Soaring to your maximum potential. That’s the dream behind every person we help and every case we accept. Whether it’s an urgent medical case or guiding a would-be author towards publishing, smiles are the fuel that generates joy. Read on and fill your wings with the power of the giving spirit.
Ali Fahker El Dine, age 5
Beirut, Lebanon
Giving the Gift of Sight
When you meet Ali, you see a boy with overwhelming love. When the entire medical community in Lebanon gave up trying to solve Ali’s complete retinal detachment, the family came to us for help. He is one of a handful of children suffering from a rare genetic, degenerative disease that results in blindness. Once we partnered with our experienced ophthalmological medical team in Los Angeles, Ali was no longer was threaten by the disease. Following a three-part surgical intervention, he returned home with the chance to see with our coordination and follow up care.
Worldwide Hearing Missions
Global Effort
Giving the Gift of Sound
There are more than 270 million people with moderate to profound hearing impairment. Many of them cannot afford constant check-ups and hearing aids. In the latest in a series of worldwide hearing missions, the ALO Cultural Foundation and the Starkey Hearing Foundation happily installed hearing aids to a non-partisan group of nearly 1,000 needy Lebanese citizens. All recipients, received the ALO Care Benefit Card for follow-up care with local physicians. To most recipients, the thought of hearing again was just a fantasy. ALO changed fantasy into a life-changing reality.
Micro-Philanthropy
Worldwide
Helping those in need, one dollar at a time
Like Johnny Appleseed, the ALO Cultural Foundation spreads its mission and help across the globe, many times a dollar at a time. In just a few years, the Foundation has taken journalists and philanthropists to a dozen of countries —Egypt, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, UAE, to name a few—funding the needy in developing countries. With each visit the Foundation restores hope, averaging $15,000 USD in donations with each country visited in our Micro-Philanthropy Initiative.
ALO Symposiums
United States
Open Dialogue for Heightened Tolerance
Most of us dream of living side by side in harmony with the world around us. But what do you do when even our leaders don’t understand the new melting pot we live in? The ALO Cultural Diplomacy Symposiums open fruitful discussions to unite and connect us in a global environment. The intimate think tanks of cultural, media, education and business leaders unfold road maps that will ultimately lead to a greater understanding of cultures and how to work together with a single voice.
Adnan Gill
Los Angeles, California
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
Adnan takes center stage as one of the current recipients of the foundation’s Forever Wish Program. The foundation is mentoring Adnan and similar physically challenged beneficiaries with entrepreneurial and leadership programs in arts and literature to establish their own legacy and make a career wish come true. Adnan wants to leave his story to his children…a legacy of sorts, a memoir that chronicles his life. From editing, to mentoring to the eventual publishing of his memoir, the Foundation is there to support and guide. Says Adnan, “Once, I was blessed, but now I am mostly lucky.”
Joey Wells
Los Angeles, California
Myotubular Myopathy
When Joey came to the Foundation he wanted to publish his autobiography of poems as a tribute to his mom. Confined to a wheelchair because of muscular dystrophy, he didn’t have the knowledge to make his dream a reality. The process of publishing his book was a delight for Joey who is known for writing from the heart. “They taught me the ins and outs of the business,” he says. “They allowed me to have my hands on every little detail of the book. If I asked a question of anyone – the editor, graphic designer, copy writers, secretaries – they gave me the advice I needed to make it happen. Now an accomplished author, Joey sells his book at events across the nation.
Sisterhood Program
Egypt
Self-esteem and Education Programs
Whether they are in schools, foster homes, or orphanages, we make sure the necessary pilot programs are developed. Egypt is a country with one of the highest need for assistance centering on women and young girls. Our work with the ABAT Orphanage, led to successfully engage these young girls with their sisters in the U.S., mentoring and providing them with the needed support to elevate their independence, entrepreneurial spirit and future education. Our Sisterhood Program focuses on supplying computer programs, English language skills and training to advance their career and self-sufficiency.
Hussein Balhas, age 8
Beirut, Lebanon
Frasier Syndrome
While distributing hearing aids in Beirut, we met Hussein, a bright six-year-old who dreamt of a better future despite suffering from Fraser Syndrome, a rare disease resulting in tumors and mutations. Where others saw a helpless case, the ALO Cultural Foundation just wanted to grant him his one wish: to just be normal. That’s when we stepped in and took the case that changed Hussein’s life forever.
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