Our fall benefit event is an opportunity to celebrate the transformations that have happened in underserved Egyptian communities thanks to your generosity.
This year’s Fall Benefit Gala will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 6:00pm at the Fairfax Country Club in Fairfax, VA. Buy tickets for this event here.
Please join HANDS for a memorable night that will include:
- a silent auction of Egyptian handicrafts
- music from the Torath Ensemble
- an interview with Alex Shalaby, who will be accepting our Changemakers Award!
This event will support HANDS’ entrepreneurship mentoring for female artisans in Upper Egypt. Our program is designed to help women in poverty-stricken areas of Upper Egypt, where economic opportunities are scarce. HANDS works to change that by providing training to eager participants that helps them create successful businesses and lift their families out of poverty, the effects of which will be felt for generations. Through our entrepreneurship mentoring, artisans start small businesses that support themselves and create jobs for other community members. These entrepreneurs receive vocational training and are assisted in developing their business acumen in areas from marketing to licensing to distribution.
Accepting our Changemakers Award- Alex Shalaby
We are thrilled to announce that Alex Shalaby will be receiving this year’s Egyptian-American Changemakers Award! Alex is a former telecommunication leader who greatly assisted the expansion of the telecommunication sector in the Middle East and North Africa, bringing access to many across the region who didn’t have it previously. Alex has continuously advocated for the people of Egypt and the Middle East during his decades of experience. Through his extensive nonprofit work, including his time as the President of HANDS, he has worked tirelessly to better economic opportunities for Egyptians. This award recognizes and celebrates his many accomplishments.
