As-salaamu Alaikum,
With greatest pleasure and by the grace of Allah (swt) we have restarted a monthly newsletter. The goal of this is to share as many community-related activities in a particular month. We ask you to forgive our shortcomings and oversights as we endeavor in these efforts.
Non-Profit Security Grant Program: This program, also referred to as NSGP-2023, is a US Homeland Security sponsored grants program under the auspicious of FEMA and administered by Missouri Dept. of Public Safety (MO DPS). Briefly, it is a federal program that offers Places of Worship grants to reinforce premises security. We had applied for grant in March, 2023 and have found out recently that we are one of the candidates for the award. The total award approved is $150,000 for erecting perimeter fence, main entry gate, exterior doors, and lighting.
AZC has formed a team that had met on 10/7 to determine how to proceed. Members include Ali Raza, Abu Ali, Murtaza Khani, Majid Jaberi, Safar Zinati, Mahmoud Reza, and Jameel Agha. We are working on selecting contractors who qualify under the FEMA guidelines to quote for the above listed items. After gathering the information, these will be sent to MO DPS for approval before it is approved by FEMA. More details in the future newsletters regarding the selection of contractors, scope of the project, start and finish dates, etc.
Sunday School: Alhumdulillah, the Sunday School has resumed and classes are currently being conducted online only. This will be eventually transitioned to in-person activities for the benefit of our children/youth. Please contact Br. Kamran Ali and Sister Nadia Qalbani for additional details regarding the curriculum, hours of classes, fees, etc.
Board of Trustee Meeting: Due to Muharram and Safar related activities in the past 2 plus months, there were no board meetings. We will have our first meeting on the 29th. The minutes of the meeting will be posted on our website under archives. We encourage all members to access the minutes and provide feedback, and critiques, if any.
Annual General Body Meeting: As has been done for the last 10+ years and by the requirements of the AZC Constitution, we are supposed to have one general body meeting where the community is asked to participate and offer suggestions for improvements as well as what you have in your mind to make AZC even more vibrant. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday 2nd December at the center. We will also have the annual election of board members. If you are willing to serve and contest for a position of trustee, please fill out the required form. More on this in a few days via email and placement on our website.
Next Monthly Newsletter: The November Newsletter will come out by the end of the month.