Community Support

The Turkish Family Night with Alperen Şengün was a memorable and exciting evening for the ATA-Houston community. Families came together to celebrate Turkish culture and enjoy a fun-filled night with one of the NBA’s star, Alperen Şengün. The event was an opportunity to meet and take photos with Alperen, and a chance for attendees to hear his inspiring journey from Turkey to the NBA. The evening was filled with camaraderie, and pride, as the community shared in this special moment of connection with Alperen. It was a night to remember for all who attended!

This year, we proudly hosted an International Women’s Day panel, bringing together inspiring voices from diverse backgrounds to discuss the achievements, challenges, and ongoing fight for gender equality. The panel provided a platform to celebrate the strength, resilience, and accomplishments of women, both within our community and beyond. It was an empowering event that highlighted the vital role of women in shaping the future.

This year, we proudly partnered with METU Alumni to support Turkish students impacted by the devastating earthquake through the Cinema for a Cause initiative. Collaborating with the Bridge to Turkey Fund, we helped raise funds and provide critical support for these students, ensuring they have the resources needed to continue their education and rebuild their futures.

Ferruh Demirmen, Ph.D., age 90, passed away peacefully in his home in Katy, Texas, on September 29, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.

Ferruh was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Tulin; his son, Okan (Rebekah) Demirmen; his daughter, Sibel (Scott) Henry; and grandchildren, Emerson Ozan and Ayla Jacqueline.

Born on April 7, 1934, in Bursa, Türkiye, Ferruh was the youngest of seven children. After high school he was awarded a government scholarship to study abroad at the University of Kansas where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. In 1965, Ferruh and Tulin married in Ankara. Upon returning to the United States, Ferruh continued his education at Stanford University, obtaining both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Geology. He then worked for Shell International Petroleum Company, holding positions in the Netherlands, Malaysia, California, Qatar, and Houston before retiring.

After retiring, Ferruh became an independent consultant specializing in reserves estimation and production geology.  He published over 90 technical articles on geology and petroleum engineering. In addition, he became a prolific publisher and lecturer on issues of historical importance in Turkish history. 

Ferruh travelled to Türkiye often and loved spending time by the sea.  He had a deep appreciation for opera, enjoyed playing bridge, loved gardening, and cherished spending time with his family. His travels around the world enriched his family’s lives, exposing them to diverse cultures and experiences.

Ferruh Demirmen leaves behind a profound legacy of knowledge, love, and advocacy for his community and heritage. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

What a remarkable night we had with the Houston Rockets! We’d like to extend our huge thanks to you from the bottom of our hearts for your attendance and support.

It was a proud moment to share the same arena with Alperen Sengun! He was amazing and the ATA-Houston community as well. It was heartening to see our flag on Houston Rockets’ big screens! And the Houston Rockets and NBA shared our event on their social media channels mentioning American Turkish Association of Houston which brought us many new followers.

Vigil for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria:

We held a vigil at Evelyn’s Park for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria on February 23, 2023. We took time to commemorate the victims and pay tribute to the people affected by this tragedy. Dr. Ozlem Madi Sisman gave opening remarks and we held a moment of silence for 65 seconds to commemorate the length of the first earthquake. Poems and violin pieces were shared while attendees reflected on their loved ones who were affected by the earthquake.

Better Help Partnership:

ATA-Houston partnered with BetterHelp, the largest online therapy platform in the world, to provide three months of free therapy to anyone who wishes

to receive it. Sometimes a tragedy like this affects us in ways we can only begin to realize much later. Or for some of us, we may be surrounded by friends and colleagues who don’t understand just what we are going through. Others may have lost loved ones in the earthquake and are beside themselves with grief. No matter your unique situation, speaking with a therapist can help. You are also welcome to share this offer with your loved ones in Turkey who may benefit from it, as long as they are willing to conduct the therapy in English and during typical U.S. working hours. To access this free therapy offer, go to BetterHelp.com/voucher and type in ata-Houston. No one at ATA Houston will know who has utilized this offer.

Mother’s Day is a great time to remember and express our gratitude to our mothers and all mothers. We, as ATA-Houston prepared a coloring book for our kids to remember memorable mothers of Turkey. These are only couple of the names who reached millions of kids and touched their lives. The book is now in the archives of ATA-Houston digitally and can be an evergreen document for our community.

We have completed two semesters of with 4 classes Ladin, Meşe, Çınar and Servi by our amazing, devoted teachers.

• Our teachers also held sharing and brainstorming session each week after the lessons to improve the interaction and lessons.
• For each and every student, one to one parent teacher interviews held regularly to share the progress of the students.

Our students prepared presentations, sing songs, read poems on Turkish national holidays, and deepen their knowledge of Turkish history, holidays and culture. Students were also taught about Turkish cuisine and learned to cook simple Turkish dishes as a part of our engaged learning principle by our accomplished professionals with years of experience in teaching Turkish language.

We had a great crowd full of amazing women in American – Turkish Community in Houston. We had an opportunity to reflect on the great progress made towards gender equality and celebrate the courage and determination of women played extraordinary roles in history. We all can make impact on our community in our own ways.

It was amazing to see all the excitement our students and parents had when we met before the school opening. Each student received a special Turkish Language School bag which includes a letter from their teacher, readers according to their level and stationary from Turkey. Parents had a chance to meet & greet other parents, our school director and academic consultant.