Imran's friends planted trees on his honour at the Masai Mara in Kenya...
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This past Sunday (Dec. 18) a group of Imran's family and friends got together for the 3rd annual holiday potluck. It was a great time, with excellent food and lots of socializing and catching-up. The Imran Jaffer Foundation is pleased to announce that the inaugural Imran Jaffer Memorial Scholarship Award in Urban Development was awarded to Liana Langley, a student in the Western University Urban Development Program. This award was established through the Imran Jaffer Foundation, and the family and friends of Imran Jaffer in celebration of his life, and to recognize a student who shares Imran's qualities, values, and interests. The hope is that future students will receive the assistance they require to fulfil their dreams and aspirations. At an award ceremony on Nov. 25, Foundation and Department of Geography representatives had the privilege of presenting this award to Liana and celebrating her achievement.  Liana’s record of community service and academic excellence make her a highly deserving recipient for this award. Following is Liana’s submission. During my years at Western so far, there are two main community leadership and volunteering activities that I have took part in. The first being my executive leadership role as event coordinator for Western’s Black Students’ Association. Throughout the year I planned many events such as club socials, open mics, a fashion show, and even an end of year Gala to celebrate black history and the talents of our members. Through this club I also volunteered at the Regional HIV/AIDS connection located in downtown London. Through their needle and syringe program my partners and I put together needle kits to help users practice safer drug use. My team members and I also coordinated a large talent night where we raised enough money to donate to the Congress of Black Women of Canada- London Chapter, for their scholarship programs where they fund black female students. Additionally, I was also an international peer guide within the Chinese Program at Huron University, where I was paired with an international student from China. We would meet up regularly, it was my duty and pleasure to help her feel comfortable and help her with any language barriers she had in her school work.
In my hometown of Toronto, I also did a lot of volunteering activities. I was a volunteer staff at St. Alban Boys and Girls Club- Black Creek and also at Falstaff Community Centre. Where I planned out activities for the children, helped them with homework, and supervised them. This was highly fulfilling for me because I got a chance to help young children in my neighbourhood and make a positive impact in their lives. I also volunteered at a local law office, where my duties included filing, greeting clients, and taking minutes. At my former high school, I was also the president of the Black Student’s Association where I planned and participated in the Black History month assembly. Additionally, I was also a student mentor where I mentored incoming students that wanted to pursue Advance Placement courses. Currently I am a fundraiser on the fundraising committee for the London Bridges Community Organization. So far I have been volunteering weekly at Rotholme Women's & Family Shelter in London, where we visit the children of the shelter and coordinate activities such as arts and crafts. How will this Scholarship Award support you in your studies ? The Imran Jaffer Award will help me greatly during my time in the Urban Development Program. I have been given the wonderful opportunity to go on exchange to Bond University in Australia, where I will be continuing my studies and taking amazing courses which I am sure Imran would have loved. The Imran Jaffer Memorial Award in Urban Development has helped lift a heavy burden off my shoulders, and will allow me to feel financially stable at Bond University and therefore allow me to solely focus on this amazing exchange opportunity that I am positive will increase my knowledge within the Urban Development field. How can you further our cause in the future and be an Ambassador for IJF? Most importantly I will further the cause of the Imran Jaffer Foundation and be an ambassador for IJF by continuing to possess and spread the qualities that Imran was known for. These qualities include being passionate about causes and things you love, striving for excellence within academia, and most importantly holding love in one’s heart always with the purpose to inspire others that surround you. I would also love to participate in the annual events that are held in memory of Imran such as the World Partnership Walk and the IJF Memorial Soccer Tournament. Lastly I can help further the IJF cause by donating my time to any extra help the IJF foundation needs and one day in the near future donating to the IJF to help other students that possess Imran’s qualities and vision. My experience at JLL through the Imran Jaffer Foundation InternshipThis past summer was amazing. