For Cindy and Allen Sabbag, it's all about giving back without drawing attention to themselves.
"For us," says Allen, a successful businessman turned investor, "it is knowing we are supporting something that is going to change people's lives positively, one life at a time. The happiest day of my life is when I can write a check to a deserving organization who is making a difference and impacting the community. Cindy and I were both from working class families. Neither one of us grew up with a lot, but we have been fortunate to have these great feelings."
The Sabbags have been involved since the beginning, with Allen having served on the Mama's House Ministries' board of directors for the past three years.
"In every strong community, certain individuals
stand out not just for their generosity, but for their dedication," said Maurae Quigley, president of Mama's House. "Allen, as a valued board member, has been instrumental in guiding our mission, while both he and Cindy's unwavering support creates a lasting impact on the lives of the women and children we serve. We thank them both for being pillars of our community and champions of our cause."
The couple, who owns a home here in the desert, has focused their support on helping build a new building for their church in Des Moines, Iowa, and for Child Serve, which operates a home for disabled children.
"Our attitude is, we would rather make a big impact in a few areas, rather than a lighter impact splashed across the board," Allen says. "The main engine for our philanthropy and giving is in the human services and child services area. There is no end to the need, but you cannot do everything."
More than a decade ago, a friend introduced Cindy to Judy Seal, who in turn introduced Cindy to Mama's House.
"The first time I went, it was very busy and full of activity, which was wonderful to see with the moms and babies just having a good time," Cindy says. "The mission of Mama's House just resonated with us, because we are strong Christian people who do not condone abortion. We like that Mama's House is pro-baby and pro-life, and we like the whole mission of building the mother up and building the mother and child into a family. Mama's House is providing the mother with the intellectual resources primarily to learn how to carry on her life."
The Sabbags have witnessed and helped foster Mama's House's extraordinary growth and success. "This new campus is a model of what can be done, " Allen says. "This may not be the last Mama's House campus, because I can foresee another similar campus being developed in another part of the country, aligned with a good partner like a church."
Mama's House continues to attract significant support. "Recently, we have had two donors give significant donations to Mama's House who have never given to the organization before," Allen says. "These people have learned about the Mama's House core mission and have decided to give." Allen credits Quigley. "She is out in the community, intricately involved in many aspects of the community and highly visible telling the Mama's House story.
"There is no question we are on the right path at Mama's House Ministries today," he says. "We are about to exceed our expectations."
Madeline Zuckerman is owner and president of M. Zuckerman Marketing & Public Relations Inc., a marketing, branding, public relations and special events firm with offices in Rancho Mirage and Newport Beach, California. Zuckerman is a founder of McCallum Theatre, a Desert Arc Champion, a member of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation and a board member of the One Valley Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. She has been a guest reporter for The Desert Sun for 18 years.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cindy and Allen Sabbag enjoy giving back to Mama's House Ministries
