WASHINGTON – DC: Muhammad Saeed Sheikh from the Houston Karachi Sister City Association has won the Sister Cities International (SCI) 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award. The Volunteer of the Year Annual Award honors an exemplary volunteer for contributions to the sister city movement and recognizes the leadership and talent that benefit local sister city programs and the larger sister city network.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congressman Al Green, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Consul General Abrar Hashmi & Chief Patron S. Javaid, Sherriff Ed Gonzales President Sister Cities International Leroy Allala & President Sister Cities of Houston Susan Youngcongratulated Mr. Sheikh & paid huge tribute tohis leadership &community service during the pandemic.
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Muhammad Saeed Sheikh is a Community Volunteer & Organizer. He is a founding member of the Houston Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA) that started in 2009. Currently he is serving as President of HKSCA. Additionally, he is the Coordinator of Alliance for Disaster Relief (AFDR) & the HoustonIftar-Annual Ramadan Dinner with the Mayor of Houston. In recognition of his Community Services, President Donald Trump awarded him the “President’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2018”, a prestigious Civil Award, which is bestowed upon citizens for their contributions to the nation & for their outstanding volunteering services throughout their lifetime.
As a firm believer of serving Humanity, last year Sheikh initiated and led “Covid-19 Relief Efforts”, a united Community Collaborative including HKSCA and raised over half a million dollars through the generous support of Chief Patron S. Javaid Anwar, benefiting Community in USA & in Pakistan.
The Relief efforts include a Food / Grocery Distribution, PPE Donation to Mayor Houston Drive, Houston “Virtual “ Iftar with the Mayor, Donation of $200,000.00 from Syed Javaid Anwar to Prime Minister of Pakistan Relief Fund for COVID-19, Free COVID-19 Testing, PPE donation to Congressman Al Green drive for Fort Bend County, PPE Safety Kits Distribution to Community members, Grocery distribution in Northern Pakistan, PPE distribution in Karachi and funding to COVID-19 Relief projects of Project C.U.R.E, Texas and Houston Food Bank, ICNA Relief, Helping Hand for Relief & Development& Rotary International. All these efforts were widely acknowledged by Mayor Houston, Members of Congress, and Ambassador of Pakistan in the USA & the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi& Pakistan Consulate General in Houston.
All these efforts benefited over 25,000 people & have been widely acknowledged by the Mayor Houston, Members of Congress, Ambassador of Pakistan in USA, the U.S. Consul General in Karachi, & Consul General of Pakistan in Houston.
Also, in response to the 2020 historic rain and floods in Houston’s Sister City Karachi, Sheikh coordinated & led the HKSCA collaborative “Karachi Floods Relief Efforts”, which included several distributions of hot meals & grocery; free Medical Camps aiming to help people devastated in flooded communities; mobilized the Houston Community which raised over $100,000.00 both Cash & In-Kind; and shipped off two 40 feet Containers with much needed relief items & distributions in Karachi, which impacted over 25,000 people.
Last year, in recognition of his outstanding work in response to COVID-19, Sheikh was also recognized by the Government of Pakistan on the “Foreign Minister’s Honor’s Roll List 2020” and was awarded on the Independence Day of Pakistan in August 2020.
For Muhammad Saeed Sheikh, who strongly believe that the success of every effort depends on collaborative efforts which bring “Blessings in Unity”. He is leading several HKSCA initiatives and strives to continue to serve the Community.
SCI’s Annual Awards were awarded in several categories including Best Overall, Innovation (Arts and Culture, Economic Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and Youth and Education), and Volunteer of the Year. Award winners were honored during the Sister Cities International Virtual Annual Conference on July 15 &16, 2021.
About Sister Cities International:
Founded as a Presidential Initiative by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International serves as the national membership organization for close to 350 individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States with relationships in 1,800 communities in 137 countries on six continents. The sister city network unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers who work tirelessly to promote the organizations’ mission of promoting world peace and understanding through economic development, youth and education, arts and culture, and humanitarian assistance.
