ZANT NEWS. A publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas February

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1 Good Words Good Thoughts Good Deeds ZANT NEWS A publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas February EVENTS IN FEBRUARY 2009 Sunday, February 8, 2009 ZANT Center Groundbreaking Ceremony ZANT Emergency General Body Meeting Message from the Board The 2009 New Year started with some good news for the ZANT community. We have gotten a large pledge and a few smaller ones that seem to put us at the striking distance of our budgeted cost for the completion of the phase-1 of the ZANT Center project. Our worldwide community leaders as well as local leaders and philanthropists realize the need for a home for our children and grandchildren in North Texas and despite the worst financial crisis in decades, they are responding positively to this cause. We continue to see Zarthushti new comers to our area and the Center would be a perfect home for all of us whether we come from other states or other countries. The fund raising committee will continue its good work to raise funds not only for the building but also furniture and incidentals for the building. We have also received an offer of $30, to sell our Lubbock property, and that offer is under consideration as well. ZANT is planning for a ground breaking ceremony and prayers to be held on Sunday, February the 8 th.. Please read the details on the following pages. Your attendance would add extra meaning to this occasion. We are also planning for the Navrouze and the March AGM events in earnest; please read the details in the following pages. In conclusion, we wish you all a great 2009 and for the Zarthushti community, unity, longevity and prosperity. May Ahura Mazda watch over all of us. BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Kamran Behroozi (972) Vice President Volunteer Required Treasurer Pearl Balsara Secretary Khurshid Jamadar (972) Social Director Volunteer Required Director Volunteer Required Director Volunteer Required Social Sub Committee Sherazade Mehta (972) Mahnaz Irani (817) Ruth Dinaz Sarkari (469) Inside this issue: Message from the Board Upcoming Events 2 Kids Corner 3 Monthly Goodies 4 ZANT Center update 5 1 Nooroz Souvenir Program 7 If you would like to sponsor our newsletter please contact Pearl Balsara. Nomination Form 8 We welcome and encourage feedback from our community. Please send comments or suggestions to president@zant.org or mail to ZANT, P.O. Box , Flower Mound, TX 75027

2 UPCOMMING EVENTS ZANT NEWS ZANT Center Groundbreaking Ceremony bolic Zarathushti items, like Sudreh, Kusti, Khordeh Avesta book, coins, etc. in the ground under the foundation. We invite one and all to join in this auspicious occasion and pray for the success of this once-in-a-lifetime project. Please be advised that at the ZANT Center, no parking is allowed on the adjoining streets due to construction activity being carried on there. Hence each driver of the vehicle is requested to drop off the passengers at the center & park their Groundbreaking ceremony for our ZANT Center will be held on Sunday, February 8, To mark this auspicious occasion, we will start the ceremony by a Jashan performed with the Kshnuman of Spendarmard (Spenta Armaiti), the Amesha Spenta associated with the creation "earth". The jashan will promptly start at 9:30am at the residence of the ZANT President, Kamran Behroozi, in Flower Mound. After the Jashan, we will move to the ZANT Center site at 11:15am and conduct on-site prayers and bury a box containing symcars in the Tom Thumb parking lot. Couple of cars will then give all the drivers a ride to the center & back. Please excuse the inconvenience! Date: Sunday, February 8, 2009 Jashan: Location: 4709 Seafarer Court, Flower Mound, TX Tel. #: Time: 9:30am On-site Prayer: ZANT Center location: 1605 Lopo Rd., Flower Mound, TX Time: 11:15am ZANT Emergency General Body Meeting TO WAIVE THE ELECTION WAITING PERIOD (February 8, 2009) AND TO SELL THE LUBBOCK PROPERTY AT $30, The first agenda item has to do with the three months waiting period for election of the board members. The board does not have the quorum to conduct the business of the community and needs at least four members to have a quorum according to article 6.04 of the ZANT bylaws. The general body will be asked to waive the waiting period of the Article 7.03 of the ZANT Election bylaws. The second agenda item has to do with the Lubbock property which was listed for sale as per request of the community in the last General body meeting and approval by the ZANT board several weeks ago. The asking price is $33, and ZANT received an offer of $30, to sell the property. The building committee has advised the board to sell the property after much deliberation. The board has determined that ZANT does not own the mineral rights to the property and therefore is requesting the general body to approve the sale of the property at the offered price. The board will try to negotiate for a better price closer to the asking price, but it needs the flexibility to do so. The emergency meeting will be held on February 8 th at 1:00 P.M. at the Wellington club house located at 3520 Furlong Drive in Flower Mound, TX The agenda of this meeting is as follows: 1:00 P.M. Presentation for the necessity of waiving the waiting period for conducting the election of Board members (Article 7.03 of the election bylaws) 1:15 P.M. Questions and Answers and Vote to waive the waiting period for election of board members 1:30 P.M. Presentation for the Lubbock property 1: 45 P.M. Questions and Answers and Vote for the sale Page 2

