Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and thank you Suzie for that most wonderful introduction
My husband came home one day and said “Guess what?”  Engaging my curiosity…, I said "What?" And then the taunting began. He said “guess.”  After a few unsuccessful attempts of trying to find out what he wanted to tell me.  He finally said “you have been chosen by unanimous decision to make a speech!”  Wow!  Me?  I LOVE making speeches!  In high school and college, I was the queen of speeches. And at Family gatherings, I have been known to make a speech or two!  I inquired, “Well for whom?”  And he said the Fairouzah American Association.  I was taken aback and looked at him a bit dumbfounded.  Me?  Why Me?  And he said “Why not?”  You are a perfect representation of what it means to be a Syrian-American in this country.  I felt honored that I would be regarded in this manner and quickly started putting my thoughts together.  I decided I wanted to tell you about our heritage and what this Association means to me
When my father, Ibrahim, immigrated to the United States over 45 years ago, he came with great hopes of making it in this country of plentiful opportunity and wealth.  Many years later, my husband Esia as well as thousands of others, would also immigrate with the same hopes and dreams.  Thanks to Tio Joby, getting involved in the Liquor business was the only career that was open to most of them.  They wanted something better not only for themselves but also for their families and children.  As each person immigrated they learned about the liquor business from their relatives and it became their life.  They knew that in order to succeed they would have to work hard. And work hard they did, putting in long hours at the store, and sometimes even putting their lives in danger.  Nevertheless, they also knew that they would then be able to give their children, people like me, a life that would be better than their own
The liquor and beverage companies, especially their salesmen, and there are a lot of you out here tonight, are part of the foundation of who we are today.  You welcomed us into your world.  Thanks to your ability to work with us, teach us your trade, teach us English and even learn our language in return (usually the bad words first!), we have developed more than a business relationship, because you have helped us to succeed in this business.  Furthermore, thanks to your un-wavering generosity with the FAIROUZAH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION you have helped make it what it is today
Ten years ago, if you had told me that we could get a group of Arabs to form an association that would work together for a common goal, I would have told you that it would never work.  But it did happen and it has been one of the greatest success stories I have ever seen from a community I hold so close to my heart.  The people who have dedicated so much of their time and energy into this association, truly deserve a round of applause. These individuals have been able to join all of us Fairouzian-Americans to form a group that makes us proud of our culture and heritage.  The FAIROUZAH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION is a group that always want us to be reminded of who we are, where we come from and to never forget the people we left back home.  In sum, the Young Man may leave the village, but the Village will never leave the Young Man.
The FAIROUZAH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION is a remarkable organization that has been able to help out those less fortunate in our community both here and back home in Syria.  Last year, they awarded over $10,000 in scholarships to outstanding Fairouzian-American students in our community.  In addition, this Association helps to support the Medical and Sport Centers in Fairouzah.  They have donated fuel for the schools in Fairouzah to provide a productive educational environment for the students.  I am so very proud of this association for what it has accomplished over the past ten years
I would love to see the FAIROUZAH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION continue to grow and progress in the years to come.  In addition to all of its current accomplishments, I would love to see it begin some type of an educational program that focuses on the next generations of Syrian-Americans born in this country to teach and remind them of their heritage and culture, one that I am very proud of and hope to promote in my very own children’s lives
Thank you for your time and thank you to the FAIROUZAH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for this great honor to speak on its behalf