“Never underestimate the power of a few dedicated
individuals to change the world”
We owe a debt of gratitude to our board members, to our advisory council, to our staff and to all our donors, partners, volunteers and supporters for their unwavering commitment to the children of Live it up Foundation, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our collective efforts.
Board of Directors:
Yasemin Saib – Chairwoman & President
Yasemin Saib has a long history of activism in the field of philanthropy, particularly with supporting orphaned and abandoned children in East Africa, South Asia and in the Middle East. Professionally, Ms. Saib has founded numerous businesses, most notable are Live It up, a social enterprise that offers inspiring and unique products and experiences with the goal of generating revenue to serve good causes and founded Al Bayareq, a Media consulting and production company aimed at producing TV programs and documentaries that serve the good causes. Over the course of her 21 years of professional career, Yasemin held numerous senior management positions at many US based firms, but her heart has always be tied to philanthropy.
As the Founder and Chairperson of Live it up Foundation, Yasemin dedicates her life to serving abandoned children by giving them the essentials all children need to lead positive and lives and to grow to become productive and well integrated members of their society.
Email: Yasemin.saib@liveitup.org
Phone: 202-909-0217
Gulsay Gurbuz – Board Member & Treasurer
Mrs. Gulsay Gurbuz has been an active philanthropist for over 40 years. She helped provide higher education to 5 disadvantaged children from various parts of the world (Bosnia, 2 from Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan). While she was living in Saudi Arabia with her family, she volunteered for UNICEF as the regional representative of the Eastern provide of Saudi Arabia for 8 years.
After she moved to the United States, she joined Rotary international. As an active member of the Rotary club, she became the Chairperson for the World Community Service and Student Exchange Programs. She had an instrumental role in galvanizing donations thru the Turkish Rotary Club towards the purchase of 240 weal chairs for handicap young adults and children. She also arranged for the shipment of numerous surgical medical equipment to hospitals in various third world countries thru Rotary club leadership endeavors.
Mrs. Gurbuz worked voluntarily in the Florida Turkish American Association, non-profit organization as a Board Member for 4 years. She is now actively involved as an advisory board member at the Istanbul Cultural Center of South Florida and as a passionate volunteer. As a non-profit organization, this Cultural Center is part of a much larger global network who build and operate thousands of schools around the world. This organization also responds to emergency relief initiatives around the world including the recent Haiti earthquake where many children were orphaned and the Turkish teams collectively donated time, effort and resources (both financial and in-kind). Mrs. Gurbuz continues her volunteering efforts at the Cultural Center where she teaches Turkish language to adults and serves as a judge in the Annual Global Turkish language Olympics.
Mrs. Gurbuz graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in law. She is married and has three grown children and three grandchildren.
Ketam Hamdan – Board Member & Secretary
Ketam Hamdan has led a life pursuit of self-mastery and has a passion for awaking people’s consciousness to lead more meaningful lives. She is an accomplished and purpose driven executive that is passionate about fusing together multiple disciplines (i.e. psychology, leadership, marketing, philanthropy, and spirituality) to inspire innovative insights that transform mindsets and cultivate vision and value-led leaders. Ms. Hamdan has a history and ongoing passion in helping underprivileged people, especially orphans around the world. She has worked with several organizations such as Free the Children, CARE, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also spearheaded the launch of socially responsible projects that garnered multimillion-dollar support and earned acclaim from top executives and government heads. She also partnered with Young Presidents Organization (YPO) to inspire them to expand their socially responsible efforts
Ketam holds a Master of Science in Strategic Marketing Communications from Columbia University, New York, and a PhD in Psychology and Religion from Harvard University. Whether it is through philanthropic activism, fundraising, one-on-one sessions, workshops, or leadership seminars, Ketam commits her life to serving and helping others have a more sustainable smile to their face.
Alia Greaney – Board Member
As a mother of 6 and a grandmother of 3, Alia who is an Irish Emerati has been an active social worker in the UAE community for over 25 year. She is the founding member of first shelter for women and children in Dubai which she co-founded over 15 years ago.
She was also the elected member of the board of Dubai Foundation for Women and Children and was instrumental in establishing the Foundation. In 2012, she received an award from Ethiopian Community where she was recognized for her support and contribution to the community.
As a board member of live it up Foundation and as the largest donor to the organization, she focuses on reaching out to prominent members of the UAE community to generate awareness and solicit contributions, and in particular concentrating on the quality of education the children receive by providing them access to good schools and after school tutoring and mentorship programs.