Volunteering in Pars Equality Center

An accomplished Los Angeles business executive, Michael Saei is the founder and president of First Financial Capital, which specializes in portfolio acquisitions and private equity as well advisory services. Besides his professional endeavors, Michael Saei supports and sponsors numerous nonprofits such as the Pars Equality Center.

Pars Equality Center has a mission to promote civil, economic, and social integration of immigrants originating from Persian-speaking countries to help them integrate into American society. The organization helps communities realize their full potential as self-reliant and responsible members of the American society. Pars Equality Center offers numerous volunteering opportunities in employment, tutoring, and ESL as well as workshops and seminars.

Employment Volunteers

Employment volunteers help the organization’s employment team to complete job applications, accompany clients to job interviews, and work closely with refugee clients to assist them in the job search process. Clients often also need guidance with job trends, internships, and opportunities.

Tutoring and ESL

Volunteers play a major role in tutoring individuals and kids as well as small groups of clients who want to perfect their English speaking skills. The role of volunteers is to instruct in-person ESL classes, assist during ESL classes, and participate in conversation groups with ESL students.

Help with Workshops/Seminars

This opportunity attracts volunteers who are knowledgeable in specialized fields such as finance, education, medicine/health care, environment, construction, beauty, and IT. These volunteers share tips and information to help clients understand more about working in the U.S. 

Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy

Los Angeles businessman Michael Saei has been involved in various philanthropic initiatives in the California community. In 2019, he made substantial donations to the Pars Equality Center, an organization that assists people from Persian-speaking and other countries in immigrating to the US with legal and social support. In addition, Michael Saei also contributed to Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All Gala 2019, an event that raised $2.6 million toward the cause of education and accessibility in the arts.

Among the many programs that Festival Napa Valley offers, the Blackburn Music Academy’s immersive conservatory for emerging professional musicians is a coveted summer program. Long known for its wine vineyards, Napa Valley then becomes the setting for a musical education experience that is taught by members of established professional ensembles including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

The program gives participants the chance to learn with world-renowned artists. In addition to playing with the best performers, participants take part in chamber music and orchestral concerts, sectionals, workshops, and other professional development opportunities.

The next cycle of the course begins from July 9, 2021 and lasts for two weeks ending on July 25th. Those interested in applying to the program will be able to fill out applications made available on the Festival Napa Valley website in the fall of 2020. 

PARS Equality Center Programs for Young Iranian Americans

Former managing partner of Enterprise Financial Group, Michael Saei has represented such international companies as Shell, Texaco, and Mobil in structuring petroleum financing. A committed philanthropist, Michael Saei and his wife were recognized among the biggest contributors at the PARS Equality Center’s 6th Annual Autumn Celebration.

The PARS Equality Center offers programs for the social and cultural integration of Iranian Americans. One such program is Generation+, which seeks to empower and foster community involvement in young Iranian Americans.

Generation+ serves as a networking and connecting resource for the new generation of Iranian Americans, offering a platform on which members can bond over their shared heritage and culture. Generation+ includes a Sports Initiative that works with members to build awareness and funding opportunities through sports activities such as team distance running. Generation+ also fosters professional involvement and volunteerism with PARS through its Corporate Ambassadors program. Additionally, Generation+ supports aspiring entrepreneurs through its Entrepreneurship Initiative.

LA Phil YOLA Programs

Michael Saei has served as the president, principal, and founder of First Financial Capital since 2004. Outside of work, Michael Saei and his wife, Katy, proudly support the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) as members of the Board of Overseers.

LA Phil operates a variety of community programs designed to encourage artistic and cultural growth. One such program, the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), provides free instruments and intensive music training to youth in the Los Angeles area, supporting them in their pursuit of academic success. 

