Completion of 99 Orphan Project 2014

Alhamdulillah, the 99 Orphan team was able to successfully accomplish our goal for another year.  Raising our intended amount of $59,400 this year shortly after the end of Ramadan, we were able to help 99 orphans around the world for one year.  This has all been because of all of our generous donors and supporters who continuously donated money, attended our various events, and shared our project with family and friends.  Jazak Allahu Khairan for helping us make a difference in orphans' lives.

If you are still interested in donating to orphans, never fear!  We are already accepting donations for next year's funds.  Please continue supporting us as we continue onto the next year of 99 Orphans.

- Nur Kose
President

Only a Few Days Left!

Ramadan is almost over.  Eid is approaching quickly!  Alhamdulillah, the 99 Orphan team was able to accomplish a lot during this month.

We have attended numerous iftars to let communities know about our project, from Lancaster, PA to Washington, D.C. and of course in Delaware.  We created many videos to let you know how our project is going and to, hopefully, encourage you to donate.  In addition, the visual arts committee published their first comic book and we were able to sell many copies to help orphans in need.  And thanks to Allah and generous donors like you, we were able to reach the 80-orphan mark .

Alhamdulillah, we only have about 15 orphans left.  We will be having a henna party and bake sale this Sunday insha Allah.  The bake sale is no ordinary bake sale.  You get to view the baked goods beforehand to choose what you want to order.  Please don't come to the bake sale thinking you will buy the baked goods then!  To guarantee yummy treats for you and your family during Eid, order now.

See you Sunday insha Allah.  Please help us reach our goal this Ramadan!

- Nur Kose
President

Henna Party and Mini Bake Sale (Video)

Assalamualaikum!

Ramadan is swiftly leaving us.  There's only a week left and then Eid will be here, insha Allah.  Are you getting prepared for Eid goodies and treats?  The 99 Orphan team will be hosting a henna party and mini bake sale featuring delicious baked goods for sale.  Check out the video below to see the awesomeness we will be selling insha Allah.  Don't forget to place your orders right away so we have your treats ready for you by the henna party day (Sunday, July 27).


Here are some more pictures of the Eid goodies with their prices.

 

Cupcakes 1 for $1 and 12 for $10

 

Brownies 1 for $1 and 12 for $10

 Coconut Macaroons 2 for $1 and 12 for $5

 Chocolate-Covered Pretzels 4 for $2

Turkish Breads 1 for $2 and 12 for $20

 Eid Cookie Cake 1 for $10

Don't forget to order our yummy treats in advance to be sure of getting them when you need them!

- Nur Kose

President

New Video: You Can Make a Difference, Too

Assalamualaikum!

We hope you're enjoying and taking advantage of these last ten nights of Ramadan.  Please watch our latest video and remember the orphans this Ramadan.

- -Nur Kose
President

NURture that Empathy!

The 99 Orphan team is extremely grateful to Sister Mariam and her friend for helping raise money for orphans.  All the way from the D.C. area, they were able to raise a few hundred dollars for our cause.  May Allah reward them for their efforts. 

This is what they have to say about our project:

NURture that Empath!

60 Orphans!  Impressive for sure!  How did this team get here?  I found myself asking this and recalled my memory of Nur (president of 99 Orphans) and her family.  

As the eldest of 5, Nur was likely forced into the role of being the leader and the go-to for support and guidance for her siblings.  I feel this helped her to develop into the kind of empathetic and motivated leader that inspires other youth to utilize their resources and abilities to better the lives of those less fortunate.  There is no doubt that Nur and her siblings were raised very well, but I fully believe that their work in this orphan sponsorship project has enriched their own lives greatly.

This is true for the entire team. 99 Orphans supports children who, on top of lacking basic necessities, no longer have parents to rely on or turn to. A large part of the team's success comes from the ability to encourage others to contribute their resources to the cause.  The young members raise funds to be able to provide food, clothing, and education to orphans around the world while enhancing their own lives when being able to understand the circumstances of those they strive to help.

This is NOT a one-and-done, check-that-off-your-list type of accomplishment, but a project that requires continuous effort.  Impressed by their work, I posted online in efforts to reach more potential contributors.  One of the the first to respond was a good friends of mine, Kainat, who immediately expressed her support and willingness to help. She is a great example of someone who has developed that empathy and demonstrated this by rallying her own friends to sponsor an orphan.  $600 helps one child for one year.  Despite working full time as a research scientist and caring for a relative going through chemotherapy, Kai still had the heart to realize the need for this project's success. I am inspired by her ability to raise enough to sponsor an orphan from within her own circle.  Others too can help by creating a fundraiser, sponsoring an orphan, or raising awareness online.  I am looking forward to hearing about Kai's experiences on an upcoming blog post!

