Annual Report 2011

December 4, 2011

Muhammad Wasim

President 2011

First of all, I want to sincerely thank Allah and then  PAA Members for giving me the opportunity to serve in this capacity, and participating in our events and activities. This was a truly gratifying experience. Secondly, I’d like to express my deep appreciation to the members of the Executive Committee who helped plan, organize, and implement our functions during the year. This was certainly an eventful year.On the administrative side:

1)    We upgraded PAA Website, adding Raabta Magazine, Desi Ads, and the ability to pay membership dues online. 14857 visited our site.

2)    We prepared a Resource List of all vendors and services we use so future Executive Committees may experience a smoother transition.

3)    We reinstated our 501C(4) status with the IRS and established routine Tax Returns service.

In the Community Service arena:

1)    We participated in the 14^th Annual Islamic Charity Festival, and distributed

600 snacks and drinks

2) Sponsored 10 Hygiene Backpacks for homeless people with project downtown.

3)    We actively campaigned for a Book Drive, and accumulated and provided 3

large boxes full of books to UAF and AYA Schools.

4)  37 PAA Volunteers fed over 70 poor/homeless people recently at Thanksgiving.

5)     We provided orientation and guidance to a number of Pakistanis arriving in Tampa for the first time.

PAA Social Events are obviously the most visible part of our role, and thanks to the support of Members and Friends, we successfully presented a number of events.

Our Cricket Hungama held on Feb. 20^th 2011 was a great success with teams from Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Polk Counties participating. The winner was Pinellas Team.

Our 20th Anniversary Celebration was organized in conjunction with Pakistan Resolution Day on March 26. We produced a short documentary of PAA history and presented at the program. We also published a special magazine-size program booklet for the event. Mr. Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, a representative from Embassy of Pakistan, was our chief guest at this event.

Our 1st Comedy Mushaira held on May 14, 2011 was a “sold out” event.December 23, 2011

Our Annual Picnic held on July 10 at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor was very well-received by attendees.

Pakistan Day & Eid Celebration on September 3rd was attended by 350 people, and we ran out of food and proper seating arrangement! Our biggest challenge continues to be not knowing how many people will attend! I wish there was a way we could insist on advance reservations at least 3 to 5 days before the event!

We were over-prepared for our Eid-ul-Adha celebration on Nov 6, and ended up giving away a lot of leftover food!

Once again, I want to thank each and every Member of PAA for supporting and assuring its viability.

Jazaak Allah

Muhammad Wasim

PAA’s Eid-ul-Adha Celebration

Over 200 people attended our Eid-ul-Adha function held on Eid Day, Sunday, November 6 at the CHS hall in New Port Richey. With warm festive spirits and beautiful adornments, the attendees socialized to their heart’s content throughout the evening. A bit spicy but delicious buffet dinner, catered by Apna Kabab House of New Tampa, was thoroughly enjoyed by most people. The Magician/Comedian generated loud laughter and numerous applause in spite of an inadequate sound system.

Dear PAA Members and Friends:

Thanks to the enthusiastic support of Member-Families and Friends, our Annual Picnic held at Phillippe Park on Sunday, July 10th was an overwhelming success. The beautiful setting of the park in Safety Harbor with a backdrop of Tampa Bay was further enhanced by a brief sprinkle of rain.

Many people stopped by for an hour or two while others stayed till the end. A variety of food and snacks brought in by the attendees culminated into a bountiful buffet enjoyed by all. Roasted corn-on-the-cob was a real hit, and so was the pathani chai! There was so much food, we had to ask people to take some home.

We want to take this opportunity to express our most sincere appreciation to all those Member-Families and Friends who always participate and support PAA events. As much as we try, the Executice Committee could not do much without your support.

Please mark your calendars, if you have not already done so, for our Eid-ul-Fitr Party combined with Pakistan Independence Day celebration on Saturday, September 3rd. And, please let us know of your participation ahead of time, so we may prepare accordingly.

Have a safe summer.

Khuda Hafiz.

Muhammad Wasim

President

Dear PAA Members & Friends:

We are proud to announce the first PAA Mazahiya Mushaera, probably the largest ever in Tampa Bay, held on Saturday, May 14 was a gleaming success. The modest venue was filled to capacity  with people from all over Central Florida, and most of them stayed till the very end to enjoy every bit of fun, sarcasm, and laughter woven into the poetry of the following local and out-of-town Urdu poets:

1. Syed Khalid Irfan, New York

2. Noor Amrohvi, Dallas
3. Zulfiqar Agha, Orlando

4. Dr. Arif Zaheer, Orlando

5. Ahmed Tanha, Orlando

6. Sarfaraz Habibi, Orlando

7. Eijaz Shaikh, Melbourne

8. Khurram Zai, Tampa/Virginia

9. Akhtar Qadir, Tampa

10. Dr   Husain Zia , Tampa

11. Shahid Khan, Tampa

12. Fazal Siddiqui, Tampa

People started gathering at Taj Mahal Banquet Hall around 7:00 pm. After ample networking, a generous buffet dinner, supplied by Syed Iqbal with more dishes than we had ordered, was started around 7:45 pm, and continued after a break for Maghrib Prayer. Attendees complimented on the quantity, taste and quality of food.

Mushaera, chaired by our Chief Guest Dr. Naseer Shaikh, started just past 9:00 pm, and continued non-stop until almost midnight. Dr Farrukh Zaidi emceed the mushaera and created the true ambience and elegance of Bazm-e-Adab with his Urdu vocabulary and articulation. There were numerous requests to organize such programs more than once a year. All in all, we had another great event, thanks to the support and participation of PAA members.

PAA enthusiastically participated in the 14th Annual Islamic Charity Festival this past Sunday, the 17th of April at the Riverfront Park behind Tampa Performing Arts Center.

Over 30 organizations participated to provide food, clothes, shoes, medical supplies and bicycles to homeless and underprivilege people who anxiously wait for this event each year. Beautiful sunny day with pleasant temperatures prompted over 2000 people to attend.

PAA had set up a food table under our traditional green tent with a large banner. Executive Committee Members, spouses, and their children donned
"Together we can make a difference" T-shirts especially ordered for the occasion. These green T-shirts with PAA's logo in the front and sponsors' names in the back looked really sharp! (Thank you, sponsors, for your generosity.
Many participating Indo-Pakistanis as well as a few colleagues from work paid the $10 donation for the T-shirts and wore them as well. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti, City Councilmen, County Commissioners, Board Members of Tampa Bay Muslim Alliance, and representatives
of all the other participating organizations stopped by our tent. Wow, what a display of organizational strength!

We distributed 600 snacks and some biryani brought in by several PAA members.
This was a great opportunity to give something back to the local communities,
and build bridges with local citizens and politicians.

If you missed this event, please be sure to participate in our "Book Drive" next
month and "Feed the Hungry" Program during the Holiday Season.

Muhammad Wasim
President