ZAM's Hope is showing Chicago community leaders and politicians like you've never seen them before at ZAM's 10th Annual Fashion Show and Fundraiser, featuring special guest Mayor Richard M. Daley. The event for the 10-year-old nonprofit organization will start at 6:30 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 16, on Chicago's north side at 6401 N. Artesian Ave.
With financial assistance from the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) for the past five years, ZAM's Hope has been able to provide after-school programming for youth, youth tutoring and mentoring, housing assistance, emergency food, senior citizen support, computer classes, citizenship and immigration support, resume preparation support, employment referrals, crisis intervention and cultural preservation activities.
The event will include several activities—a fundraiser, fashion show, award ceremony and documentary release—that are all free and open to the public. Suggested donations are $100 per person, and the goal for attendees is 200. After the opening ceremony, the fashion show will begin at 9 p.m. Last year's fashion show and fundraiser had approximately 300 guests, many of which donated money and participated in the fashion show bid.
"For one tie, someone paid $500," said ZAM's founder, Zehra Quadri.
Community leaders and politicians who will be participating in the fashion show include Ward 49's Alderman Joe Moore and DCA's Michelle Bibbs. The purpose of the event is to help with the organization's focus areas in addition to expanding the organization to a second building.
ZAM, which stands for the founder's name Zahria and her two daughters Aisha and Maryam, was created in August of 2000 after Quadri realized how difficult it was for immigrant women to get financial assistance in the Chicago area. Quadri, who is from Muradabad, India, came to Chicago and got a divorce.
“I had two daughters, and I wasn’t making enough money,” said Quadri. “The divorce was taking forever because of the daughters. We were going for counseling. I tried to visit several agencies and State of Illinois departments. On medical, they said ‘You’re not qualified because you’re working two full-time jobs,’ but I wasn’t making enough money. So me and my daughter decided to show how to help other people who are in need.”
Quadri explained that because divorce was uncommon in her culture, she had even more of a struggle. Common problems immigrant women from her organization deal with are poverty, domestic violence, homelessness, stress from cultural differences, unemployment and immigration issues. After her divorce was finalized between 1992 and 1993 and she learned how to survive independently as a single mother, she wanted to help others.
“We do not turn away anybody no matter where you’re from,” said Quandri. “I’m trying to show people that there’s nothing that’s impossible. Everything is possible if you work hard. Look at me where I was and where I am now.”
Eighty percent of immigrant individuals who receive services from ZAM's Hope are Indian, Pakistani, Mexican, Nepalese, Former Yugoslavian, Somalian and Afghani families.
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