Ramadan Mubarak!

- Mariam Mehter

Summer Camp Video

99 Orphan Team at Lancaster Iftar

Ramadan Mubarak from the 99 Orphan team!  We hope everyone is enjoying and benefiting from this blessed month. 

For our first iftar, we traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to attend a 99 Orphan crafts show held by the Lancaster 99 Orphan team.  We also gave a talk about our project and asked for donations.  Alhamdulillah, we were able to raise a few hundred dollars for orphans and are currently on our 55th orphan.

Here are some pictures from the Lancaster event.

Lancaster 99 Orphan Member Speaking

 The Lancaster community also very kindly gifted us with a delicious cookie cake!  Jazak Allahu Khairan, Lancaster community!

We devoured it.  It was simply amazing.  :)

The picture of the cookie cake probably wasn't the best picture to put considering that you are probably fasting right now. But as you yearn for food, remember the kids around the world who never get treats like this because they have no one to care for them. 
Please remember orphans this Ramadan, when every good deed is counted so many times more than in any other month.  Don't let orphans be without necessary provisions this Ramadan. 

- Nur Kose
President

Ramadan is Coming!

Ramadan is Coming!

Ramadan is starting this saturday, and we are all going to have a great month. In Ramadan we all get to spend time with our family and friends. Unfortunately there are orphans that have no family or friends to spend their Ramadan yet. We need to do our best to raise money to help out these orphans. In Ramadan we get more blessing and we need to be more generous. With your donations we will be able to help orphans across seas have a great Ramadan. Have a happy Ramadan!

Ice Cream Social Video

Ice cream Social

Summer is here and so is the heat. This is a season for ice cream. The 99 orphans group will be holding an ice cream social on Thursday, June 26, 2014. We will have a lot of delicious flavors as well as different toppings that would make it hard for you to choose from. Come and enjoy your favorite ice cream and help us raise money to support the orphans.

   -Hiba Chaudhry
 Secretary

Movie Night

We will be having a movie night on Wednesday, June 18 to raise money for orphans. The movie we will be watching is The Blind Side. This is an inspiring movie of an underprivileged highschooler who perseveres through a tough situation and becomes a successful football player. Admission will be $5 and pizza will also be sold. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to watch an amazing movie.

Bilal Ahmed
Treasurer

We Reached the 50-Orphan Mark!

Alhamdulillah, we have gotten halfway to our goal of sponsoring 99 orphans!  We have an exciting event coming up soon insha Allah - the first ice cream social of the year!  This ice cream social will be in a brand-new style with the coolest topping and most delicious sundaes.  Stay tuned to find out more about this event.

- Nur Kose
President

99 Orphan Members Hard at Work

The 99 Orphan team is working hard to raise money for orphans this year.  Check out some pictures of one of our meetings below:

The visual arts committee has been working hard on creating a comic book to sell for funds for orphans.  They carefully go through all the details of setting up the plot and characters and drawing cool images to go with the story.

The video committee members work hard to create our videos.  From writing the script to taping the films to editing the videos, they are involved in the process every step of the way.

The treasurer works hard to add up our funds and keep track of our progress.  He regularly gives the rest of the time reports about how we are progressing through the project and how much more we need to reach our goal.

The secretaries are hard at work and committed to making sure our team is organized.  From keeping track of the members' volunteer hours to making sure everyone does their job, they are important members of the team.

Please remember to donate to orphans this summer!
- Nur Kose
President

A Word from the Events Committee

Asalama alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,

We are proud to announce that we have currently raised more than $17,000 in funds for orphans, and we have completed about 33% of our goal to sponsor 99 orphans. With the help of donors like you, our Zakat Foundation picnic was a success. We hope to bring more events in the near future, such as a Family Movie Night and an Ice Cream Social. Jazakallah khair to all our supporters, for giving us the opportunity to make these orphans lives better.

Sincerely,
Aamir from the Events Committee

Importance of Being a Secretary

Assalamualaikum,

In the month of March the 99 Orphans team started another year of helping orphans all around the world.  With new recruits we were able to give everyone a job. President, Treasurer, Secretary, etc. My job was to be secretary for the upcoming year. This is an important job because I have to track everyone's volunteer hours, take notes during the meeting, send emails, and much more. The key to my success is a binder which holds a note/attendance sheet for every meeting we organize.

