Turkish Charities in California

VATAN is a non-profit organization, founded for educational and cultural reasons. It is a chapter of Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California and thus recognized as a charitable organization by the IRS. The main purposes of VATAN are as follows: (a) Present Turkish culture to the public at large, and promote a better understanding between the Turkish and American communities; read more (b) Create and maintain communication, unity and solidarity within the Ventura County Turkish community and the larger ATASC and ATAA organizations; (c) Operate a Turkish School (on a weekend day) to teach children (and adults) Turkish language, history and culture

In 2003, American Turkish Association Southern California San Diego Chapter asked the local Turkish-American community to express their priorities and expectations in order to serve them better. Launching a Turkish School and building the House of Turkey in Balboa Park were the top two requests. This was not entirely surprising! For Turkish Americans, accurate representation of our culture and educating the next generation so that they don’t forget their heritage are paramount principals along with becoming an essential part of the larger fabric of the American way of life! With this in mind, the Turkish-American community of San Diego quickly set up a task force of volunteers in 2004 and established the organization called “House of Turkey”. After more than a year of hard work and much help from our active members, House of Turkey became an official member of the larger organization named “House of Pacific Relations International Cottages”. The House of Pacific Relations (HPR) is a consortium of ‘houses’ representing 33 countries in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Currently, 21 out of these 33 countries have an actual structure in Balboa Park. The HPR promotes multicultural goodwill and understanding through educational and cultural programs, creating a small replica of the United Nations. Over the past 10 years, House of Turkey grew into a well-functioning organization. More than 10,000 man-hours were volunteered to organize around 60 events to promote Turkish traditions and culture in San Diego. While we proudly and successfully represented our country by actively participating in all the annual special events we missed out on exposing the House of Turkey to all other park visitors for the rest of the year. As our organization became more established, our needs increased and we came to a point where we needed to build our own permanent structure/cottage alongside the existing 21 cottages in Balboa Park. This was our goal from the very beginning. We have been collaborating with eight other countries that share the same desire to build new cottages. Our physical presence in this multicultural environment and displaying our flag throughout the year is our mission. This is truly an amazing and a unique opportunity to have a PERMANENT HOUSE to promote Turkish culture, traditions and its people. There is no other park in the United States that houses permanent international structures for cultural representation. The Turkish Cottage will be the base where we can display our unique culture and represent our country in an internationally well-recognized and multicultural arena. We want this house to be not only our home away from home but also a gateway to expose many others to the Turkish way of life. We want everyone to enjoy the exquisite arts and crafts, drink our Turkish tea and feel the warmth of our people. We have received nothing but positive feedback and encouragement from many of the park visitors during the various events we participated in throughout the years. Volunteers and Board members of House of Turkey have been diligently working to execute against the many milestones to date, acquire the necessary permits and raise the required funds to build our cottage.

The mission of the Bay Area Turkish Society is to sponsor a nonpartisan forum through which individuals and institutions of Turkish, Anatolian, and Levantine heritage, can collectively support their shared pursuits in the arts, sciences and humanities. BTS by Bay Area Turkish Society: - provides educational, cultural, social, and recreational programs for exploring, performing, presenting, and sharing Turkish, Anatolian, and Levantine heritage and traditions with the Bay Area community through arts, dance, music, and food - facilitates the empowerment of cultural and educational organizations for the promotion of cross-cultural studies We are a volunteer based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit public charity.

TAAC is a California 501-c(3) public non-profit corporation - donations are tax-deductible. It was founded in December 1975 in San Francisco. Our mission is to: - Improve and promote public knowledge and understanding of Turkish culture, history and people; - Foster friendship and communication among the American and Turkish cultures; - Increase the exchange of arts, culture, and cuisine of the United States and Turkey; - Maintain and promote Turkish traditions; - Provide humanitarian assistance to Turks living in the United States and abroad.

ATASC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting better understanding and relations between the peoples of Turkey and the United States of America through educational, cultural, charitable, and social activities. The organization was first founded in 1953 as the “Turkish-American Club”. The main goal was to promote a better understanding of Turkey and Turkish people in the USA and to provide the means for Turkish-Americans to get together and observe special occasions such as Bayrams. It continued through periods of strength with many activities followed by periods of relative inactivity. In 1985, the association bylaws were revised to permit it to become a tax-exempt, non-profit organization. With tax exempt status, all contributions to the organization are tax-deductible. The name was changed to the American Turkish Association of Southern California. The acronym ATASC is consistent with the philosophy of the members: a group adhering to the teachings of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (also referred to as ATA, which means “father”). Today, ATASC continues to provide an invaluable service to the Turkish-American community. From social activities, cultural activities, charitable causes, as well as building community, ATASC plays an integral role in bringing the Turkish-American community together as well as helping others learn about a people rich in culture.

The Turkish Women’s Initiative (TWI) provides innovative, practical, and sustainable leadership programs for girls and women. When women develop leadership skills, believe in their own self-empowerment, and can demonstrate new expressions of courage and resilience, they serve as important role models for their families and communities. Through educational leadership opportunities that promote economic independence and civic engagement, we strengthen the potential of girls and women to become active, responsible and productive members of their societies. In so doing, they advance society’s growth and prosperity. Since its launch in 2009, TWI’s learning-by-doing learning programs have changed the lives not only of the Turkish university women it serves, but by extension thousands of other women, men, and children (and counting). With a solid model and successes now established, we are working to expand. Our intent is to make our programs available to more women in Turkey and beyond.