Have you heard of Islamic Speakers Bureau’s latest initiative, the 40 Under Forty Georgia Muslims? On October 1st, 2016, ISB’s annual fundraiser gala will highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s 40 Under Forty Georgia Muslims. The evening will include a networking reception, dinner and awards ceremony. Our emcee for the evening is Kevin Riley, an editor for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

As project manager for the 40 Under Forty initiative, it has been an incredible learning experience, and I’m thoroughly inspired by the honorees and their accomplishments.

Here are three things I’ve witnessed from the initiative:

1. The Georgia Muslim Community has amazing talent.

The 40 Under Forty Georgia Muslims bring to light what the Muslim community is capable of achieving and has already achieved. The Gala is an amazing opportunity to raise the profile of the Muslim community and provide visibility and different narratives to outside societies about who we are and how Muslims are continuously contributing to the community. In addition, it instills pride in the Muslim community through showcasing their multi-facets. It’s an opportunity for people to rethink over their perspectives on who their neighbors are.

2.  The Islamic Speakers Bureau is a professional nonprofit organization that has built strong relationships with the wider community.

I’ve witnessed just how connected ISB is to the wider community and it is phenomenal. In fact, 30% of the nominators for our 40 Under Forty were from outside the Muslim community! There will be high profile people at this gala, including media personnel, politicians, and this year's emcee, Kevin Riley, an editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

3. The 40 Under Forty set role models for youth in the Muslim and wider communities.

Through 40 Under Forty Georgia Muslims, ISB’s vision is to highlight and tell stories of impactful leaders and how they faced major challenges yet persisted to succeed in their respective fields. The phenomenal list includes educators, innovators, lawyers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, social change agents and much more. Together they showcase a vibrant community that is doing so much that impacts entire communities, although most people don’t know about it. They have set a bar for folks to achieve, proved what can be done, and illustrated what excellence looks like.

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I look forward to celebrating the 40 Under Forty Georgia Muslims at our Gala on October 1st at the Georgia Aquarium. ISB’s vision is for people to leave the Gala with a very different appreciation for the Muslim community.

The Gala tickets are on sale now at www.isbatlanta.org. Share with your friends, colleagues, and family, and come celebrate our Georgia leaders. Like our 40 Under 40 GA Muslims facebook page for daily updates on the honorees, gala, and future initiatives. 

Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB) is a nonprofit organization, and the 40 Under 40 GA Muslims Gala is ISB’s annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the gala are to support the organization's initiatives to break barriers and build bridges of understanding. To learn more about these initiatives, www.isbatlanta.org.

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