a very healing program to Memphis. The Memphis ISP is the first in Tennessee and one of only two in the South. Ceylon knew Gabe and Theresa well through his travels in the Middle East. And he also knew Kristin, Lucas, and Blake. The four of them had worked together for years as sponsors for an Afghani family in Memphis. As Kristin said, "We've done it before. I know we can make it work!" Walid saw involvement with the Memphis ISP as a way to complement the work his daughter had done in Syria with refugee children. Several of Walid's relatives, including his son, had attended CBU. Since 2012, other new members of the Support Group have been finding their way to us, including Robin and Susan who are lending their expertise to the planning of the Fall 2015 fundraising event. We all have such different gifts to bring to this project. We welcome yours! |