Al Rashid Education Foundation (AREF) was founded in 2013 to make a positive contribution to the lives of Canadian students who are either from visible minorities or recent immigrants to Canada. AREF’s mandate is to encourage and enable these students to develop their educational, leadership, artistic and athletic potentials. AREF intends to accomplish this mandate by establishing a new scholarship fund that will be awarded to student applicants wishing to pursue post-secondary education. AREF scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate a high level of academic, community and leadership achievement. AREF is funded through the generous contributions of community leaders who place a high value on education and in producing successful and highly motivated student leaders. These leaders will in turn contribute to the advancement of their communities within the Canadian society and around the world.