The first annual Omid Foundation USA fundraising dinner took place in the Washington DC area on 11th November 2011. The event was held at the private residence of Board Member Farzaneh Javid.

The hosts for the evening were Dory Halati, Behnam Motazed, Gohar Farahani, Hamid Omidvar Farzaneh Javid and Arastou Javid.

Over 75 guests attended this wonderful evening of networking and fundraising. The goal of the evening was to raise money for the opening of a second Omid-e-Mehr center in Tehran with the message to everyone being 'Donate $1000 or help to raise $1000'.

The guests were all moved by the stories of the girls which were told on the night and $5,500 was raised through immediate pledges, with 10 new volunteers signed up to raise $1000 by the end of 2012 as well. We also received an amazing donation of $5000 per year from a friend of someone who attended.

As you know, currently the Omid Foundations can accept only one girl out of every 5 who apply for our help. The new Omid-e-Mehr center in Tehran will mean we can help more young women in Iran who are desperate for a new chance at life.

You can still donate to the campaign by visiting our campaign pages and please email Carolyn@omid-e-mehr.org if you would like to be a volunteer helping to raise $1,000 in 2012.