48 The QUeeNS CoUrier • BUSiNeSS • SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 for BreakiNg NewS viSiT www.queenscourier.com 168-18 South Conduit Avenue, Springfield Gardens Call Us Today: (800) 756-3813 www.eihab.org From our hearts and forever in our memory.. Hamdy Elgingdy, CFO Many people will write about Fatma Abboud because she touched everyone she met in life. Fatma was a unique leader; she predicted the future in a lot of situations. Fatma carried her son Eihab’s vision and mission. When Eihab passed away, Fatma was appointed by the board as the executive director/CEO because she was co-founder for Eihab Human Services. She grew the agency from having a $500,000 annual budgets to $35 million budgets. Fatma had an open door policy; she was CEO and a consultant at the same time. We all considered her as a mother. Fatma would travel to the Pennsylvania office at 4 a.m. and come back to the New York office by 8 p.m. that night. Whenever I asked her why she did not go home, she would reply, “This is home.” Fatma received so many awards for her leadership and dedication. She was the chair for Egypt Cancer Network, a hospital in Egypt for children with cancer. She supported them by doing fundraising for the hospital. Fatma planned for the future of the agency. When most agencies were struggling to meet their payroll, she made sure that EIHAB was in great financial position. Fatma will always be in our heart. She is missed every day. Keneisha Alkaysey, senior accountant My first impression of her at our interview those three-plus years ago was that of someone who listened. In addition to hearing what you had to say, she listened. This is a trait that is rare in this society, since everyone has bustling, busy lives, automated mostly, just moving forward. This lady stopped and listened. Ms. Abboud, as busy as her personal and business lives were, was intuitive. She stopped, she listened, she laughed, she debated, she read and she negotiated. She was everywhere, yet she made time to stay part of everyone’s lives. She was at work before I would reach work, and left after I left for home. I have never met someone who was more dedicated to what they do; and when she left work she never really left work. Her evenings were teeming with shopping for the great assets that she created, or reading over agreements, or putting together goals, or spending time with her family. She never rested; she just continued to read and listen. Yet her door was never closed. If you needed her, she would invite you in, listen to you, give advice, laugh with you and share stories with you. She was hands-on; she knew everything about every staff member, every residential client and every program, in addition to any new programs that may be open to her corporation. She never outsourced anything; she wanted to review everything personally. Now this CEO, after reviewing every aspect of her business in detail, still would answer personally to every knock at her door, would want to be a part of every program, and still would listen. She was a great leader, a great role model, and a great mother and grandmother, and she will always be remembered by countless people. Her legacy will continue through her son, and newly appointed CEO Ahmed Hegazy. David Brown, director of community habilitation There are people in the world who simply couldn’t be forgotten that easily and this is the case of Ms. Fatma Abboud. I still can’t believe she is not physically with us anymore but her spirit and unforgettable presence is still vivid with each of us every single day. Ms. Abboud’s passion, instinct and dedication have positioned EIHAB Human Services to the level it is now. I’ve been working for this company since March 2001. I had the privilege to be interviewed by Ms. Abboud at our first office located in Winchester Boulevard. At the time of the interview, she asked me to stay in the company for at least a year. All I can say that I am so honored and thankful that I had worked along by her side all these years and I miss her so much. The very beginning years at EIHAB were very difficult but at the same time very challenging. I still remember those days and nights that we had to work very hard and Ms. Abboud was not the exception, always leading every single project to meet the criteria and go the extra mile. Snow days and heavy rainy days were not obstacles when it came to meeting agency deadlines tasks or preparing for upcoming audits. Ms. Abboud was always the first in action making sure work is done on time. Thanks to her dedication, we have this great agency, excellent co-workers and a great family. I can definitely say this is my second family and always be. I consider Ms. Abboud one of my mentors, a dedicated professional and a humanitarian person. She always had an advice and time for anybody when truly needed. Her modesty was very well known. Thanks to her, hundreds of individuals and families have benefited from different services who had not access to these services in the past. Personally, I’ve witnessed many cases that I feel so proud to work for EIHAB Human Services. Ms. Abboud’s legacy continues, the agency is strong and in good hands and will continue the excellent work. We all know she is always watching us from heaven and will always light up the pathway for us. Ms. Abboud will always be remembered and never forgotten. Nafeesah Antwine, director of psychology Ms. Abboud was so inspirational to me. I remember when I first came to interview at EIHAB. She made me nervous because she looked at me for a while and it looked like she was looking into my soul. When she started to talk she told me she liked strength and smart women and she felt that that was me. Once I came to work here, she always had such a calm way of talking through department problems or concerns with me. She seemed very difficult to rile up, and so knowledgeable. I could be panicking about an issue and she would just say one sentence that solved all the problems, straightforward, simple and obvious. I always left wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I was impressed by her every single time I had a conversation with her. She was so talented and fascinating in many different avenues. I thought to myself, this is the type of phenomenal woman that I aspire to be. I am so thankful to have been able to work and learn from her. This only describes the professional working woman that she was to me. She was also so caring and nurturing. She has seen me cry through losing family members and many different medical concerns that I have had over my employment here. She would put aside anything she was working on to make time to speak to me and get updates to ensure that things were going OK. It’s rare that you have a CEO who cares about not only your work but also YOU as a person. I will always remember how happy she was for me when I told her I got engaged and how her face lit up any time that we talked about wedding dresses. Ms. Fatma Abboud was a phenomenal woman. A spirit like hers can never die, because they change the people who have the privilege to be near her. Elda Peralta, executive assistant When I think of Ms. Abboud, I think of the beautiful person she was inside and out. I think of how she continuously pushed others to be the best possible versions of themselves. I think of how she was capable of seeing one’s potential even when they were blind to it. I think of the strength and dedication that she consistently displayed. I think of how warm and caring she was, and how she always sought to help those around her even if it was an inconvenience to her. To say that I miss her is a huge understatement. To me, Ms. Abboud was so much more than my boss. She was someone for whom I held the highest level of respect and admiration, but also someone I grew to love and care for deeply. I will be eternally grateful for having had the privilege and honor of knowing her. Joshua Thomas, director of operations Ms. Abboud was always a shining light to everyone who crossed her path and she accepted them as family irrespective of their backgrounds. She was a great teacher especially for those of us who thought nobody would or could bring out the best in us. She allowed everyone to share in her wealth of knowledge and love, with a selfless and hardworking personality that led her to greater heights and continues to do so even after her death. Most importantly, Ms. Abboud was, is, and always will be our beloved mother whose radiant and inspiring light shines on us as we continue to work on the mission and legacy she left behind. With love always from mine and the entire EIHAB family.
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