Aziz And Gwen Sancar Foundation

Programs: Provide a turkish cultural center for the chapel hill community. The center is used to host programs and activities that promote understanding of turkish culture and turkic people. Host celebrations of three major turkish holidays. Host turkish cooking, turkish day celebration, community outreach activities in chapel hill. Also support education programs for socio-economically disadvantaged children of turkish society through bridge to turkey fund. Sponsor children's day festival. Hosts turkish classes for turkish-american students to learn turkish. Currently, the organization provides meeting space for these activities at no charge. Plans and fundraising are nearly complete for building an expanded facility offering space and opportunity for new educational and cultural opportunities. The foundation also collaborates with other turkish groups in the area to host turkish singers and dancers for performances attended by turkish-american residents of the triangle area, hosted turkish teas for turkish language students at unc-chapel hill and duke university, and last year participated in the international festival of raleigh.

turk evi provides low-cost housing for turkish visiting scholars and graduate students. Increase the accessibility of the university of north carolina-chapel hill to turkish scholars and to ease the acclimation of scholars and students into american culture and the chapel hill community. Turk evi is within walking distance of several local markets thus reducing the need for a car for these visitors. In 2017 dr. Gwen sancar was appointed honorary consul of turkey in north carolina and maintains an office at no charge for this purpose at turk evi. This expands on the services that we can offer to both turkish students and residents in the area.