Get set for Fungama Sunday in Coronation Park by Bob Mitchell Oakville Beaver Staff 9 | Friday, August 7, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Fungama. No, it's not something one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would yell. It's a rather unique fundraising event happening this weekend to help support orphans from impoverished countries around the world. "The name is kind of a play on words.... I'm from Pakistan so in Urdu, `hungama' is the word for riot so we combined the word `fun' with it to come up with the name of the event," said Vajid Khan, one of the 14 volunteer organizers of the event that takes place Sunday (Aug. 9) at Coronation Park. "So, it's a fun-riot, kind of a corny joke," he said. The inaugural event in 2010 consisted of a picnic and volleyball tournament among 30 to 40 friends and family. The volleyball tournament continues to be the main event, but this year, there will also be other games, including tug-of- war, a water fight, a version of musical chairs, a potato sack race and a lemonade race. There will also be facepainting for children. Khan expects more than 300 people will attend this year's event, which runs from noon to 9 p.m. "The event is free, and the food is free in the sense that we ask for a donation, which goes 100 per cent toward the Orphan Sponsorship Program at University of Toronto in exchange for a ticket, which this year will get them a burger, fries and drink combo from Hero Burger," said Khan, 34. "We had a picnic and played some volleyball that first year, but more and more people started to come every year, so we decided to turn it into a charity event. It's great to have fun, but it's also important to give back," said Khan, noting his Muslim heritage and his religion's emphasis on helping orphans. "They don't have parents, so they need people to help them." Born in Ottawa, Khan works as a diagnostic radiologist and assistant professor at St. Joseph's Health Care in London, Ont. His weekends are spent at home in Oakville. "I feel that I'm blessed," Khan said. "I have a lot of things that a lot of people don't have worldwide. I feel we all have a responsibility to help take care of people less fortunate." Organizers decided to use an established charity for their fundraising event. "The Muslim Students Association at the University of Toronto has been operating an orphan sponsorship program for about 15 years," Khan said. "They basically go through two different charities, Human Concern International and ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) Relief." Khan said the organization gives his group a list of orphans who need to be sponsored. "It could be a four-year-old boy from Tunisia or a five-yearold girl from Lebanon," Khan said. Teams that finish first, second or third in the volleyball tournament get to see Growing on p.12 Interlocking Tumblestone, Retaining Walls, Garden Installation, Sodding & Excavating, Call for FREE Estimate plus more (905) 827-8158 · www.rogerslandscaping.org Burlington OFFERING FULL AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE 5125 Harvester Rd., Unit 5 · 905-681-1200 www.dreamtire.com