The American Albanian Open Hand Association (AAOHA) held a celebration on May 14 on the occasion of the nonprofit’s 8th anniversary to honor the various volunteers who give up their free time to support the association’s ongoing work in the community. AAOHA president and founder, Aleksander Nilaj, invited all volunteers who had worked with him for the last 8 years to the event, held at 2134 Barnes Avenue in the Pelham Parkway section of The Bronx, where over 20 volunteers were recognized and honored on the night.

 

According to its website, the Albanian American Open Hand Association (AAOHA), established in 2014, aims to provide effective support, and to respond to situations of natural disaster. It provides immediate help in such situations and is committed to partnering in efforts to address the plight of people who are victims of natural disasters. The association organizes food and clothing drives and was very active in over the course of the pandemic in particular.

Nilaj told Norwood News, “We’ve been able to give many, many boxes of food outside, especially during the pandemic. We started giving meals. We’ve given one million boxes of meals, and we’ve given 227,000 boxes of produce also during pandemic time.” He added, “Plus, we have, every week, once a week, a food pantry or a vegetable and deli kind of food that’s been going on for many years, with all these boxes and during [the] pandemic, which has been around 10,000 people each week.”

 

Each volunteer received a certificate of appreciation from the association on the night, while citations were also presented by local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez (A.D. 80). Others received citations from State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34), who was not present and who, as reported, is currently running for Congress in NY-17. The senator’s citations were presented to the honorees by Johana Guerrero, director of strategy and operations at the senator’s office. As also reported, Fernandez recently announced she is running to fill Biaggi’s seat in the senate.

Nilaj, himself, was also honored on the night, receiving a proclamation from Biaggi, as well as a citation from Fernandez. Asked what it meant to him, and if it was his first time to be honored in such a way, he said, “I feel very, very, very blessed that every time I have….. I don’t think it’s less than 20 but more than 20 recognitions from all elected officials in The Bronx for many years, and from different organizations and some churches.”

 

He was quick to deflect attention away from himself, however. saying, “Everyone is important to me. Everyone is very important, you know, it’s given [us] more and more ways to put more weights on our shoulders to do more and more every day.” He added, “And we thank God, thank our supporters, because that is not in my….I don’t get that [honor] because I do a great job or I do a hard job. I get that because my volunteers support me and… each step, and all those [awards are] dedicated to my volunteers.”

 

Nilaj went on to say that he was also proud of the volunteers. Tush Musaj, Hysni Lika, Dila Kocaj, Kastriot Murataj, Ardian Mezini, Meer Deen, Estela Arce and Andrea Siegel were among the 20 plus honorees on the night. “All are very special to me, and it’s like family to me,” he added, explaining that the organization did not just comprise Albanian Americans but was a mix of all cultures. “We’re working all together, day and night,” he said.

 

Nilaj continued, “I’ve been very proud, very proud to have all these volunteers with great heart[s] and [who are doing a] great job, and we appreciate it.” he said. “We appreciate it all and also, our supporters, for supporting us for many years.”

 

The nonprofit founder said it was also important to get the word out to people about the work that they do, and he thanked the media in this regard also. “You’re doing a lot for us, you know, because on one side is where organizations or persons try to help people, and then, [if] it is not published, many, many people doesn’t know what [the] organization [is] doing,” he said. “So, we’ll go in homes [and] many families [are] probably going home with no food for kids, and in this case, you guys being in the middle of this support, it is a big help for us.”

 

Asked what challenges the association has faced, he said, “Our challenge, actually, is every day, we meet in different places, and on different days, different colors, different religions, from different countries, but moreover, we have people on the immigration programs where, I mean, immigration visa or something, where people are afraid to go somewhere, they’ll ask for food,” he said.

Nilaj went on to explain that often times the volunteers encounter immigrants who maybe don’t have the right to work or who cannot avail of benefits they see other people receiving. He said, however, that building up a network of connections with churches and other community groups has helped. “We’ve been able to help those people, provide food and clothes and wherever you need, so that’s been very, very blessed,” he said.

 

Also among the honorees on the night was Norwood News freelance photographer, Miriam Quiñones. Nilaj described Quiñones to Norwood News last year, as “our angel.” He added, “We have been blessed to meet with her more than 7 years [ago].

 

In a follow-up call after the event, Nilaj added, “I want to thank Miriam. She comes in every week, twice a week, to give food out, handling food, taking pictures… a lot. Yeah, we’re doing many events with her. Together, we did events in Norwood, and we did events here in The Bronx in different places.”

 

Nilaj said the association doesn’t just serve The Bronx. “We’re for Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, Yonkers, five boroughs, and also we’ve been, yeah, Westchester County and also in White Plains,” he said. “We’ve been in a few places around New York.”

 

The community organizer went on to recognize Quiñones’ dedication in “putting together and making our community food distributions, and coat drives a success, back-to-school events, and feeding the homeless around The Bronx.”

 

“She has given generously of her time and energy to serve and help others in need, and there is no higher service to a community than to help ensure the success of the community. She has done 7 years of outstanding work by promoting us with great pictures, her presence, and partnering in numerous projects with our community and AAOHA.”