On Friday, November 27, 2009, the Pakistani community of Minneapolis celebrated Eid ul-Adha and Thanksgiving in a unique and special way. Long-time Minnesota residents Dr. Bushra Dar, Mrs. Saleha Asim, and Dr. Farha Khan organized a wonderful community event benefiting the Human Development Foundation. The goal of the event was to garner support and funding for education and health projects in rural Pakistan. Fakhia Rashid, Executive Director of HDF North America, spoke to guests about several of HDF's programs, focusing on those dealing with education. A telemedicine initiative called the Mardan Project, started by Dr. Rizwan Naeem of Houston, Texas, was also presented, as the event was attended by many of the physicians in the Minnesota community. Author and journalist Ethan Casey, also a keynote speaker, shared an excerpt from his upcoming book Overtaken by Events: A Pakistan Roadtrip which contained a compelling conversation with HDF founding member Shahnaz Khan. The young Emcees, Sarah Dar and Hur Ali, did a fantastic job throughout the evening encouraging the guests to donate to HDF. Silent Auction items like a signed cricket bat by the Pakistani team, a cricket mitt signed by Javed Miandad and a cricket ball signed by Imran Khan, were a huge success with the crowd.

About 300 people attended the event and enjoyed great food, fun activities including a silent auction and raffle giveaway, and the highlight of the evening: a musical performance by the legendary Munni Begum. All proceeds from this event will be sent to support ongoing HDF projects in Pakistan, hopefully making a difference in the lives of people who need it the most.