3 ZANT NEWS ZANT Annual General Body Meeting/Emergency Elections Meeting ZANT is looking for four volunteers as board members for the positions of vice president, social director as well as two directors. The ZANT vice president Mehelly Bam as well as two board members Cyra Shroff and Zenobia Chinoy submitted their resignations at the January 24 th board meeting. We thank them for their dedicated service to our community and wish them well. In order to fill the four open positions on the board, the ZANT president is calling for an emergency General Body meeting for the election of four individuals to the board. This election will be held on March 8 at the already planned AGM. Individuals interested should submit their candidacy on the attached nomination form to the ZANT P.O.Box address in Flower Mound. The envelope should be post marked on or before February the 21 st. The meeting will be held at: Date: Sunday March 8, 2009 Time: 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm Place: Christopher Parr Library 6200 Windhaven Pkwy. Plano, TX (972) The agenda for this meeting is as follows: Approve minutes of the previous meeting Present 2008 accounts and approve 2009 budget ZANT Center update Capital Campaign update Election of four Board members General discussions Questions and answers Announce Election Results KIDS CORNER (Kid s Corner logo courtesy of Zoroastrian Studies, India) Children s Religious Class: "Children's Religious Class for February is being cancelled as we'll be having the Ground-breaking prayers on that day (Sunday, February 8, 2009)". For further details about the Religious Classes, please contact Pearl Balsara Pearl P. Balsara KUDOS We now have our very own Plano born and trained Zoroastrian priest! Burzin P. Balsara became an ordained Zoroastrian priest on Dec. 25, He completed two Bareshnums of nine nights each and the subsequent Navar ceremony at the Vatcha Gandhi Agiary in Mumbai, India. Ervad Burzin is eager to join our other priests in serving the ZANT community. We all congratulate him on this major achievement and wish him all the very best in life. Page 3

