The Board of Directors of Iranian American Society of New York, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as“IAS”) have always been in discussions of opening a community center for our Persian community in the greater New York region.  The time is now that IAS is making significant efforts in making this long-awaited goal a reality.  In the past year, our organization and our community have lost two of its everlasting leaders, Dr. Hooshang Mirlohi and Dr. Reza Hedayati.  Both these men who had dedicated their lives to the betterment of their community knew that what Persians in the greater New York region need is a community/cultural center.  They both always looked at every other community in the United States as having a center which was for the advancement of their people.  A community center which allows for children, adults and the elderly to enjoy programming and events that fits their needs would help us as Persians have a home or a place to turn to when we either just want to spend an afternoon or go to in time of need. A community center that advances our rich and beautiful culture to not only non-Persians but our own future generations. Our community simply does not have such a place. Instead we look at one another’s friends and families to fill the void which at times is insufficient.  

In the last 37 years of its existence IAS has made significant strides in preserving our culture and making certain that our language and arts are not forgotten.  IAS has been successfully operating the IAS Ferdowsi School of Long Island currently under the directorship of Mrs. Sholeh Sharifi and IAS Ferdowsi School of Westchester currently under the directorship of Ms. Marjan Khalili for many years having countless graduates who have always appreciated their gains from such programming. Throughout the years we have always continued our events.  Most notably our Nowruz Gala, Mehregan Celebration and Shab-e Yalda, always spreading our rich and beautiful culture to our children and our non-Persian members and friends.  Our Farsi/Persian classes also have separate events for the Persian holidays and make certain to enrich the youth.  All of this is done with the help of volunteers who have given up their valuable time in order to achieve the goals and mission of IAS.

IAS is continuing the mission of Dr. Mirlohi and Dr. Hedayati by establishing multiple fundraising events, seeking financial assistance through social media and the internet, and looking to our most generous donors to achieve a goal that will ultimately be the future of our tri-state community.  Our Board has already found several locations in New York and are looking to finalize a deal in the very near future.  At this time, IAS has raised over $100,000 for this purpose and we need all the assistance that we can receive, hoping that with your help and energy we can make this dream a reality. 

We have also gone ahead and opened a specific account solely for the IAS Persian Community Center.  This will allow all the donations received by our community to be earmarked for this purpose. Please note that all donations/contributions are tax deductible as IAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our Tax ID is 11-2695637.