Dec. 19, 2012 By Patricia Dorfman
The Turkish Cultural Center of Queens/TCC, based in Sunnyside, donated $50,000 earlier this month toward the repair of the Rockaways Branch of the Queens Library, after five feet of water took the library out of operation.
The funds were provided on behalf of Turkish Americans, and were the result TCC’s fundraising efforts in New York and Turkey.
TCC is a part of a larger international Turkish organization, Hizmet, meaning “service,” which emphasizes education as its primary goal. Therefore, the group believed donating the funds to a library was befitting.
In addition, the group spent nine days in November distributing hot soup, fruit and beverages to all comers at different locations along the ravaged coast of Queens and Long Island.
Oguzhan Turan, the vice president of TCC, said, “We just found locations by driving around. We saw that hot food would be appreciated, so we made tureens of hot soup.”
Turan said they estimated they were able to give out fruit, bread, beverages and 4,000-5,000 soup portions, judging by the number of used cups.
Turkish Cultural Center’s President, Mehmet Kilic, said, “We are not missionaries, and are not trying to convert anyone to Islam. We just hope for dialogue and friendship. Our hearts went out to the victims of the storm, who all live so close to us.”
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42 Comments
This is great. So proud of TCC
Please note – I did not write the comment that @deniz wrote
Generosity and compassion is needed always, but there’s nothing wrong with questioning this situation. I stand by my comment that the source of where this money is coming from is questionable.
And @yesim, I don’t appreciate being called ignorant, and I would do no such thing to you or anyone else. And my comment is very necessary indeed.
The TCC was allowed to use Noonan Park, which is city property, for their Ramadan celebrations, yet Pastor Jon Storck and his congregation were booted out of a city school space they rented on the weekend due to ideological reasons of “separation of church and state” – that city property shouldn’t be used by religious groups.
I would like to ask the TCC how they feel about this obvious double standard.
Food and coffee distribution after Sandy and now donating generously to the library…It looks like TCC rocks at Rockaway.
We need more of this kind of organizations.
Do activities of TCC influence the community? I definitely think so. Seeing generous acts similar to this just gives me hope I always needed about the faith in humanity. I really wonder what could be so wrong about helping the people of Sandy? Is it not kindness, love, and happiness that we always seek? If someone is in need of help and I see someone or an organization helping them out I will always support them no matter who says what. God bless you guys.
faith restored in humanity God bless them
Very generous gesture of TCC. Keep up the great work. I’m glad there is an orginization such as TCC that promotes education, dialogue and friendship
Thank you TCC! You are a great part of our community!
Thank you TCC for yet again showing us that not everything is about material or benefit. Rumi says ; “Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.” And I believe you guys represent that well.
I too thank the TCC for their efforts. As we all should. And again I say lets join hands as a community and stand for justice where there is none. Be it Rockaway, Somalia, China etc. It is the cooperation at the local level that can inspire change world wide.
Wow this is great. It’s great and very impressing to see people out there thinking and helping others. I’m so proud of TCC. Thank you TCC. Best greetings…
They are doing an excellent job for the community. Keep up the good work TCC!
@7TrainDelays I see your point and it is a good one. I too, find others are unwilling to look beyond the obvious. Unless someone is looking those with ill intent will progress. Many times there are no ulterior motives, but sometimes there are. Are you a journalist?
Having spent considerable time in the Rockaways in the days following Sandy, I saw first hand the good works performed by members of the Turkish Cultural Center regardless of race, religion, or national origin. Helping to get the library on B. 94th Street back to service is vitally important to restoring the sense of community in the Rockaways and I’m certain the donation was made and received without stipulations on its use.
I’ve been fortunate to get to know quite a few Turkish people over the past 20 years and have been very impressed by my experiences. I’m glad they are part of my neighborhood and appreciate their efforts to contribute to the greater community. I’m sure they realize there are always going to be some narrow-minded crackpots looking to make some negative remark or to exploit some half-baked fear of ignorance; unfortunately, these bottom-feeders can be found on both sides of the fence.
Albert Einstein
“Only a life lived for others is worth living”
you did permanent works here, thank you so much,
thank you for the name of my people.
Some people are so mind-numbed by politically-correctness that you aren’t even allowed to ask reasonable questions when an ethnic minority is involved.
What’s wrong with asking if the Cultural center isn’t trying to influence what people who use the library will read with their contribution? Perhaps the contribution is completely altruistic, i’m willing to accept that if somebody can reassure me but let’s not be naive about how the world works.
I really happy to hear that. nice work Turkish Center, keep it up….
Turkey, Thank you for standing up for the victims of the Rachel Corrie blockade…You showed you were true humanitarians there too.
Wow just wow, how a person can be this ignorant…. Well I appreciate that now the library I use every single day have money to be better at its services. Just Thank you so much Turkish center.
Give and you shall receive. What a great place to give to and a great gesture by TCC.
Mazel Tov!
Wow just wow, how a person can be this ignorant…. Well I appreciate that now the library I use every single day have money to be better at its services. Just Thank you so much Turkish center.
What a great way to contribute to our community! Thank you on behalf on everyone effected!
Whoever helps to the community deserves an appreciation.
It is not important who you are, what you believe in. The important thing is when a person falls down you are supposed to help him. We should try to help everyone who was created by God. Every organization must do this, turkish cultural center is just an example. Thank you guys, We are so happy that you are here.
Jesus was controversial in his time as well but that didn’t make him a bad person nor his followers bad people. The comment made by Deniz makes you think of a hidden agenda of him/her against the Turkish Cultural Center. So much so that the beautiful act of ‘giving’ is forgotten or overlooked to be ideologically faithful to whatever this person believes in.
I am so glad to see news like this. Well done Turkish Cultural Center!
As long as there are no conditions on what books can or can’t be in the library, then this is a great gesture. I don’t like to be cynical but when a special interest group donates that kind of money, it’s best to be sure. Imagine for instance, if some right-wing or Christian organization did the same thing, people here would be asking questions for sure.
I love Rockaway library. Thank you guys!
It is unfortunate that we still always have the same ignorant people writting unnecessary negative things about such genuine works of friendship sharing and caring keep up the good work TCC
Thank you TCC. What I would like to see next is a hand out to the Jewish community here in Sunnyside. Let us show the rest of the world how we can get along despite the rift between our two nations. Petition the Turkish government to put a halt to the mock trial of innocent Israeli soldiers….let us join hands! Justice and peace!
What a generous gesture from TCC! im glad we have such an orginization in our neighborhood i feel really blessed.
I appreciate such large-scale community support for our libraries. It is important to see minority’s support for educational infrastructure. I hope other minorities follow turkish example.
I am proud of you guys! I am fortunate to live with you same neighborhood.
Mangal Kabob has the BEST Eggplant salad I have ever tasted, it’s amazing, If Jesus himself ate it he would say praise allah
The Turkish Cultural Center of Queens is funded directly by the controversial Gülen Movement. I am not personally against Islam, but it is worth noting that they do have an extensive history of muddying up the line between church and state – or in this case, mosque and government. Click here for an article in the New York Times about some of their dealings with charter schools across Texas – it’s not pretty.
TCC does such amazing work: holding cross-cultural dinners, cooking lessons, performing community service, amongst other activities. They really are so generous and well organized. I have nothing but respect for their work and am thankful this group is in my community.
Wow, this is excellent. Too bad most of the sunnysiders have no clue about this. On top looks like they are not even a church or a mosque.
Wonderful way to respond.
We are blessed to have such good people among us.