American Turkish Friendship Association

07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, we honor the ideals that have shaped this nation for generations—freedom, opportunity, civic engagement, and the belief that people from different backgrounds can build a stronger future together.

At the American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA), we are grateful to be part of this journey, working alongside our neighbors and partners to foster friendship, mutual understanding, and service to our communities.

On this historic milestone, may we continue to strengthen the bonds that unite us, celebrate our shared values, and inspire the next generation to build a more welcoming, compassionate, and hopeful America.

Happy Fourth of July, and Happy 250th Anniversary of American Independence! 🇺🇸

06/10/2026

Yesterday evening, ATFA had the privilege of hosting an inspiring and thought-provoking seminar, “𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐀 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝟐𝟓𝟎,” presented by 𝑫𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 of George Mason University.

Dr. White’s engaging storytelling and unique presentation style made history come alive as he guided participants through the historical foundations that shaped the United States. The discussion explored the influence of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the religious fragmentation and conflicts that influenced the Founding Fathers as they envisioned a new nation built upon liberty, representative government, and religious freedom.

The presentation was so insightful, informative, and captivating that participants unanimously expressed interest in continuing the conversation through a second session. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲.

As ATFA participates in the America250 commemoration, we look forward to offering more educational programs that deepen civic understanding, foster dialogue, and strengthen our community.


VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission
America250

05/27/2026

Eid al Adha, also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice,” is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world. It commemorates the story of Prophet Abraham and his deep faith, trust, and willingness to sacrifice for God. The holiday also coincides with the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, when millions of Muslims from around the world gather in worship and reflection.
Muslims celebrate Eid al Adha through prayer, charity, sharing meals, visiting family and friends, and helping those in need. It is a time to reflect on faith, gratitude, compassion, and community.
Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy, and many blessings.
Eid Mubarak from all of us at ATFA!

05/25/2026

As we enjoy and celebrate the 250th year of America, we also pause this Memorial Day to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. 🇺🇸

Their sacrifice is part of the story of this nation and the freedoms we enjoy today. We remember them with gratitude and respect.

05/16/2026

05/16/2026

An inspiring evening of unity, appreciation, and community partnership at the 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 hosted by ATFA during 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤.

We were deeply honored to welcome 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 as the keynote speaker, alongside 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐞𝐧, public safety leaders, elected officials, faith leaders, and civic partners from across Northern Virginia.

We were also honored by the representation and participation from the offices of 𝑼.𝑺. 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓, 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒎. Thanks to Congressman Don Beyer for sending a congratulatory letter.

👏 Special thanks to the participant groups from:

• Virginia State Police
• Fairfax County Police Department
• Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
• Fairfax City Police Department
• Fairfax City Fire Department
• Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
• Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System
• Prince William County Police Department
• Prince William County Fire & Rescue
• National Capital Region Incident Management Team

The evening reflected the importance of building strong relationships between public safety institutions and the communities they serve. Events like this remind us that when first responders, civic leaders, faith communities, and community organizations work together, we build safer, stronger, and more united communities.

🙏 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚.



Virginia State Police
Fairfax County Police Department
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
City of Fairfax Police Department
City of Fairfax Fire Department
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue
Prince William County Police Department
Prince William County Fire & Rescue System
National Capital Region Incident Management Team

04/10/2026

We are honored to share that the American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA) has officially joined the VA250 Commemorative Partnership Family.

As part of this meaningful statewide initiative, we look forward to contributing to the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary through programs that bring communities together, celebrate shared values, and strengthen civic engagement.

We are currently planning a series of exciting events and collaborative projects—coming soon.

Stay tuned as we continue building connections and creating impact across our community.


VA250 - American Revolution 250 Commission

https://www.va250.org/list-of-commemorative-partners/