The Zoroastrian Association of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana (ZAKOI) that succeeded in purchasing a church property on June 27, 2024 will now be focusing on converting it into a center and dar-e-mehr by remodelling some areas of the building, noted an email from ZAKOI president Bakhtavar Desai.
Besides a prayer room, the center will have a large hall with a stage that can host receptions, a fellowship/dining hall with an attached kitchen, a library, a nursery/toddlers play room, a games room for older children /youth, a meeting room and three bathrooms, including one for the convenience of the disabled. In the designing of the prayer room and converting the church sanctuary into a reception hall where community members can host events like navjotes, weddings and other celebrations, they will be guided by Chicago based Cyrus Rivetna, principal, Rivetna Architects, who has lent his expertise to four Zoroastrian Atash Kadeh prayer halls in North America. "It will take a few months for Cyrus’s team to make the drawings and get appropriate permits,” noted a communique from Desai dated July 18, expecting the remodelling to commence in the next six to eight weeks.
The estimated cost of the remodeling being $ 300,000 (Rs 2.51 crore), Desai’s appeal to the community specified, "We have almost $ 100,000 (Rs 83.71 lakh) available for our remodelling and repair work… ZAKOI currently has about $ 200,000 (Rs 1.67 crore) invested cautiously, the returns from which should take care of large contingencies/expenses that may suddenly arise. The majority in our community have stepped forward to give a monthly amount to cover most of our maintenance expenses and bills… We appeal to you one last time to please (send) any donations you can towards the renovations…” She can be contacted on bfdesai@aol.com
Clockwise from top left : Bakhtavar Desai (r) finalized the purchase deal; first jashan at the ZAKOI center;
interiors of the church property; exteriors with ample parking space; view of the main hall
When ZAKOI needed funds to purchase the property, "the world Zoroastrian community (gave) donations amounting to $ 350,000 (Rs 2.93 crore)… to help our small community to realize our dream,” Desai acknowledged. Towards the end when running short of $ 125,000 (Rs 1.04 crore) ZAKOI and the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America sent a renewed appeal that earned "good wishes, blessings and donations from…hundreds of people and associations, many of whom had not even heard about ZAKOI. We are so proud to be a part of such a magnificent community!” noted Desai in her email responses to Parsiana.
Giving them a much needed fillip were the children of Mehrafzoun Firouzgar and Abtin Sassanfar who had started a Foundation for cultural studies of Zoroastrianism in memory of their beloved parents. They offered to match donations to ZAKOI up to $100,000. "Even though we received about $ 40,000 (Rs 33.48 lakh) in donations towards this match, we are extremely grateful that the Sassanfar Foundation gave us the full $ 100,000,” stated Desai. Then followed nearly two months of due diligence under the guidance of one of their advisory board members Rayomand Bhumgara, president, Sustainable Strategies 2050, before finalizing the purchase deal.
Estimating the number of Zoroastrians in the tri-state area of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana to number at least 200, Desai reported that with the second generation among them getting married and having babies, plus new families arriving for work/jobs, ZAKOI is "looking forward to seeing our beautiful community continue to grow and prosper.”