When I'm not at a meeting, Hiba another one of our members and my fellow secretary takes the attendance and notes for me. She also puts the hours into the computer where they are calculated. The job also consists of Nur, the President and I working together to come up with better solutions and activities for upcoming events. All of the members have a job or committee which they are a part of.  The members in this group are very committed and find it a joy to help the orphans.

Samiyah Ali Khan
Secretary

28 Orphans and Counting

Alhamdulillah, the 99 Orphan team has already raised enough money to sponsor 28 orphans.  Recently, we have been discussing our events and spent lot of planning time for the table we put up at the ZF picnic a few weeks ago.  Alhamdulillah, we were able to raise a few hundred dollars from generous donors who attended the picnic.  We also had samples of cupcakes available from Rania's Bakery which quickly finished within a fifteen minute period.  I have to admit, they were delicious. 

Some of the 99 Orphan members also had games for the younger kids, including super-duper three-legged races and general balloon playing.

Check out some of the pictures of the 99 Orphan team members at the picnic.

Preparing for 3-Legged race

Two 99 Orphan Members sitting at our table

Blowing up and tying balloons

We are also preparing our next exciting event, so stay tuned to find out what we have in store for you!  And please don't forget to help us sponsor our 29th orphan.

- Nur Kose
President

Why should you donate to 99 Orphans Team?

Assalamualikum,

The 99 Orphans team is a group of teenagers who are raising money to sponsor 99 orphans in one year.  When an orphan is sponsored, they get provided with food, shelter and education.  The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) became an orphan at the young age of 6 and he told us to have compassion and be charitable to orphans.

Abu Hurairah (RA) reports that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) stated, "Whoever caresses the head of an orphan (in affection), solely for the sake of Allah, a good deed will be written to his account for every hair over which he passed his hand, and whoever treated an orphan (boy or girl) with goodness and kindness, he and I will be close to each other in Heaven as these two fingers." The Prophet (SAW made a gesture with his fingers as explained above.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (PBUH) then help the 99 Orphans team.  To sponsor one orphan is $600.  Any amount of money is fine, however.  You are still helping an orphan get food, shelter, and education.  May Allah help the orphans.  Ameen.


http://farm1.staticflickr.com/120/287746463_b15648e505_o.jpg


Gratitude Committee
Hafsah Mansoori

Couples Night Out News Video

One event we recently had was the couples night out.  Watch this video to find out more about it:








-Furkan

Video Committee

From the Gratitude Committee

 From the Gratitude Committee

 This week I will be keeping track of all the hours and making volunteer charts for the members. I will bring them to the next meeting for an overall report. Also the gratitude committee will be sending out thank you letters next week inshallah.

 - Hiba
Secretary//Gratitude Committee

From the Visual Arts Committee

This week the visual arts committee has been working on a comic that we will be selling very soon. We have changed our plans from last week. Now we are doing a comic instead of a book. We are doing this because children will be able to understand and enjoy this comic more than a book. This will be a two part story so the one that will be published soon will be book one. There will be one that will be coming soon that will be book two inshallah.

-Aarib
Visual Arts Committee

How was the Picnic?

The picnic on Sunday, May 18 was a huge success. About 200 people showed up and everyone had a good time. The great food was complemented by the nice scenery of the Delaware River. People from out of state came to the picnic as well. The three-legged race and the balloon race were enjoyed by kids. Thank You to everyone who showed up and we hoped you had a great time!

Picnic Today!

Salam. Today, Sunday May 18, Zakat Foundation is holding a picnic at Fox Point State Park. The address is Hay Road, Wilmington, DE 19809. There will be fun activities for the kids such as a ballon race and a three legged race. The picnic will be from 2:00 until sunset. It will be fun for the whole family so remember to come today!

-Zaid Ahmed
Video Committee

Couple's Night Out...What was it Like?

Alhamdulillah, we were able to raise $300 from the Couple's Night Out on Saturday.  That's half an orphan, or enough money to support one of our orphans for half a year!

We had a huge turnout during the event.  Alhamdulillah, many parents entrusted us with their kids.  And the kids had a great time.  The 99 Orphan team members worked hard to make the event a success.  We spent many hours organizing and managing the program, the activities and games we would play, the set-up of the center, and more.  On Friday, we brought our toys, games, pillows, and mats and attempted to creatively set up the center to make it look inviting and fun.  The Toddler Center especially looked awesome and the orphan team members found it fun to play with the stuff even before the kids arrived the next day!  Below are some pictures of the set-up.  We are grateful to the members of the Rescue Rangers team who helped us out!

