Dear IAGP Community members,

 

It is with deep sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of Ali Newara, the son of our dear colleague and friend Mona Rakhawy. Mona has been very active in many roles at IAGP. Most recently she has organized regional conferences in Cairo, Egypt as the head of the local Egyptian Association of Group Therapy. In the past few years, as a member of the Board of the Directors of IAGP, Mona was also the Co-Chair of the Congress in Pescara, in addition to her work on the Education Committee. She has devoted much time and energy in various functions, while also serving at the Rakhawy Institute in Cairo which was founded by her father, the renowned psychiatrist Yahia Rakhawy. Mona’s father passed away three months ago, and the death of her son comes as another shock to this prominent family. 

 

Ali graduated from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He was always in support and help for all groups he worked with. He added fun, energy and compassion in all he was involved with. Believing in simplicity and the ability of sharing ground were his signature style.

To honor Ali Newara’s memory, the Board of directors is creating a fund named after him. Ali was thirty years old, a young professional who died of a heart attack. The fund will be ongoing and dedicated for scholarships to students and young professionals from everywhere, helping them to attend our conferences and the tri-annual Congresses.

 

I, along with other members of IAGP have already pledged to contribute to this fund. We are reaching out to members of the IAGP community and beyond to donate to this important fund.

May his memory pave the way for the next generation of group workers, who need our assistance to pursue their goals toward excellence and leadership as group experts in the future.

 

To donate to the fund in Ali’s memory click http://www.iagp.com/donate/

 

Please be as generous as you can. Your name will be posted as a contributor to this fund, and you will receive our thanks.

 

Sincerely,

Heloisa Fleury, IAGP President

Jacob Gershoni, Chair of the IAGP Fundraising Committee