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Salaam Alaykum ,
November 2012
Muharram 1434
The new moon of Muharram has heralded in the new Islamic year of 1434 Hijra. For many Muslims this is marked as a time of melancholy reflection because it is a month which contains within it the day of Aashura, marking the martyrdom of Husain, the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet, along with his family and companions on the plains of Kerbala in Iraq. The Messenger of Allah said: "Husain is from me and I am from Husain." (Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal).

Husain's last call to the people still reverberates in our hearts today -- "Hal min naasirin yansuruna?" What Husain was asking was "Who will help me to keep the message of Islam alive; to stand up against oppression; to protect the message of Rasulullah (Prophet Muhammad saw)?" At UMF, we keep the message of Islam alive by engaging in projects and activities that serve the communities in which we live and provide assistance to those in need.  Our newest projects, UMF Scouts and Teen Central, are prime examples of how we strive to do this, along with our interfaith initiatives and community service endeavors. 

We also have upon us the beautiful holiday of Thanksgiving. Many have been blessed to share delicious and nutritious Thanksgiving Dinners with their families today. Did you know that according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel earlier this year "The number of homeless students in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties has ballooned 79 percent since January 2009. And officials project that, by summer (of 2012), more than 10,000 school-age children across the three counties will have been homeless at some point during the year, many of them for months on end." The holiday season is a great time to give back to the community and remember those less fortunate than ourselves. You can make a significant difference at UMF by a very small contribution that will go a long way to help those who are hungry and homeless, teach children and help teens, and help to raise Islamic awareness and promote unity. Your donation helps sustain our Hungerteam, Outreach and all other activities that help make a difference in our society.

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support UMF.
We are currently $130,000 short of reaching our goal. Remember,
Every Dollar Makes a Difference.

Your donation can be made by any of the following methods:
  1. Donate online here
  2. Mail your contribution to P.O Box 952934, Lake Mary, FL 32795 
What's exciting in this Issue?
:: UMF Scouts Launch
:: 2012 Community Interfaith
:: UMF 'Why Islam' Campaign
:: Next UMF Hungerteam Event
:: UMF's Next Coffee Encounter.
:: UMF Hungerteam Review
:: UMF Eidul Adha Benefit Dinner Review
:: Quicklinks
UMF Upcoming Events


UMF Scouts Launch 
UMF Scouts Launch   

2012 Community Interfaith 
        
UMF Muharram Interfaith   

UMF 'Why Islam' Campaign


UMF has sponsored four 'Why Islam' bill boards in Orlando area Alhumdullillah. Insha-Allah we will have these billboards up by Christmas. Watch out for them on the highway and post us a picture on fb if you spot any of them, to win a prize!

Why Islam 3 Why Islam 2 Why Islam 1  

Next UMF Hungerteam Event

    
Our next Hungerteam event: Dec 15th from 9am - 11am insha-Allah

Where: 
Rescue Outreach Mission of Sanford

What you can bring: Warm Clothes, and Toys (New or Gently Used in working condition) for our Winter Toy Drive. To find out the best drop off point for your donations email [email protected] or check UMF FL on fb for up to date information.

To sign up for Hungerteam weekly food pick ups or the monthly feedings:

   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot 
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 
3.
Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone.  
 
UMF's Next Coffee Encounter


  
Join us over a warm cup of coffee and conversation at our next UMF Coffee Encounter to help brainstorm ways to help the needy in Orlando on Saturday Dec 8th from 2-4pm. Check UMF FL on fb for location information


UMF on Teen Central  
  
We've got some exciting news for you about UMF's Muslim portal on Teen Central! But we've probably given you more than enough to read for this issue, so, we'll save it for next time :) Look out for next month's UMF e-newsletter for more information. We look forward to seeing you around at all our events soon, insha-Allah!

 
Aiding Sandy Victims through ICNA Relief
     
Jazak-Allahu Khairan to all those who generously donated bags of warm clothes and blankets for the victims of Sandy. UMF was able to collect a truckful of supplies, but sadly there was not enough of a good response from other groups collecting for Sandy Relief around Orlando. ICNA Relief informed UMF that the supplies have therefore been rerouted to a container headed to bring relief to those in another area of need.

UMF Past Events


UMF Hungerteam Review
 

Over 70 homeless or low income individuals stopped by the Rescue Outreach Mission located in Sanford on November 17 to enjoy the hot, fresh breakfast cooked by United Muslim Foundation volunteers. Volunteers from all over Central Florida, mainly from Seminole County, gathered in the shelter's kitchen beating eggs and flipping pancakes at the rate of 12 pancakes per five minutes. Joined with UMF were 15 of Seminole High School's Interact Club Members led by Abbas and Aliya Lyons.  

