CAIRO: Traditional comic book heroes don their costumes - no matter how bizarre in some cases - and race to the rescue. They may be fictional characters but local charity organization, Khairazad, is using them as inspiration for their family event. So dig out those Spiderman costumes for your sons and Wonder Women tiaras for your daughters and head to Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel next Friday, May 30 as a show of community support. While the day is jam packed with family fun, it's also about educating children about charity. Activities are geared to children between the ages of 0-14, and a performance by Nicole Saba should appeal to the parents as well. Khairazad kicked started their charitable efforts in Ramadan of 2006 by raising over LE 1 million through personal contacts. A year later, they decided to become a legal entity and increased their efforts to make a real, lasting contribution to the community. Rather than spreading themselves thin, they decided to concentrate their investments on children's healthcare. They started with individual cases, explained Khairazad's Vice Chairman Farida Khamis, also vice president of Oriental Weavers. They would receive an SMS pleading a medical case, and then send one of their team to investigate, corroborating its legitimacy and assessing the level of necessity. Khamis noted during an earlier interview with Daily News Egypt, "No matter how much water you put into it, it's like a sponge. Last year, a cardiologist at Abu Rish, Dr Hazem El Leithy, appealed to Khairazad's members for supplies because they only had two to three days worth of surgical string. With three months until the end of the hospital's fiscal year, and a new injection of funds, they were in dire straits. Performing on average two or three operations a day, this would leave over a 100 children unattended. Khairazad stepped in to bridge the financial gap. Generous donations are what have allowed Khairazad to provide sustainable financial support to their key charities. They have specialized nurses at Abu Rish hospital on their payroll, and Rizk goes himself once a month to issue their paychecks. The organization also makes ongoing quarterly donations of medical equipment to the hospital. With less than two years since their unofficial launch, Khairazad has made quite a considerable contribution. All proceeds from the event will go to charity. The icing on the cake is that with the contribution of your tickets to the events, you'll enter a raffle for a chance to win a Nile cruise donated by Abercrombie & Kent, jewelry by the sensational designer Dima, an opportunity to update your look for the summer with a cut, color and styling by Kriss, as well as vouchers from Mori Sushi and Tabasco. So as the saying goes, give and you shall receive. Le Meridien Pyramids HotelFriday, May 30Starting 12pm to 8pmTickets are for LE 150, and include lunch for parents and kids For more information call (010) 604 0802
