More than 20 college-bound students were granted scholarships during the recent 48th annual ACCESS dinner.
Four students were honored with McLennan Family Foundation Scholarships, and 18 others were given Ebeid Family Fund Scholarships.
The late Russell J. Ebeid was a respected Arab American businessman and philanthropist, who died in 2017 at the age of 77.
James McLennan was the founding person behind the scholarship fund that bears his family name.
Both scholarships are partially funded by the Center for Arab American Philanthropy.
The McLennan scholars and the college they plan to attend are:
*Eiman Hassan-Khieri, Wayne State University
*Mariam Salama, Wayne State University
*Molouk Harp, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Jana Taleb, University of Michigan-Dearborn
The Ebeid scholars and the college they plan to attend are:
*Navardo Henry, Kettering University
*Brandon Gurrell, Kettering University
*Majesta Ellis, Kettering University
*Renan De Carvalho Martins, Kettering University
*Nicholas Wever, Kettering University
*Mohamed Qasem, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Molouk Harp, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Daijeline Johnson, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Keion Peters, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Laila Saad, University of Michigan-Dearborn
*Ross Pruett, Wayne State University
*Noribeth Mariscal, Wayne State University
*Eiman Hassan-Khieri, Wayne State University
*Zainalsharaf Alduais, Wayne State University
*Farah Joni, Wayne State University
*Mariam Salama, Wayne State University
*Jesse Cryor, Wayne State University
*Reema Sweidan, Wayne State University
Also during the dinner, a new philanthropic fund, in honor of the Abbas family, who were killed earlier this year in a drunk driving vehicle collision, was announced.
Lina Hourani Harajli, ACCESS' chief operating officer, said the fund aims to carry out the Abbas family's legacy of generosity and community spirit.
"The name is spurred by the family's annual tradition of spreading holiday cheer each Christmas, pulling a red wagon filled with presents that they hand-delivered to dozens of homes near theirs," she said. "Each year, the list of neighbors grew, as did the Abbas family's commitment to bringing joy and better understanding of each other to their Northville neighborhood."
The Abbas family - Issam, Rima, Ali, Isabelle, and Giselle - were all killed Jan. 6 in Louisville, Kentucky, when their vehicle was struck as they returned home from a winter break trip. The family had Dearborn roots and most recently lived in Northville.