Author: thesmafoundation

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The Inspiration Behind Gulae’s Garden

Hello everyone! First and foremost, Thank You! Thank you for your encouragement and kindness throughout this journey. We are grateful for your support. As the Foundation continues to move forward with philanthropic projects, we wanted to take a moment to share with you the inspiration behind Gulae’s Garden!

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Gulae, derived from the persian word Gul meaning rose, is what Sophia had fondly went by since childhood by members of our family and those close to her.

In April of 2018,  A dear family friend who works for the Louisville Metro Parks came to us with a very touching idea: let’s plant a tree in honor of Gulae. We were ecstatic! Surrounded by many of our friends and family, shovels in hand; we planted the tree on Gulae’s 25th birthday. It serves as a place for us to reflect, relax and think about her. To think about how much of an inspiration she is to us and to think about the impact we want to have on others throughout our own lives.

We encourage everyone far and wide to plant a tree in memory of Gulae or a loved one they have lost. As the garden continues to grow, we hope that it serves as a way for all of us to heal together.

Here is where Gulae’s Garden has reached so far! Help us go worldwide!

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Phase I of the “Sip of Life” project is complete!

 

 

With pledges still coming in, The SMA Foundation is ecstatic to announce that Phase I of the Sip of Life project is complete! We are proud to share that within a week of the website’s initial launch…

 …SMA has raised over $10,000 and will be installing 35 deep water pumps in the South Punjab area of Pakistan!

This is just the beginning! The location where the pumps are going to be installed was severely affected by the 2010 floods in the region. These floods left over ten million people without homes and the area is still affected by the disaster to this day. In 2010, Gulae had worked diligently to raise funds to rehabilitate and rebuild over 30 homes in the Munirabad village. Her slogan for the fundraising at the time was, “Keeping Hope Afloat.” With the same spirit, SMA will continue working to make a difference in people’s lives and in turn honor Sophia Mahmood Ali! We are sure that she is smiling down from the heavens at all of us. A single water pump will provide clean drinking water for 35 houses!

Phase II of the Sip of Life project is underway and we hope to provide clean drinking water to as many people around the world as possible through the growth of this project. Additional current projects include Gulae’s Garden and Project24&Beyond. Be sure to check them out and let us know what you think!

We thank every single person who has contributed to Gulae’s legacy thus far. Each donation means the world to us, no matter how big or small. If any of this inspires you, kindly like and share our site on your social media and be a part of our journey!

If you would like to get involved in any of our current projects, you can send donations to the address below!

You can also contribute online via the donation button 

Sophia Mahmood Ali Foundation
222 E Witherspoon Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202


Donate Button

 

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Gulae’s Garden and 501 (c) (3) status

On Friday, the SMA Foundation received great news in that our 501 (c) (3) status was officially approved! This means that we are an officially registered public charity! We have been working on this status since April of last year and are so pleased that it came through.

In addition, Gulae’s Garden has reached ANOTHER country! Thank you to Amina Ali, Sultan Saleem, Meher Saleem and family for planting a tree in Hyderabad, India.

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Gulae’s Garden Is Growing!

Wow!!! We are so overwhelmed by the support we have received for the foundation so far. Thank you all so much.

Gulae’s garden has already gone global! 

Thank you to Leyla Ataman Seran for planting a tree in Istanbul, Turkey.

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Thank you to Dr. Fayyaz Mirza and Dr. Faiqa Quraishi who planted a tree in Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Below you can track the first three trees of Gulae’s Garden. As the garden grows so will this map!

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Donation information

If you would like to get involved in any of our current projects you can send donations to the address below!

you can also contribute online via the donation button 

Sophia Mahmood Ali Foundation
222 E Witherspoon Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202


Donate Button

Sophia Mahmood Ali Foundation is registered under section 501(c)(3)

Tax ID: 82-4639374  Your donations are tax-deductible 

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Thank you Rally Donors

We really appreciate the love and support from the very beginning and we promise to use the funds we have received for good in this world. Here is an overview of what we’ve accomplished so far.

A place of worship, built in Sophia’s name, was erected in a refugee camp outside of Chittagong, Bangladesh for the Rohingya population fleeing genocide in Myanmar. The Mosque is open 24 hours a day to provide shelter and clean drinking water for those in need. Throughout the day, educational classes and the five daily prayers are held. 

The first soul venture by the SMA Foundation is called Project24 & Beyond. We chose Gulae’s favorite number (24). We will be sponsoring the education of as many young girls as possible from impoverished areas worldwide who previously did not have access to education. The mission of this project is to fulfill one of Sophia’s passions in empowering young women to follow their dreams by providing them with access to a formal education. With this initiative, we hope to create hope for these individuals and encourage them to follow their educational pursuits regardless of monetary means. We currently have about 24 girls. Our next goal will be 124 and so on!  Continue Reading

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Gulae’s Garden

On April 21st, 2018 we planted a tree in Louisville, Kentucky in Gulae’s name. Mom likes to call the location where we planted the tree “Gulae’s Garden” and so the name has stuck! Gulae’s friends and family wanted a place where they were able to sit and think of Gulae in Louisville. The tree is located in Thurman Hutchins Park and is right beside a peaceful pond. Symbolically, this tree will continue to grow and provide a gift for this world from Gulae. A single tree can actually provide over 250 pounds of oxygen every year. I will continue to post updates about this first tree. Our goal is to plant trees all over the world in Gulae’s name!

We invite you to join Gulae’s Garden by planting a tree in your home and tending to it with love. Please send us a photo as well to add to the website.

If you would like to visit Gulae’s first tree click on the map below! If you are facing the road with your back towards the pond it is directly behind the bench to your left.