On Thursday, 16th, April, 2009, under the patronage of the Minister of Culture, Youths & Community Development H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, SCHS has organized a ceremony to honor participants of 3rd, Used Books Festival. The ceremony took place in the auditorium of Collage of Medicine at Sharjah University.
The ceremony was attended by the Chinese Consulate, the head of Sharjah Islamic Bank, the head of Public Relations at Sharjah Police Department, the General Director of Al Hamad Contracting Company, the General Director of Steps for Life Company, many students & teachers, representatives of schools and institutions which participated in the festival, and many volunteers.
The ceremony started with the national anthem of United Arab Emirates followed by a blessed recitation from the Holy Quran by SCHS's Daid branch student Salim Abed, who had recently won Prince Salman Bin Abed Aziz Award for the Holy Quran.
Then, Mrs. Mona Abed Kareem, head of SCHS's School for the Intellectually Disabled gave a speech on behalf of Her Highness Shaikha Jameela Bint Mohammed Al Qasimmi. The speech expressed the feelings of joy and happiness for today's gathering to honor the institutions which sponsored the 3rd Used Books Festival.
The main objectives, which were achieved by organizing the 3rd Used Books Festival, are spreading knowledge by encouraging the habit of reading and emphasizing the concept of voluntarily work in the minds of youths especially, people with special needs. The festival has given the opportunity for people to buy books at reasonable prices, books that you can't find in your local library. It also allowed them to gather in one place for some time to exchange knowledge and express their opinions about the books they have been planning to buy.
The festival was organized according to the instructions of His Highness Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qasimmi, Governor of Sharjah, who gave a promise in October, 2008 to work on providing each house in Sharjah city with a decent library. This initiative will help create a new generation of youths that is aware of the importance of education and culture for a civilized society. The festival has become an inspiration for the world of culture and knowledge.
Finally, Mrs. Mona Abed Kareem deeply thanked all participating institutions especially, sponsors Sharjah Islamic Bank, the General Assembly of Religious Endowments, Al Hamad Contracting Company, Steps for Life Company, Sharjah Youths Centers, Sharjah Educational Zone, Sharjah Municipality, public & private schools, universities, and Arab & foreign colonies.
She has also thanked the Minister of Culture, Youths & Community Development H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais for his constant support for people with special needs.
Then, Mr. Abdullah Hadidi, the general director of Steps for Life Company, gave a speech on behalf of sponsors. He pointed out that the festival, which was organized by SCHS, is considered to be an important step in the field of knowledge and culture. SCHS has been always playing this noble role of providing humanitarian assistance for people with special needs. However, the community's other institutions must contribute to this noble cause in order for SCHS to succeed in its role.
Mr. Hadidi strongly believes that people with special needs have many potentials and capabilities that should be utilized in the service of their country. SCHS has been looking after people with special needs, who have become productive members in the society. This is due to the positive attitude of the people of United Arab Emirates towards the disabled.
Mr. Hadidi has pointed out that SCHS's employees have big hearts to choose teaching the disabled as a career. Teaching the disabled needs a lot of patience and care, which need big hearts. He is proud to be part of such a humanitarian team that is led by her highness Shaikha Jameela Bint Mohammed Al Qasimmi. The cooperation between public and private sector has produced very good results for the community.
Finally, on behalf of sponsors, Mr. Abdullah Hadidi has deeply thanked SCHS for creating a partnership with them in order to provide better services for people with special needs.
Then, the student Mohammed El Zatmih, West Green School, gave a speech on behalf of participants of the 3rd Used Books Festival in which considered the festival a unique experience that deserved each penny. He congratulated the organizers of the festival for its outstanding success.