CAIR Picnic and Community Service Fair
On Sunday, April 4th, CAIR-Orlando held a picnic and community service fair. As well as having a table there, UMF helped make the event a success by providing volunteers throughout the day.
Refugees from Gaza settle into their Sanford home
On Monday, March 16th, UMF found a temporary home in Sanford donated by a Muslim family for six months while the refugee family begins building their life in Orlando. Wonderful locals from all over town visit the family and check up on them, taking food and necessities and offering help. "To see such giving with an open heart in this economy is really very touching." says UMF Executive Director Masuma Virji. UMF has set up a Target Gift Registry under the name 'Gaza Family' and is also accepting used items in good condition for the family. "The road to a better future is long and hard, but with the help of our caring community it appears to be a splendid sunrise in the not too distant horizon."
Refugees from Gaza arrive at MCO
On Thursday, March 12th, After living out of a hotel for months, the refugee family finally arrived at Orlando International Airport where they were warmly greeted by UMF officers with a beautiful welcome balloon, gift baskets for the children and fruit flowers.
UMF Responds to the call to Sponsor Refugees from Gaza
In January & February 2009, UMF began working with the U.S. State Department in response to a call for sponsors for refugee families that are being evacuated from Gaza.
Palestine Day and Statewide March
On Saturday, January 10th, UMF hosted "Palestine Day" at the Husseini Islamic Center in Orlando. The event began with the viewing of Promises, a film that tells the story of Palestinian and Israeli children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. Posters, letters and petitions were also circulated to send to government officials to encourage bringing peace to Palestine. Later, the group carpooled to a statewide protest at Lake Eola against the invasion of Gaza. The march was co-sponsored by a number of organizations, including UMF.
Vigil for Peace
On New Years Eve, approximately one hundred people of conscience gathered at Lake Eola for a "New Year's Eve Candlelight Vigil for Gaza" sponsored by CAIR Orlando, UMF and the Arab American Community Center. At the event, UMF Secretary Fatema Kermalli joined other speakers in calling for a restoration of the cease-fire and the promotion of peace with justice in the Middle East during the coming year.
Holiday Party for the Homeless
UMF hosted a Holiday Party for the homeless children at the 6th St. Shelter in Allentown, PA, on Saturday, December 13th, with the intent to help make this holiday season a memorable one for the children by spending time with them in making crafts and playing games. UMF volunteers came early to decorate the hall and prepare the crafts for the children attending, and Alhamdulillah, the event turned out to be a great success!
Gift Wrapping Party
UMF assisted Kids House with its annual gift wrapping party on Tuesday, December 2nd. There were almost 300 gifts to wrap for their upcoming holiday party. Snacks and drinks were provided for the volunteers as well as plenty of holiday cheer!
Muslim Family Day
Held on October 12 at Fun Spot Orlando, Muslim Family Day drew crowds totaling over 2,000 people from all over the state of Florida and beyond! The event featured games, rides, and a number stalls selling everything from food and drink to clothing and books. Attendees flooded the park, filling the air with sounds of laughter and chatter as Eid nasheeds played on in the background.
At prayer times, the entire park was stopped for a few minutes as the Adhan (call to prayer) played over the speakers. Everyone seemed to really enjoy spending the day with their brothers and sisters from all over the state. Smiles abounded as children and adults alike took advantage of all the wonderful rides and delicious foods that were available.
Bowls for the Hungry
On Thursday, October 2, UMF volunteers gathered at the Lake Mary Art Studio to work magic with their hands, turning clay into their very own personalized creations to help the hungry. Several pieces of art were created and will be auctioned off to raise money for the cause.
Ramadhan Book Sale
During the month of Ramadhan, UMF Allentown volunteers shared the gift and meaning of Islam with the younger generation by selling books educating children about Islam in a fun way. The books made a great Eid gift for parents' to give to their kids, while at the same time supporting UMF as we strive to promote unity, education and humanity.
