Women's Shelter Gets Financial Jump Start at First Fundraiser Written by Administrator Monday, 10 December 2007 07:14
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By Muslim Link Staff
Guest speaker Khalid Yasin from New York said during his studies he looked up many books but never found a book on community activism.
Maybe that book can be written by Sister Nadia A. McIntosh Owner, the founder of the Al-Mumtahinah Home for homeless women.
The Al-Mumtahinah Home project held its first annual fundraising dinner at Morgan State University on November 24. About 175 people attended – organizers planned for about 200 – and donated $25,000 out of which $9,000 was in cash and checks. The goal for the evening was $70,000.
The shelter, a four-bedroom house in Baltimore city that currently provides temporary shelter for three families (single mothers and their children), costs $700 per month to rent. Families are allowed to stay for up to one year, but most families leave within 6 months.
“I'm basically running the [home], but the tenants also help out,” said Sister Nadia, adding that she does not require tenants to help in order to stay at the shelter.
The project is still in the process of obtaining 501-C(3) status to register as a non-profit organization. “Some of the money will go to obtaining [the non-profit] status, and to make sure our shelter is staying within state and city ordinances,” said Sister Nadia, who plans on holding a smaller scale fundraising event every
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Women's Shelter Gets Financial Jump Start at First Fundraiser Written by Administrator Monday, 10 December 2007 07:14
60 days until they can purchase a home for Al-Mumtahinah.
The organization has no paid employees.
The fundraising event began with an opening prayer, and included a candle-lit presentation where sisters narrated accounts of the struggles of battered and homeless women.
The keynote speaker Sheikh Khalid Yasin stressed that the greater Muslim community must get involved and support projects like Al-Mumtahinah.
Sister Nadia expressed her gratitude to Imams, community leaders and community workers who support her project. She also mentioned her respect and gratitude to other on-going projects trying to help Muslim women, including Sistas2sistas in Philadelphia and Asma Hanif who has a long term plan to open a social service center.
Organizations that sponsored the event included the Muslim Student's Association of Morgan State University, and the Islamic Society of Baltimore.
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