Lebanese YES alumni love sharing American culture with their local communities through community service. To mark one of their favorite American holidays, 62 YES alumni from YES cohort years 2003 - 2018 came together to celebrate Thanksgiving on November 17 at Al Mokhtar Restaurant in South Lebanon. 

This great big YES alumni Thanksgiving was a special opportunity for YES alumni to reunite and reflect on their Thanksgiving experiences as YES students, and it was the perfect occasion to donate food to a local NGO, the Lebanese Food Bank, as part of their ongoing mission to eradicate hunger in Lebanon. Together, they donated 190 canned or boxed food items, which the Lebanese Food Bank will deliver to underprivileged families in Lebanon!

Of course, Thanksgiving would not be complete without the traditional Turkey dinner, which reminded the alumni of their U.S. host families.

YES alumni board members closed the event by sharing how thankful they are for all the activities and projects the YES alumni have accomplished in the past few months, such as the Bqosta Going Green project, volunteering with the Beirut Marathon, volunteering at Access events for underserved youth, and many more.

Photo: YES Alumni Association President Sarah Rifai (YES 2010 - 2011) and Beirut Regional Coordinator Nazih Raychouni (YES 2014 - 2015)