Together, RFI and Bilal aim to raise $105,000 in charitable donations dedicated to the Rally for Iraq Scholarship Endowment. The fundraiser will consist of Bilal tattooing 105,000 dots on his back to commemorate 105,000 Iraqi and American lives lost during the war.  Bilal is asking donors to match each tattoo with a one-dollar contribution to Rally for Iraq. This art-inspired fundraising effort will be exhibited live on the web at WafaaBilal.com and RallyforIraq.org as well as at the studios of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts for 24 hours. Names of Iraqi civilians who have lost their lives will be read for the duration of this commemorative exhibit.  Check out the New York Times coverage of the event!

Event: “…and Counting” Art Exhibit and Fundraiser

Location: The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, 323 W39th Street 5th Floor NY, NY 10018 and livestreamed at RallyforIraq.org and WafaaBilal.com

Date: 3/8-3/9/2010 (for 24 hours from 8pm-8pm)

Purpose: To publicly commemorate lives lost in the war as well as raise $105k for Iraqi students

In an attempt to learn more about the needs of Iraqi refugees who recently arrived to New York City, RFI members co-hosted a lunch gathering with the IRC.  The three-hour event was also an opportunity for Iraqis to meet each other and begin to establish a community in the city.  Focus group discussions aimed at understanding the community’s most urgent needs, namely, jobs.  RFI, the IRC, and a growing group of volunteers are exploring ways that they can help the refugee community based on their expressed concerns.  To learn more about the condition of Iraqi refugees in the U.S., check out this NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/nyregion/13iraqis.html?_r=2&hpt

Great news! Rally for Iraq, Inc. received 501(c)(3) status from the IRS on September 10th, 2009.  All donations and t-shirt purchases are now tax-exempt.  Check out our Gear & Contribute page to see how you can continue to support RFI’s scholarship endowment for Iraqi students.

At the Iraqi Medical Sciences Association (IMSA) annual conference in Naples, Florida, on 23 May 2009, RFI representatives were invited to speak to IMSA members about the scholarship endowment.  Together we raised over $500 in donations and shirt sales for higher education.  The IMSA conference was a great opportunity for RFI to reach out and gain the support of  the Iraqi-American community.  A big thank you to all who showed their support!

thirdSPACE magazine featured Rally for Iraq in its debut issue.  Check it out at http://thirdspacemagazine.com.  thirdSPACE is a magazine that celebrates young artists and activists who “actively work to transform culture, resistance and imagination, and help us unravel new directions and challenges that push society.”

Launch of the Cradle of Civilization t-shirt line. The Cradle of Civilization T is the newest addition to RFI’s gear/contribute page.

The San Francisco Bay Area Arab community held a concert and educational event that featured an Iraqi awareness program. Patrons contributed over $1200 through RFI gear sales and donations.

RFI partnered with the Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies to host the first Iraqi Film Festival in the U.S.  Filmgoers contributed over $700 throughout the course of the weekend.  Iraqi film-maker, poet, novelist, and NYU Professor, Sinan Antoon, was the guest speaker.  The diverse audience included Iraqi ex-pats who discussed their memories of Iraq as well as their views on the films during a post-viewing discussion.  A big thank you to all who attended!

Other press coverage of the event:

http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/contemporaryiraqifilm
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=523232

After months of groundwork, the RFI team started spreading the word about this new initiative to promote development in Iraq through education.

Others Rallying for the Cause:
Rally for Iraq, Inc. was featured in an article published by the Harvard University Crimson on March 19th, 2008. The article featured the stories of Iraqi-American students.
http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article.aspx?ref=522623

Muslim Peacemaker Teams in association with Iraqi-American Reconciliation Project promoted Rally for Iraq, Inc, as well as several other initiatives, highlighting organizations working for peace and human rights in Iraq.
http://www.mpt-iraq.org/Links_US.html

The Leadership Council for Human Rights:
http://leadership-council.blogspot.com/2008/04/american-college-students-selling-t.html

University of the Middle East Project:
http://umep.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/baghdad-university-shirts-support-iraqi-education/

The Day I Tried to Live:
http://metallicsonatas.blogspot.com/2008/05/worthwhile-cause-cool-t-shirt_1875.html