Setting up the dolls and stuffed animals

Before the event, the gratitude committee along with some members of the events committee worked on thank you goodie bags for the parents.  We put a few Hershey kisses in each bag which were intended for the parents (but many of them ended up with the kids in the end).  The goodie bags looked pretty, however, and that counted for something of course!

And now...entering the day of the event....

The dress-up area was one of the biggest hits.  The little girls and boys (and the big girls and boys!) enjoyed trying out different hats, fashionable glasses, pretty jackets, hair decorations, knight armor, and more.  Three of the little girls announced to me that they were dressed up as princesses and I got a very cute picture of them posed together:

Three Little Princesses

There was even a little dressing table and mirror for the kids to check out how their outfits looked.

Dress-Up!

The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse felt wall hanging was also a great hit.  The kids enjoyed putting up the characters, shapes, and numbers.  It was lots of fun.  One funny memory about this section is that when we were setting it up the day before the event, the 99 Orphan members were adjusting it according to their height (which was kind of high)!  The end result, however, seems to be just the right fit for the kids. :)

Of course, playing so hard made some of the kids tired.  We had a lovely little comfortable area for them to rest.  One of the girls who was in charge of the babies and toddlers saw that one of the little kids was falling asleep in his chair after eating.  She carried him to our little resting area where he enjoyed a little nap.  :) Below is one of the adorablest pictures of the event:

Little Ibrahim off to DreamLand...

In the other room dedicated for the older kids, there were more games and interactive activities.  The Lego area was definitely the biggest hit there and all the kids enjoyed taking turns making their own creations and trying out different combinations of Legos.  The younger kids had colorful blocks to play with in their room, but some of them preferred to join the "big kids" and use the legos.

The 99 Orphan member boys in charge of the different stations in the that room led a few fun games of Charades.

A Game of Charades

We had a storytime room, too, decorated with comfy pillows and beanbags with stories and arts and crafts.  Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of that.  If anyone has any, please share them with us!

Of course, everyone enjoyed the pizza, as well.  Different groups of kids were assigned different times to eat in the kitchen and all the kids enjoyed the pizza.
The babies and toddlerswere specially fed by our Baby Team.  :)

Speaking of our babies, it was great to have two babies under two years of age join us.  One initially refused to leave his mother's side and cried a bit in the beginning when he realized she intended to leave him with us.  But he soon became involved with the toys and had fun the whole time!  Our other baby wanted her mom a bit more throughout the evening, but the Baby Team members took turns distracting her, carrying her around, and attempting to get her to play with the wide array of toys.

Another method to keep a child engaged...the 99 Orphan team only uses this method in certain situations

One thing is for sure.  Your kids were in good hands!  We all hope the parents were able to enjoy themselves while we took care of their kids.  We are contemplating having another similar event in the future, insha Allah, but so far all the 99 orphan team members have unanimously voted against having one...so time will tell if we will have another one or not. :)

However, not only was the Couple's Night Out a great way to raise funds for orphans, but it also was an event that left lasting memories in our minds.  The slip of a little palm in your hand, the bright smile of a happy child, and the laughter of kids having fun are unforgettable experiences that make things like tears, whiny voices, and messes worth it. 

Please join us on our journey to help orphans.  If your child had a good time and/or you had a nice rest during the event, please consider donating to our orphans.

- Nur Kose
President

Preparing for Couple's Night Out

The 99 Orphans team members have been working really hard for the Couple's Night Out to be a success, insha Allah.  We will be having a wide age range of kids (from ages 0-10) so we're doing a lot of organizing and managing to make sure that all of the children are well taken care of and have a good time.  Through detailed schedules and supply lists, we are working to make the Couples Night Out an efficient and fun event for everyone involved.  Below is a sample schedule we have been working on for the event.  We are hoping to efficiently divide up the kids into different groups, which we need to do prior to the event which is why we need all the registration forms in as soon as possible.  

Time	Story/art	Legos	Puzzles	Cards	loom/games	Charades	Kitchen
5:30-5:55	F	D	A	B	C	E	G
5:55-6:20	G	E	C	D	B	A	F, H
6:20-6:45	A	B	D	E	F	G	C
6:45-7:10	F,G	H	B	C	E	D	A
7:10-7:35	E	A	F,G	H	D	C	B
7:35-8:00	C	D	H	A	F,G	B	E
8:00-8:25	B	C	E	G	A	F	D

Of course, this schedule does not include the babies and young toddlers who will be in a separate room with their own age-appropriate toys and activities.  

And, as always, throughout our planning, we must never forget that the purpose of this event is to help those who never have the care of their parents.  

Please support us in our efforts to help orphans around the world.  Who is willing to match the proceeds we receive from this event for orphans?

- Nur Kose

President