Naz716 Business and Cultural Center sets 'Farzana Legacy Scholarship & Bollywood Night'

Naz716 Business and Cultural Center is organizing a historical “Farzana Legacy Scholarship Dinner & Bollywood Night” to be held at 5 p.m. May 13 at Packard Court Community Center, 4300 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls.

Organizers noted, “The scholarship will be an opportunity for four women from our WNY community to pursue their higher educational goals. And ‘Bollywood Night’ will help showcase various South Asian cultural aspects within our community. We plan to have this event every year.”

Nasreen Akhtar is founder of the Naz716 Business and Cultural Center. She said, “I was born in Pakistan, but moved to the United States with my parents and siblings. I am honored to name the scholarship after my mother, Farzana Begum, who lived in Niagara Falls before losing her battle with cancer in November 2021. She was a very kind, caring, a loving role model who touched and inspired everyone she met, including me. She always gave back to the poor. She greeted everyone with her signature smile, and fed people as soon as they entered her home. She was an avid believer in the education of women. She gave money for education to those who were in need here and in Pakistan.

“I learned everything about South Asian Culture from my mother and the rest of the family. So, it was natural for me to have a cultural event at the same time I honor her by giving away scholarships on her behalf.”