4 MONTHLY GOODIE ZANT NEWS A year in Review The past year was a great success for the first ever Monthly Goodie sales. The total raised for the year from this fundraiser was $2,465, which all went towards the ZANT Building Fund! We definitely ended with a bang. Mahnaz Irani raised the most money by far, $650 alone in the month of December. Mahnaz not only spent many hours in the kitchen preparing our kavabs, but she took it upon herself to knit scarfs and sell them at work. Mahnaz, we want to thank you for going above and beyond what is expected, your efforts are greatly appreciated by all in ZANT. There are many people I would like to thank for the part they played in making this fundraiser a success. First of all the volunteers who graciously agreed to step forward and give of their time and talent in making a goodie. So thank you Anahita Sidhwa for your delicious batasas, thank your Charlotte Kharas for our savory achar, thank you Pearl Balsara for your amazing bakhlava, thank you Zenobia Dadyburjor for your splendid shrimp pickle, thank you Farzeen Sukheshwalla for your outstanding nankhatai, thank you Nina Kalianivala for your mouth watering macrooms, thank you Kashmira Mistry for your beautiful pottery, thank you Dilnawaz Rustomji for your tremendous bhakras, thank you Roda Mistry for your tantalizing biscotti, thank you Rashna Mehta for your rosie kopra pak, thank you Arnavaz Vakharia for your time saving curry masala and cozy knitted caps, thank you Mahnaz Irani for your ever famously yummy kavabs and your styling knitted scarfs. Without each of you this fundraiser would not have been possible. Finally, I thank each of you who donated towards our total of $2,465! This was an amount raised $10 at a time and your generosity has gone a long way. MONTHLY GOODIE 2009 For the upcoming year we are planning a variation on the types of goodies we will have for sale. To help us with our busy lives some of our expert cooks have offered to make a dinner dish every month. Each dish will cost $ 30, and will feed four people. Just think you get a delicious, nutritious meal and help the ZANT Building Fund at the same time! The schedule is: April Chicken Tikka Masala by Simin Engineer May Chicken Curry and Rice by Arnavaz Vakharia June Jerdaloo ni Murghi (chicken with apricots) by Charlotte Kharas The dishes will be available on the second Sunday of the month and since our volunteers have limited resources, we ask that you reserve your order by the 5 th of the month. Please call in your reservations to Anahita Sidhwa at or at afsidhwa@verizon.net DAR-NI PORI DEMO Has it been a long time since you had some dar-ni-pori? This is a special pastry wrapped around sweet lentils and is one of those tasty tea-time treats. Or would you like to learn how to make this delicacy? If so, here s your opportunity! DATE: Saturday March 14, 2009 TIME: 10 a.m. onwards, lunch will be provided. PLACE: 129 Glendale Drive, Coppell, TX COST: $ 10 (goes to ZANT Building Fund) RSVP: By March 10 to Anahita Sidhwa at All participants will go home with one dar ni pori and we might even have extras for sale THOUSAND DOLLAR DINNER NIGHT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 2009 is fast approaching and we are looking for the next set of brave volunteers to continue our efforts in raising money for our ZANT Building Fund. We are looking for a few families to host dinners at their homes which will aim to raise $1,000 in one night. We have already lined up our first family to host our $1,000 dinner night party. They have volunteered to host a wine and steak party, promising to deliver the best steak you have ever tasted. So what talents would you like to offer to ZANT? Please consider stepping forward and making this fundraiser a success. If you would like to volunteer, please call Keshvar at Page 4

5 ZANT Center Update ZANT NEWS Our project is coming along well. We are seeing much progress in the coming weeks. The site is cleared and parking lot is prepared for pouring of the concrete. There have been some obstacles over the past month that have delayed certain aspects of our site work, but all has been resolved and we are continuing as planned. We hope to have our building permit in hand by Friday January 30, Once received, we will begin pouring the concrete parking lot and building foundation. Over the next 30 days, the character of the site will change significantly. We anticipate that by March, our building framing will be well underway. On the budgeting side, we have incurred unanticipated costs in some areas, and have realized savings and/or vendor bid reductions in other areas. Overall, the project is absolutely within our budget and inline with our expectations. To date, roughly $55,859 has been spent. Our planned activities for the next few months are as follows: February Complete all site work (site grading, utility connections, parking lot concrete, building foundation concrete) Select and hire framing contractor and major trades vendors (electrical, plumbing, air conditioning) Select materials and hire various other vendors (masonry, roofing, windows, doors, etc.) March through May Complete building framing and exterior masonry, roofing, etc. Continue major trades work Over the next couple months our ZANT Center will really start to take shape. This is a very exciting time and we hope you share in our excitement and enthusiasm. To learn more about the project, please contact Jamshed Rivetna at (972) SILENT AUCTION CONDOLENCES On December 6, 2008, Moti Homi Vakharia, mother of Adi Vakharia and grandmother to Keshvar Buhariwalla, passed away in Bombay, India. ZANT extends their condolences to the Vakharia and Buhariwalla families. At our Navroze function in March, we are having a silent auction and need your help with donations. Not sure what to donate? Here are some ideas: Clean out the closet! Any 'like new' items are acceptable. Toys, sports-memorabilia, home decor such as frames etc and sports memorabilia... Ask your favorite store, restaurant or service provider for an item or gift certificate! Think of the places you shop, have dinner, friends who own businesses... Raid your wine cellar! We intend to put together some celebration baskets with donated bottles of wine or champagne! "Re-gift" - Ever receive a gift you just cant find a use for? Who hasn't! When you donate your new, unused item to the silent auction, everyone wins! If you have an item or service you would like to donate to the Silent Auction, please call Zenobia Chinoy or at birjischinoy@hotmail.com Donations must be received by: March 6th, Page 7