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the Jaffer Family giving me this opportunity in taking a leap in my career. I am currently entering my fourth year at Western University in the Urban Development Program. I wanted to get involved in the commercial real estate industry although I was unsure how to first get my foot in the door. The Imran Jaffer Foundation provided me with a bridge to this gap by awarding me with an internship at Jones Lang Lasalle, the global commercial real estate company. JLL is not only one of the leading global real estate companies, it is a great environment to work in. I was apart of the Tenant Representation Group at JLL who welcomed me in with open arms. I learned a lot of the basic knowledge of real estate having experience in many different departments throughout the summer not being limited to just supporting my team. Tenant representation, database and research, investment banking, human resources and project development services were the departments that I was able to get involved in and help out. It was interesting to see the collaboration and the intelligence within the office. Everyone was so supportive in answering my questions which helped me learn a lot about not just JLL but the whole real estate industry. It was an extremely valuable internship experience that gave me a taste of where I would be after my four years at Western. I am grateful for the knowledge I gained at JLL but also for the friendships I made. JLL has an extremely diverse employee base which with different age ranges, ethnicities and walks of life that people brought to the table. I got to know not only just my seat mates but even people on the other side of the office. Everyone was extremely friendly, energetic and relatable in a sense that I was not treated different because I was an intern. There were many opportunities outside the office as well to bond with everyone. JLL is not kidding when they say they are a tight knit family, which I am so happy that I got to be apart of. Being apart of the JLL/Imran Jaffer Foundation did not just require me to simply show up for work everyday, they ensured that I would have the most fun summer experience in my internship. I was involved in many extracurricular activities. JLL had many sports events such as the Slate Bowl Football Tournament along with the Dream Baseball Tournament. The Foundation had events such as The World Partnership Walk – Walk with Imran, along with the Imran Jaffer Soccer Tournament. Even though I am not a very athletic person I still had the best time participating in all of these events. Especially the Foundation Events I was extremely proud to be involved in due to the philanthropic aspect which I love being apart of. Summer 2016 with the Imran Jaffer Foundation gave me a sense of direction as to where I want to be after I graduate. I am now more aware of what the commercial real estate industry entails and how it relates to my program. I also was able to gain an internship credit at Western for doing this internship. I made some great friends along the way, with memories I will not forget. I am also more financially stable with my four months of work which was a tremendous help for my studies at Western along with being able to live in Toronto. Although that does not amount to my experience I had this summer being apart of the Imran Jaffer Foundation. From what I understand, the Imran Jaffer Foundation’s purpose is to help others, students specifically and give back. Unfortunately, I did not know Imran Jaffer although what I gather from his friends and family he was truly an incredible young man who was loved by every life he touched. Through the foundation’s initiatives in helping others they are keeping Imran’s kind spirit alive by allowing him to keep touching the lives of young people ensuring that they will not walk alone through their journey of life. I am so proud to be apart of the Imran Jaffer Foundation and cannot wait to get involved in more initiatives to keep Imran alive in our community. Truly an amazing and unforgettable summer and I cannot thank the Jaffer family enough in sharing this experience with me and asking me to be part of this movement. Dianne Ramos  Check out this awesome collection of photos from the recent IJF soccer tournament (June 2016) - complements of Salim Nensi Photography.
