Challenge to Change is a Swiss Non-Profit Organization founded in 2014 to raise awareness on mental health among women in the Middle East through the sharing of digital content and through running online and on the ground interactive programs. Challenge to Change empowers women so that they may take on …

In the middle of August we celebrated the one year anniversary of the Leonard Education Organization! Established by a dedicated and experienced American Palestinian woman, in honor of her father’s lifelong work in the field of education, LE•O’s mission is to support the education of Palestinian youth in order to …

A few months back LE•O scholar Yazan’s old computer broke down in the middle of his exams. LE•O partner THAKI responded quickly and supported his need by providing him with a brand new HP laptop! They are also generously suppling computers for our scholars this fall. Thaki.org

Ahmad Al-Fakeer My name is Ahmad Al-Fakeer, a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon. I finished the International Baccalaureate program at Red Cross Nordic United World College in Norway. I got accepted with a full scholarship at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In my freshman year at Methodist University, I was …

Mohammad Noubani  writes: My semester was thankfully great but very cold. During the semester, I shadowed a neurosurgeon as you know and I was busy with studying gym and reading. As for this summer, I will be working in a library and will be participating in a community service project. I …

Marah Abdin Marah Abdin to attend University of Rochester I was born to a Palestinian family in the city of Jerusalem. Throughout my life, even though my parents never got the chance to attend college, my two sisters and I have always been raised to put education before anything else …

Dr. Graham Leonard and Deya’ Leonard Dresner Dr. Graham Leonard is the man for whom we named our education organization. He has made the education of Arabs his life’s work with the primary focus on the education of Palestinians and to this day devotes half of each year to this …

Mohammad Noubani  is shadowing a neurosurgeon. He transferred to the University of Rochester (New York) last fall from the American University of Beirut so he could study neurosciences. Mohammad is a star student with a 3.93 GPA and is doing very well. He writes, “My first semester at University of Rochester …

The Arab American Institute Foundation, is presenting the 2016 Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Award for Institutional Excellence to LE•O partner ULYP at their annual gala on Tuesday, April 19th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The Gibran Awards program celebrates individuals and organizations whose work reflects the …

April was a very positive month for LE•O. We received our 501(c)(3) status! Funding for the application came from a gift provided by the Fairfield Mennonite Church.  Our corporate counsel, Steve Baldridge, worked with LE•O Secretary Andy Wolfe to complete and file the paperwork. All gifts to support LE•O are tax deductible to …

The meeting was conducted by teleconference with all board members present. Deya’ Dresner was elected chairman, Andy Wolfe was elected Secretary/Clerk, and Fred Rogers Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Board will meet in May, November, and July with July being the Annual Meeting. Additions to the bylaws were discussed …

I was first exposed to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict when I was evacuated out of Beirut where I was a boarding student at the American School in June 1967. I came back to graduate the next year and later did a year at the American University of Beirut, beginning in what …

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