6 Norooz 2009 & ZANT s 20 th Anniversary Celebration Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009 Time: 5:30 pm 1 am Place: Crowne Plaza Suites Park Central 7800 Alpha Rd Dallas, TX What better way to start your New Year than with a Grand Jashan and an evening with Friends, Food & Fun! The 2009 Zoroastrian New Year arrives on the Vernal Equinox on March 20, 2009 at exactly 05:44:30 am (CST) in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area. Highlights A Grand Jashan performed by 5 priests A visit by Amoo Norooz with gifts for our kids Haft Seen Table Dance performance by ZANT kids Release and sale of a Zoroastrian book, written and illustrated by ZANT Religious Class Kids, as their contribution towards our building fundraising activity. Souvenir keepsake program Silent auction Cash Bar Exquisite Menu Honors & prize distribution Dance the evening away with Borrowed Time Production For more information, please see the flyer in our next newsletter & respond by the deadline. Page 8

7 Zoroastrian Association of North Texas As some of you are aware, ZANT will be celebrating their 20 th Anniversary in 2009! Dallas/Fort Worth is the place to be on Saturday, March , as ZANT celebrates this very special occasion and of course, Jamshedi Navroze. We are planning a Grand Ball which will include a Jashan and a gala of events. To commemorate this 0ccasion, we will be producing a 20 th Anniversary Souvenir Keepsake Program. We cordially invite you or any member of your community to place an advertisement in this Program, which will be produced in full color (page size: 8.5 x 5.5 ). All proceeds will go to the ZANT General Fund. Prices are as follows: Outside Back Cover $300 Inside Front Cover $200 Inside Back Cover $150 Full Page $100 Half page $50 For further information, please contact Zenobia Chinoy at (469) or send your advertisement copy (camera ready text or PDF) along with a check made payable to ZANT, marked souvenir program advertisement, by February to: zenobiachinoy@hotmail.com or 6649 Sundown Trail, Frisco, TX Please do extend your generosity and place an advertisement, even as a donation to this very worthy cause and feel free to forward this information to anyone you think may be interested. Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon! Sincerely, ZANT Board Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds P.O. Box , Flower Mound, TX

8 ZANT BOARD MEMBER NOMINATION FORM I,, wish to serve on the Board of Directors of ZANT for the position of: Vice President Social Director Director Director Signature: Date: Please mail this form to: ZANT Nomination C/O ZANT P.O. Box Flower Mound, Texas The envelope containing this nomination form must be postmarked by Sunday, February 21, The election meeting will be held on Sunday, March 8, Look for details in the February issue of the ZANT Newsletter. According to our bylaws: -It is the responsibility of each candidate to confirm that his or her nomination has been received (Article 7.03). -Only Zoroastrian members are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors (Article 4.03). -Members of the Board of Directors must be 21 years of age or older and should be members of the Association in good standing for at least one year (Article 4.4).

9 ZANT P.O. Box ZANT News To: Good A publication of Zoroastrian Association of North February 2009 Good Good Keep this stub Please detach and return this side Accept my contribution of: for your records. with your contribution payable to: ZANT" ( ) $10 ( ) $20 ( ) $30 ( ) $40 ( ) $50 ( ) $ To: ZANT and mail to: ZANT Treasurer For: Check # P.O. Box Date Flower Mound, Texas ( ) General Fund ( ) Building Fund Amount $ ( ) Other ( ) Newsletter Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community. Help us pass on the good religion to future generations. FROM: