Inspiring Philanthropists Give Back to Sacramento Community
The greater Sacramento community is blessed with a vibrant Iranian-American community. Many of these community members give generously, regardless of their income or means, to causes that they believe in.
One of the qualities of the philanthropy in the Persian community in Sacramento is that much of the giving is to public institutions, such as the University of California at Davis, Sacramento State University and the Sacramento Public Library Foundation. But the giving also connects the Persian community to these institutions and shares Persian culture with the larger community through these institutions.
The exchange between UC Davis and Iran described in the accompanying article about UC Davis was initially proposed by Sacramento area Iranian-American business leader Mohammad Mohanna. Mr. Mohanna became a champion of that exchange, supporting UC Davis financially but also making introductions and connections between UC Davis and academics in Iran. He has also generously supported a number of charitable organizations, including Loaves and Fishes, which provides food and housing to people in need, and Clean and Sober, which provides homeless and disadvantaged people the opportunity to achieve sobriety.
In a convocation speech to UC Davis students and faculty in 2004, following the delegation to Iran, Mohammad Mohanna noted: “In this country I have been taught how to compete, and I am a fierce competitor. It is my hope that we learn to cooperate, to have compassion. When competition yields to compassion and cooperation, we may achieve some greatness.”
With a focus on business education, Reza Abbaszadeh has also made substantial contributions to UC Davis. He personally became involved to facilitate the collaboration between UC Davis and Sharif University through which 6 students from Sharif studied at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. He has also made significant contributions to the Graduate School of Management and a major hall in their new building will be named after his father, Ali Abbaszadeh.
The Rahimian family has generously supported philanthropic causes in the Sacramento area. Javad and Shirin Rahimian have contributed generously to the UC Davis Iranian Alumni Association, the Iranian Scholarship Endowment at UC Davis, and provide continuous support for cultural activities in the community. Javad Rahimian serves on the UC Davis Foundation Board, while Shirin Rahimian serves on the Iranian Alumni Association board.
Majid and Maryam Rahimian have become deeply involved in the Sacramento Public Library Foundation. Majid notes, “The public library is one of the oldest institutions in our community. When the idea of the Persian community supporting the public library was first brought to us it was clear it was a good idea. Our investment as a community in the Persian books and materials has been returned by probably $2 million from the library itself in staffing, space and circulation over 12 years. This is a great way to create leverage in our philanthropy.” Their family tradition of public service and cultural work now extends to the next generation, with their daughter founding a club for Persian students at San Francisco State University.
Iranian-Americans and members of the Persian diaspora can draw great inspiration from these philanthropists partnering with their community’s major educational institutions to share Persian culture and creating cultural understanding.