Zakat Foundation Center Updates and Current Events

Asalamualaikum, my name is Khizr Kazmi, and I am an often volunteer at the Zakat Foundation Center in North Carolina. Our center is open from 11 AM-1 PM every day of the week  We currently do many events for the youth, and more. We have tutoring on Mondays from 6:30-8 PM, all ages are welcome! On Wednesdays, we have a play session with toddlers. We have puzzles, tic tac toe, and many more games! On Thursdays, we will be having Women's Fitness classes in the morning, stay tuned to the blog for more information. On Sundays, we have Tae-Kwon-Do to teach kids self-defense, and following that, we have our weekly 99 Orphan Meeting. As you read, our center is very busy and we would love if you were a part of keeping it open or being a part of our team.

Thanks
-Khizr Kazmi 
ZF Volunteer
LEGEND

The Importance of Fasting During the month of Ramadan

As we are approaching Ramadan in a few weeks, I would like to talk about the importance of fasting. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is commonly practiced during the Holy month of Ramadan. Many people fast during Ramadan because it gives them an opportunity to cleanse their souls from impurities and sins they have committed in the past. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 183, the Quran states that "Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwaa." This means that fasting is beneficial, and you will be rewarded for fasting during Ramadan.

The New Community Center ( kids night )

the new zakat foundation community center looks great and ready for many fun events for us too plan for. Some of the activities have already started and seem to be very good. One weekly activity that i am part of is the kids night day every Wednesday we get the kids too play with puzzles and books. It is a very good time to get little kids together from the community.

EESA RASHID

An Orphan's Pain

An orphan is a child who suffers great loss and sorrow. Their world has come crashing down as their parents are ripped from them in a matter of seconds. They have no family, no love, no home. Every day is filled with pain and a sense of lacking; they feel this constant void in their chest, one that affection used to fill. Not only do they have to deal with emotional strife, hunger and thirst silently peel away their life, one minute at a time. Without care from an adult, these rundown kids can't sustain themselves. They have no money or sustenance, no hope or future, nothing to look for or forward to.

As we look at these kids and hear their stories, its hard to imagine we could ever help them overcome these towering odds. There is one simple thing any parent, teen, or child can do: donate. Every cent makes a change; donate a dollar, spread the word, and save a child.

Zakat Foundation Community Center

What is a community center? A community center is a place where people from a particular community can meet for social, educational, or recreational activities. Zakat Foundation has acquired a building Alhumdulilah where members of the group can meet up, plan events, and even hold events. The community center is very significant because it gives us a chance to have an area devoted to the cause. This is also a safe and controlled environment for kids, teens, and even adults to hold gatherings. The possibilities are endless. We can have movie nights, gaming tournaments, tutoring, story time, and much more. I hope this center brings many more members, opportunity, and fun. We hope to see you there!

Ramadan & Updates

Salam!

Ramadan is less than 3 weeks away, 18 days to be exact. It is at this time where we should prepare ourselves for this blessed month. Usually Ramadan passes pretty quickly and its over before we know it. We should take advantage of all the blessings and rewards that are open to us during these 30 days. I learned something very interesting in a halaqa recently that I thought was worth sharing. Allah gives us three opportunities in this month to erase ALL of our previous sins. The first one is to fast the entire month with pure intentions. We shouldn't be fasting just because all our friends are or because your parents are telling you too. You should fast purely for the sake of pleasing Allah. The second is standing in prayer during the nights of Ramadan, also known as Taraweeh. The last one is to catch the night of Laylatul Qadr in a state of worship and prayer. I believe every single Muslim, either young or old, has the ability to complete at least one of the following deeds, it only will only take a little effort. 

As a member of the 99 orphan team, I am super excited to continue planning and taking part in events that will lead to raising more money for our orphans. We have already raised enough money for 45 orphans and we are close in finishing our 46th. We are extremely close to being halfway with our goal. Inshallah this Ramadan we will raise much more money for our goal of sponsoring 99 orphans this year. Thanks so much to all of those who donated! Hopefully our group and what we do is an inspiration to everyone to do something big or small to give back to your community. Even a small donation of a dollar is immensely appreciated.

As you might already know, Zakat Foundation has officially opened a community center in NC!! If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. Today's actually exactly one month from when we first opened it. Fatima and I are going to be teaching our 3rd weekly self defense class tomorrow at the center. There are also math tutoring, business sessions and many more helpful and fun activities at the center. Keep your eyes out the next few months for many more fun activities. 

These are some things that are coming up in the following weeks:

• May 17, 2017:  Ramadan Food Package Fundraiser Iftar at Tandoor Restaurant.  Buy your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zakat-foundation-of-america-ramadan-food-package-fundraiser-tickets-45194111805 or come to the Center to pick up your ticket.  Fun Ramadan craft activities will take place 7-8pm.  

• Monthly Friday Ramadan halaqas & potlucks.  Email nayma@zakat.org to sign up.

• Art Classes in Ramadan.  Stay tuned for more details. 

• 99 Orphan Meeting this Sunday April 29 6:30-8:00pm
• Weekly Slime Sessions. More details will be shared soon

Thank You and Early Ramadan Mubarak!

