On Sunday, January 28th, 2024, a special program was held at the West Community Center to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Canadian Iranian Foundation (CIF). The event was attended by members of the Iranian community as well as Shervin Shahriari, a member of the North Vancouver City Council. The program commenced with the singing of "O Canada" by Anita Shahriari, followed by a message from Bowinn Ma, MLA - North Vancouver-Lonsdale.

Nassreen Filsoof, the founder of the foundation, then spoke about the goals and achievements of the Canadian Iranian Foundation over the past nineteen years. She highlighted CIF's contribution of several hundred thousand dollars in scholarship assistance to students.

Shervin Shahriari, a member of the North Vancouver City Council, expressed gratitude for Nassreen Filsoof's service and the Canadian Iranian Foundation's contributions. He spoke about the importance of volunteer work in Canada and shared a personal anecdote of his own volunteer service in North Vancouver in his youth.

Subsequently, Sharareh Soltani from Skyise Media Society presented a certificate of appreciation to Nassreen Filsoof and thanked the Canadian Iranian Foundation for its services to the Iranian-Canadian community in British Columbia.

The program continued with entertainment segments, songs, and dances. Mina Sabzevari from Yara Charity Foundation thanked the Canadian Iranian Foundation for its generous financial assistance over the years. Majid Moshiri, an active member of the Canadian Iranian Foundation, explained the process of collecting public donations for the foundation and how businesses receive tax receipts for their annual contributions. He emphasized that donations range from small to substantial amounts and recalled an individual who donated even a single dollar to the foundation.

Parviz Nezakati spoke about the longstanding collaboration and the value of the Canadian Iranian Foundation's work, followed by a performance by vocalist Naghmeh Esfahani.

Nassreen Filsoof recounted a tragic incident where a house in North Vancouver was burned down. Two members of the family lost their lives, and Mr. Delshad, the father of the family who was present at the program, expressed gratitude for the Canadian Iranian Foundation's financial assistance of twenty thousand dollars during their toughest times.

The program concluded with musical performances and the cutting of the twentieth-anniversary cake for the Canadian Iranian Foundation.

O Canada & Ey Iran by: Anita Shahriari

Singer: Rosa Makarian

Dance: Bahar Ebrahimi

Singer: Naghmeh Esfahani

Solo Daf: Babak Banihosseini

Music group: Mansour Firouzbakhsh, singer

Babak Banihosseini, Daf

Fariba Hedayati, Tar

Journalist: Majid Mahichi

Skyrise Media Society