As-salaam alaikum (peace be upon you):
A week ago today, we held our MAPS Annual Celebration and Fundraiser. I want to sincerely thank all who joined us for that live virtual event, all who donated to support MAPS at that time, and all the staff and volunteers who made the program possible! During the event, I had the opportunity to share what we have been able to accomplish together as a community over the past 12 months in the midst of the pandemic and the road ahead for the next 12 months and beyond I was humbled by our collective work and it speaks to our resiliency rooted in our faith.
What is unique about MAPS is the depth and breadth of services we offer that span the spiritual, educational, cultural, social, and emotional aspects of our lives. We had the opportunity to hear from many of the program leads about the impact of their services and real stories from people whose lives we touched. You can listen to the full recording here of the program.
We also had special Ramadan greetings from Governor Jay Inslee (available here) and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (available here). Please thank both of these leaders for taking the time to share a Ramadan greeting with the MAPS and Muslim community by clicking here (to contact the Governor) and here (to email the Congresswoman). Each of these two actions will take just a moment of your time, but will mean a lot.
MAPS is YOUR community and YOUR mosque, and we really need your support. We have a Ramadan fundraising goal of $1.5 million, and we are about halfway there. Please help us meet our critical Ramadan goal, in order to sustain our work for the remainder of the year. We rely on your generosity to maintain our facility; provide religious, educational, and cultural services to people of all ages; serve those in need in the community at large, whether individuals, families or now even small businesses; and make positive change in society. If you haven’t yet made your tax-deductible contribution, sadaqa (charity), or zakat (alms) payments, please do so during this blessed month full of bounty and benefit, when good deeds are multiplied by at least 70 times! Donations to MAPS are zakat eligible and can be matched by companies like Microsoft who offer employee matching.
In the last week, we had to address a positive case of COVID by a MAPS employee. After a few days of moving to online services while we conducted a full evaluation of the situation and consulted with medical professionals and King County Public Health (KCPH), we are now back to normal operations with 5 daily in-person congregational prayers and Taraweeh prayers. We also received positive feedback on the ventilation assessment we performed, with KCPH confirming that the ventilation system at the MAPS facility is good. In addition, the COVID-affected employee is doing well, and all other employees tested negative for COVID. Alhamdulillah (all thanks and praise be to God)! The safety and well-being of the community are paramount for us and we will always prioritize those, and be transparent with you on how we are addressing such situations. If you haven’t yet had the in-person experience of Ramadan with us, please register using the SmartJamaat App and stop by!
Our work at MAPS would not be possible without the prayers, support, and financial contributions of our beneficent and kind community. We know you have many options and outlets for your generosity this Ramadan. But we hope you find value and benefit in what MAPS offers to you and the community at large, and make a donation today. Please keep us in your prayers as well. With much gratitude and good wishes.
Jazakum Allahu khayran (may you be rewarded),
Hyder Ali, President