- Huda

Orphan Awareness

           Although it may seem astonishing, the number of people who aren't aware about the orphans in their community is quite substantial. You're probably wondering if you're included in this large group of people, and you won't be by the time you finish reading this. Let's start off with the number of orphans in our state. How many kids do you think live in North Carolina that are waiting for foster care? 500? 800? 1,000? It's quite the grand total of around 11,000 children. And that's just in one state alone! How about in the whole United States? There are around 107,900 children in the U.S. in need of foster care. If you think that's a lot, there are about 153 million orphans worldwide. That's a big number, isn't it?
           After reading this, you're probably doing one, or both, of these two things: wondering how you can help the orphans in your community, or thinking of a way to make the world a better place for orphans. You can help your community by being a part of 99 orphans, a group dedicated to helping the lives of 99 orphans around the world every year. Whether it's by supporting us or being a member of our team, everything counts! Even sharing this post with others is an act of support for both our team and orphans. So what are you waiting for? Spread the word today!

~Afzaa Rahman, 99 Orphans member

The Power of a Impact

 When donations are given it comes with a message of "I hope this will help them" or "What the Zakat Foundation is doing is a remarkable job!!" No matter what the size of donation is, your generosity is opened to many people and helping Zakat Foundation further its delegation of caring for the impotent orphans. When it comes to the community who stands behind Zakat Foundation works together through a donation and helping the orphans- the impact is too large because we are thoroughly bringing and working a difference.

Movies at the ZF Center

Assalamu Alaikum,

The Zakat Foundation Center was created to help bring the community together through engaging and entertaining events.  Recently we have had many events come about at the new center ranging from Tutoring to Youth activities and even Business classes which the youth and adults of the community have become a part of.  Furkan and I decided to add another fun event to the list and created a Movie Night at the ZF Center on the last Saturday of every month.  Everyone needs a breather at least once a month and what better way to take some time off then to come together at the new center and watch a movie with your friends for ONLY 1 DOLLAR.  This Saturday, April 28th, we will be watching Jumanji and snacks will also be provided. If you're between the ages of 11-18 and want to watch a movie with us this Saturday night, please sign up at https://goo.gl/forms/IwE2zap2KFNZYDVt1.

We hope to see all of you there!

Zain

    Making The World A Better Place

                       By: Haleema Sadiya

This is what we do at the 99 orphans team. We make the world 

a better place especially for those in need. We cook meals, we have 

fundraisers, we tutor. We go out of our way everyday to think and 

care for those in need, those who are less fortunate than us, those

 who look up to us and smile and think  “Ah another person who came

 to support our cause”. Some people think that when we help people we

 think this: “Ah now since I’m here I’ll get volunteer hours which will look

 good on my college application. After all that's the only reason why I’m

 here”. But that's not what we actually think. We think that from the moment

 we walk out of the door with the noble cause in our mind, determination in

 our hearts and willing to go the extra miles to help humans in need, the 

world will be a better place than when we walked in. This is what we do 

at the 99 Orphans team, and we hope you will too.

We can make a difference

   
     
       Family is a gift from God. Imagine your family was taken away from you. That is how orphans feel. If you were to lose your family it would make a big impact on your life, a person of any age would feel this way. Though we can't bring their family back, we can donate to make their lives a little more bearable. Help us, help the orphans!    

Respect to Everyone

AssalamuAlaikum. My name is Towfiq Aziz. In our 99 Orphan Team, one of our themes is to give respect and dignity to others. Something most of us know is to respect our elders. But unfortunately today a lot of people don't respect their kids. Kids should get respect as well and so should parents. Not just the parents, but all elders, and everybody who lives. It is our 30 Human Rights.Everyone knows we as kids learn more from our elders by what they do, rather what they say.  Everybody has their struggles. So my humble request to everyone, please show respect and treat everyone with dignity. AssalamuAlaikum.

Award Ceremony

Assalamu'alaikum.

The Award Ceremony commemorating outstanding volunteers was very
motivating, with many 99 Orphans volunteers sharing stories and ayahs/surahs
from the Quran, and special guests like a Cary Council member and a
representative from Governor Roy Cooper’s administration speaking.
The speeches were all very inspiring to me. The most stirring one I heard
was Cary Council member Ken George’s speech about volunteerism, and
his time living in the Dominican Republic to help people there. I was also
inspired by all the dedicated volunteers who received the Presidential Award
to volunteer more often and become more passionate about helping people
in need. The amount of time and effort they put into helping others to earn
that was amazing. Great job to every single member of the 99 Orphans team.
Even a tiny contribution makes a lot of difference to the orphans around the
world. Keep up the awesome work!

You don't have to be an adult to help

Assalamualaikum!

My name is Asiya Ahmed and as a member of the 99 orphans team, I love helping out, whether it's a minor role or a major role. I can do so many things to help an orphan, even if I'm only 10 years old. Remember, you don't need to be married with children to donate. You probably have loose change on you - and even if you don't, you can ask your parents if you can borrow money.
But every penny counts. When you have a $10 bill and you use it to buy something that's $4.99, you're going to get change back. If you don't know what to do with it, donate to the orphans! If you keep doing this you'll have 100 pennies - or a dollar - enough money to buy cheap socks at a store. See, even your smallest acts can help an orphan through this chilly season.
So whether you're an adult, a teenager, or a kid, you can make a young child who is suffering feel a little happier. All you need is encouragement and a couple of pennies.

Asiya

The Spring Fest

The Spring fest was the funnest event so in the year of 2018. We had things like food, drinks, and many activities for us children. We had things like playing on the Xbox, making cool toys called squishes, and decorating cupcakes. The food was great too! There were things like noodles, chicken tenders and some great homemade smoothies! And Lastly we help the orphans by using 1 dollar tickets to use the stations or buy the delectable food. All of the proceeds would go towards helping the orphans that we are trying to sponsor. The Prophet(PBUH)said "The best house among the Muslims is a house in which there is an orphan who is treated well. And the worst house among the Muslims is a house in which there is an orphan who is treated badly."