 Hungerteam1
United Muslim Foundation meets roughly every month on Saturday mornings at the women and children center to offer breakfast for the current tenants and for homeless individuals nearby. A three gallon tub of pancake batter is provided by the International House of Pancakes and baked items derive from the local Panera Bread. Each plate was packed with one or two pancakes, an egg sandwich and a pastry with a cup of maple syrup on the side. 

  
Hingerteam2

 Zainab Alidina who has been the director of United Muslim Foundation's chapter, the Hunger Team, for four years said her reason for picking this one specific shelter is because it is right in her backyard. She wants to make sure the people in her community are taken care of with a main concern for the women and children.



It all started after a late night meeting in Panera. 
  
"One day we had a UMF meeting at Panera and the meeting was at night until 9:30 and I saw this man taking a whole bag of fresh bread and putting it in the dumpster," she said as explaining why the bakery, Panera Bread, gives away fresh bread and pastries to UMF every Monday and Thursday. After asking the man why they throw away all their baked goods every day, he told her it is their policy to make fresh every morning. Therefore, churches and organizations, just like UMF, are privileged to pick up the remaining items and drop them off to ones who are in need.




However, the warmth of giving was not only provided in the kitchen but leaked outside where five tables were set up, stacked with clothing, blankets, canned foods and toys for anyone in need to take. The volunteers from the interact club and other United Muslim Foundation members sat from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. helping locals search through items that they would need to get on through the cold season.
Melissa Falcon and Daphne Curran are members of the Interact Club and they both said giving up their sleeping in Saturdays to see the smiles on the children's faces after handing them a hot plate filled with eggs and pancakes is worth losing a couple hours of sleep.
"I come for the hours but I mainly come because it really is a great experience and I love being able to help out. I wanted to try it and see if it was something I could do for a while," said Ms. Curran.
United Muslim Foundation never fails at making sure the community is in good hands and establishing the Hunger team chapter, ensures that the volunteers do their best so no one is left behind with a grumbling stomach.
 
- Sabira Mawji, UMF Officer 


UMF Eidul Adha Benefit Dinner

 

Masha-Allah UMF was blessed to raise $70,000 from generous donors at our first ever Youth Benefit Dinner. A special heartfelt thanks goes to AMCC where we hosted the event and to all those who contributed to the bake sale and to all our volunteers for doing everything they could to help make the event a success. We were excited to have our special guests who flew in for the event and shared of their knowledge, entertained us and made us laugh. Jazak-Allahu Khairan!  

     

 

 

"UMF's 2012 Eid Ul-Adha celebration was truly one to remember! I can't recall experiencing a single dull moment from the start to the end of the event.  Everything was great, from the speeches to the nasheeds to the food.
 Dr. Altaf Hussain's speech was thought-provoking, relatable, and even had a touch of humor to it; in other words, it was the perfect speech, while the performance of Fez Meghani and Aftab Ali was beautiful and even adorable when they got the kids up on the stage to sing with them.  But since I'm both a foodie and a lover of comedy, it's hard to tell what the highlight of the evening was for me. Was it the food from Golden Dynasty or Dan Nainan's comedy? Well, the food from Golden Dynasty was, as always, so delicious I just had to go get seconds. As for Dan Nainan's performance, I'd already seen some of his act, thanks to YouTube, and knew I was in for a good, clean, rib-tickling time, and I was not disappointed.  Let's just settle for the truth: UMF's Eid Event was  amazing, and I'm glad I was there to experience it."  - Sara Beg (guest)      

  

   

"The event was great MA!! it was so nice to see Muslims from all over come and celebrate Eid together :) The program was well coordinated and I'm so glad I was able to help out in whatever way I could. There was lots of unity amongst us volunteers and I enjoyed working with each and every one of them...I look forward to doing more for UMF :)" - Azra Dhanji (volunteer)   

 
 

What does UMF do with your donations?


UMF relies on your financial support to sustain its activities including sponsoring food/clothe drives for the needy, events for the purposes of unity, academic seminars to educate Muslims and non-Muslims alike on various subjects and eradicate misconceptions about Islam, disaster relief projects and helping other organizations monetarily in carrying out their good work on the basis of charity, education, and unity.

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