Imran’s talent for bringing people together shone again at the Second Annual Imran Jaffer Memorial Soccer Tournament. On Saturday, June 25th at Bayview Glen School in North York, over 700 people were brought together to celebrate Imran’s love of soccer. A total of 16 teams with 185 players competed for the trophy, playing 31 games on that warm summer day. Trophy winners were KTC Team (first place), Techno Vikings (second place), Stars At Heart (third place). Team KFC received the large IJF floating trophy, which is awarded to the first place team annually at the tournament. Last year’s winners were the Gunners (2015). There was much more than just soccer to be played that day – there was a silent auction, snacks and baked goods (all donated by friends of the Foundation), and a delicious BBQ lunch. Spectators were entertained by DJ Anton Intrinity, and players were seen dancing to the tunes between games! The Foundation would like to extend a special thank you to Bayview Glen School for their generosity in providing the venue for this event. As well, special appreciation goes to Rahim Jaffer for rallying team captains, filling out teams and producing the tournament schedule. Our thanks also go to all friends of the Foundation who donated silent auction prizes, snacks and baked goods. This year’s tournament was a great success, whereby the youth had fun, celebrated Imran’s love for soccer and supported fund raising for a good cause. These funds will go a long way to support the Foundation’s important causes, including providing scholarships and other activities to promote youth development. We would like to thank all the volunteers, and extend gratitude to our sponsors. _____________________ We hope to see you at next year’s tournament!  The 2nd annual IJF Memorial Soccer Tournament being held at Bayview Glen Secondary School on June 25 is fast approaching. It promises to be a great day, with participation of 16 teams being finalized. This is a fund raising event to celebrate Imran’s love for soccer, both as an enthusiastic player and a spectator.
Games will start at 9:30 am sharp, with registration starting at 8:30. So if you're playing, plan to arrive no later than 9:00. We are expecting approximately 200 participants to take part and over 600 spectators based on last years’ experience. This event offers participants and their families and friends a fun-filled day, while raising awareness and funding to provide youth greater access to educational and athletic opportunities. It will be a day of soccer fun, food, BBQ, music and prizes. The mission of the Imran Jaffer Foundation is to improve the quality of lives of youth by providing educational opportunities through scholarships, study awards and grants to those who merit them as well as those in need, thereby contributing towards excellence in education and enrichment of lives. A Scholarship Award at Western University has been established and a Summer Internship program has been established as well.  A team representing the Imran Jaffer Foundation participated in the recent World Partnership Walk (WPW) to raise funds in support of this worthy cause. WPW has now officially broke the $100 million dollar mark for funds raised since 1985. Congratulations to all who've had a part in helping reach this astounding milestone!  The Imran Jaffer Foundation is proud to announce the second annual IJF Memorial Soccer Tournament. As most of you know, Imran was a tremendous soccer enthusiast, be it on the field or off. From a young age Imran excelled on the pitch, leading numerous teams to success and making hundreds of friends along the way. In memory of his love for the game, we are excited to invite you to participate in the IJF Memorial Tournament being held at Bayview Glen Secondary School on June 25, 2016 at 9:00 AM. Proceeds from the tournament will support the work of the Imran Jaffer Foundation.
The format will be a 7-aside tournament and with 16 teams planned for. Each team will consist of 1 team captain and 9 additional players. There are limited spaces available for the tournament, so please organize your friends, family, classmates or co-workers into a team and register your team before it's too late. Email us for information on entering a team. The registration fee per team is $550. Tournament day registration begins at 9:00 sharp, with games commencing at 10:00 AM. Do not be late! Register now! You won’t want to miss the event of the year! There will be music, food and giveaways! See you there!  Join us on Sunday, May 29, 2016 as we Walk with Imran, and step forward to end global poverty.
The World Partnership Walk is Canada’s largest annual event dedicated to raising funds and increasing awareness to fight global poverty. Funds raised through the Walk will support Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s development programs in some of the poorest communities in Asia and Africa. Improved and life-saving health services for women, children and newborns in Afghanistan, better quality education for girls and boys in East Africa, and sustainable livelihood opportunities in Pakistan and Mozambique are just a few of the ways in which the Walk is helping families and communities break the cycle of poverty and become stronger, healthier and more self sufficient. The Walk is a movement of tens of thousands of Canadians who support global development. We think we will have a great time and would be really happy if you join us this year. Please let us know if you’re available and we'll send you all the details. Click here to view the team page for Imran Jaffer Foundation If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://fundraise.worldpartnershipwalk.com/site/TR?team_id=17983&pg=team&fr_id=1467&s_locale=en_CA&et=A6tkp09B-GQ0G4AWFygn7w&s_tafId=27702 |
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