Care and Share
On Saturday, September 27, UMF volunteers gathered at the Husseini Islamic Center to sort clothes, shoes, toys and other gifts collected for the needy. Alhamdulillah, the bags of donations filled the room and, once sorted, filled about 50 boxes! Union Sports also pitched in by loaning their big pick-up truck to help transport the boxes to the warehouse where they were unloaded by HIC volunteers into the temporary storage that the Abdulhussein family kindly let us use. Thank you to all the generous donors and especially the dedicated volunteers who tirelessly sweated it out while fasting to help make this event a success.
Fair for Care
The sun shone brightly on Saturday, August 16th, as volunteers prepared and vendors set up their stalls for the 3rd annual "Fair for Care" carnival in Allentown. The carnival featured several inflatable activities -- a moonbounce, dual-lane slides, and an obstacle course -- as well as some "carnival type" games and, of couse, lots of food! In addition, a new feature this year was the addition of large tents, which were set up to organize the various areas and provide some relief from the hot summer sun. Advertising for the fair was done in several states, and volunteers participated from as far away as New York, making this a truly tri-state event! Alhamdulillah, about $3,600 was collected, and all proceeds will go towards this year's featured charity -- the Afghanistan Water Project; to build wells for the people of Kabul in Afghanistan so that they have access to clean water for their sanitary and drinking needs.
Interfaith Community Service Day: Jared Box Project
On Sunday April 6th, UMF and the Al-Ahad Islamic Center teamed up to take part in "Interfaith Community Service Day." The objective of this first-of-its-kind large scale effort was to bring together a multi-faith coalition for the benefit of the needy in the greater Allentown, PA area. A wide representation of congregations of all faiths worked towards one large community service volunteer effort with community service activities being held throughout the greater Allentown area. The volunteer effort that UMF organized was the "Jared Box Project". A Jared Box is a shoebox-size plastic storage box filled with small gifts, toys, cards, and games. Each box contained items selected for a specific age -- in this case, children aged 2 to 4. Alhamdulillah, UMF collected many items for both boys and girls as donations. These included crayons, coloring books, dolls, toy cars, Play-Doh, bubbles, and other small toys. The boxes were delivered to Lehigh Valley Hospital to be given to chronically ill children. The Jared Boxes are intended to help by providing a special diversion for young patients as they receive chemotherapy and other medical treatments.
Screening of "Promises" Documentary
The Muslim Student Association (MSA) of Valencia Community College, in conjunction with United Muslim Foundation, held a screening of the movie "Promises" on March 20, 2008. The event took place on the East campus at PAC. The documentary follows the lives of seven Palestinian and Israeli children, and offered a refreshing, human, and sometimes even humorous portrait of the Palestinain-Israeli conflict. The purpose of the event was to help build bridges between Muslims and Jews, and promote unity and education among both groups.
Islamic Relief Fundraiser
On Saturday, March 15th, UMF volunteers headed down to the University of Pennsylvania to attend and assist with the Islamic Relief "Children in Need" event, which aimed to help children in need around the world -- with a special focus on Palestine, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Iraq -- by fundraising for these children (in many cases orphans), while at the same time providing a great dinner and some top-class entertainment for the event attendees. The program for the night began with Qur'an recitation, followed by short speeches, and dinner. Following the evening prayers, the program then continued with a presentation on the plight of various children in need around the world and the work that Islamic Relief is doing in various countries to help them. The night concluded with some entertainment from the nasheed group Travelers, and stand-up comedy from Preacher Moss of the group Allah Made me Funny. UMF volunteers assisted by serving as ushers to those attending the event and by handing out and collecting pledge and sponsorship cards from attendees. Alhamdulillah, the event was a great success as well as a lot of fun!
Easter Egg Hunt at Kids House
On Saturday, March 8th, a group of UMF volunteers headed to Kids House of Seminole, a center that aims to help abused children by providing all necessary services from investigation through treatment. The children enjoyed carnival type games, food, and an annual Easter Egg Hunt. UMF volunteers were in charge of the egg and ring toss, helping the children as they played and handing out prizes to all who tried. Overall, it was a great event. As chilly as it was, everyone seemed to have an amazing time helping out together.
|