The YOLA at EXPO Center element of the program serves more than 300 students and includes three orchestras. Students attend four days each week and receive extensive mentorship and group lessons. They also have the opportunity to perform at the Hollywood Bowl and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Meanwhile, YOLA at HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles) offers after-school orchestra instruction for students in the Rampart District area. Serving an average of 250 students, the program includes singing, music creativity, and ensemble rehearsals, as well as academic tutoring.

YOLA at Torres, on the campus of Esteban E. Torres High School, includes college preparation courses as well as performing arts. It serves 180 students and provides 15 hours per week of academic tutoring and musical instruction.

The newest program, YOLA at Camino Nuevo, brings YOLA education into the school day. Serving nearly 300 elementary school students, this program seeks to investigate connections between music learning and academics in partnership with the USC Brain and Creativity Institute.

The Hollywood Bowl - Live Orchestral Performances Accompanying Films

Michael Saei leads First Financial Capital as founder and provides a host of coordinated solutions focused on gas station investments. Michael Saei and his wife Katy Sael are longtime contributors to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and serve on the Hollywood Bowl’s board. 

One enduring tradition that pairs these two institutions is screenings of Hollywood films, with the music performed live in theater. In June 2019, the Silver Screen selection will be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with Justin Freer conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. 

Equally anticipated is the Maestro of the Movies evening series in late August, which will showcase clips of classic movies scored by John Williams, and feature classical arrangements. Among the top grossing films scored by Williams’ were Star Wars Episode IV, Jaws, E.T. The Extraterrestrial, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Association executive director Gail Samuel describes Williams’ music as complex and stirring, with the Hollywood Bowl unique among theatrical spaces in having the atmosphere of a “giant movie theater.” This makes orchestrated film screenings highly anticipated events that provide an immersive atmosphere to film fans of all ages.

Los Angeles’ Freedom Sculpture Celebrates Diversity, Inclusiveness

The principal and founder of First Financial Capital, LLC, Michael Saei purchases multiple-unit station portfolios from oil conglomerates such as ConocoPhillips. In addition to running a successful commercial real estate firm, Michael Saei contributed to the effort to realize the Freedom Sculpture in Los Angeles.

Located in Santa Monica on a publicly accessible median, the Freedom Sculpture is a large-scale monument that is based on an ancient Persian artifact known as the Cyrus Cylinder, which is considered the first known declaration of human rights. The design for the sculpture was selected from entries in an international urban art competition, which invited artists to create a monument that celebrates “universally shared humanitarian ideals of freedom, inclusiveness, and diversity.” The winning entry came from Sri Lankan-British architect and artist Cecil Balmond.

Unveiled on July 4, 2017, the debut of the Freedom Sculpture was celebrated with the inaugural LA Freedom Festival, a free event hosted by the Farhang Foundation that featured multi-ethnic foods, international music, celebrity guests, and a fireworks display. To learn more about the unique artwork, visit www.freedomsculpture.org.

Iranian American Women Foundation Event Features Ziba Shira

Based in Southern California, Michael Saei maintains an entrepreneurial career centered on First Financial Capital. Contributing to organizations that have a positive societal impact, Michael Saei co-chairs the Iranian American Women Foundation (IAWF). The organization facilitates well-attended Women’s Leadership Conferences each year and encompasses a mentorship program and Youth Leadership Conference.

One major IAWF event of early 2018 is a celebration of International Women's Day in tandem with the University of California, Irvine’s Jordan Center for Persian Studies. Highlights include Rhythm of the Soul and Tales of Inspiration panels that feature respected artists and storytellers such as Alexandra Monir, Mamak Khadem, and Ziba Shirazi.

Shirazi has created a unique career crafting and singing musical compositions that blend Persian melodic ideas with elements of jazz and world music. Since arriving in the United States in the mid-1980s, she has released seven heartfelt albums with lyrics that evoke love and compassion, while describing the struggles of Iranian immigrants in the face of the Islamic Revolution. 

One of Shirazi’s landmark accomplishments was the creation of a 2014 musical production titled Spring Love that was shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.