A few families from our community were going to perform Umrah in November and December. How to perform Umrah Seminar took place on November 3rd, 2019 in the banquet hall. This seminar gave an understanding of this important journey and therefore helped families to be better prepared. Equally it was a refresher course for brothers and sisters who have performed Umrah before. As far as our masjid's annual Umrah trip, Imam Azfar will have a separate Umrah seminar in March for that purpose.

On Nov 2, Girl Scout Troop 40977 from Buffalo Grove visited IFN to learn about Islam and tour the masjid. Alhamdulillah, they enjoyed the visit (and lots of cookies!) and had many interesting questions regarding the Arabic language, the musallah, wudu and dating.

On Nov 7, IFN Outreach visited Antioch High School for their Religious Forum. This is an interfaith forum where all the Freshmen have a chance to meet with representatives from different religious organizations to learn about basic tenets and ask questions. This forum is modeled after Lakes Community High School's annual forum in Lake Villa, which has been a huge success for the past few years. This forum focused on the monotheistic religions so the 360+ students met with representatives from Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith groups.

On Nov 22, about 100 seniors from Carmel High School visited IFN for their annual World Religions field trip. IFN has been a regular stop on these field trips for the past few years. The students learned about the basics of Islam while enjoying some donuts, asked questions and toured the musallah.

IFN has collaborated with USAgain, a textile recycling company that collects clothing and shoes; diverting them from landfills; protecting the environment; and helping our community to Go Green! We have installed a Bin in the IFN parking lot to drop your surplus clothing & shoes.

What Goes in the Bin are as follows:

Men, women & kid’s: Footwear, All Clothing Items, Accessories: Gloves, Hats, Belts, Bags, Purses etc. Household Linens: Sheets, Blankets, Drapes, Towel etc.

What is Not Allowed : A Big NO : Toys, Books, Appliances, Furniture, Plastic and Glass

Every time the bin is full, USAgain plants 1 tree. Over 1 Million trees planted since 2013.

Please Note the following:

1) Drop off your items during a non-busy day-time at the masjid to avoid traffic congestion.

2) The Bin will be serviced weekly to prevent overflow therefore Do NOT leave any items outside the bin.

3) This is not a clothing drive, the items do not necessarily go to Islamic Organisations or Muslim Countries.

4)The Items are sorted in a distribution centers and are given to the needy. Here is the link to their website : usagain.com

Below is a recap of the BOT activities for the third quarter for the year 2019, which ended September 30. The documents have been uploaded on website at the following address:

https://ifnonline.com/meeting-minutes

Health Committee Monthly Report for Board of Trustees

November 14, 2019

The IFN Health Clinic

New Volunteers are being trained in AED/CPR First Aid.

The clinic is reorganizing and making important decisions about the Electronic Medical Record and the Grant Deliverable capabilities among other processes.

We need a Clinic Board now for shared Decision Making.

We need access to legal counseling as we move forward.

We need to meet with the Treasurer for the grant funding process.

The Community Health Assessment

Has been completed and was presented at the Health Ministries Association Conference in Erlanger, KY as planned.

Findings Dissemination begins in January.

New Professional Health Committee will resume in January for Action plans.

Findings and plans will be presented to the BOT and the Strategic Planning committee Leads privately first for collaborative processes.

Then presented to the IFN community with Action Plans and feedback.

The GRIT Group Support Group of FAC

As we complete our 4th month, a Process Survey is being sent out to the community in the form of a SurveyMonkey for community feedback. This is the usual evaluation timetable.

South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Initiative (SAHELI), Northwestern University study

Fatimah Saifi and Zohrab Mirza from Northwestern University attended Juma on Oct 25th and began recruiting IFN members for participation in this important project for South Asians. South Asians are at an especially high risk for Cardiovascular disease. They did recruit 6 IFN members for participation.

SAHELI also presented at the Thursday morning women’s Haliqa on Nov 7th and recruited 5 more participants.

I am reserving a Sunday in December for SAHELI to present to the IFN Community with a BP screening to raise awareness, and continue to recruit.

If enough IFN members are recruited, SAHELI can hold the sessions at IFN which would be more convenient for participants.

AED/CPR Classes:

Teachers and IFN Health Clinic Volunteers are now being trained in CPR/AID and First Aid.

Another class will open in December InshAllah. Space is an issue. We are currently holding classes at Wardh Arif’s home.

3 rescue blankets have been purchased for victims of shock as well as for screening a female victim’s modesty in the event of an emergency at IFN.

Plan to meet with Facilities person to plan how to keep them with the AED Unit ie shelf or blanket rack.

Nancy Romanchek, BSN, RN, CHPN

IFN Health Committee Chair

The IFN Election Committee received a total of 7 valid nominations for the Executive Committee this year. This year’s election process was to fill five positions on the Executive committee. The EC Q/A session was scheduled on November 24th at 10am in the IFN Banquet Hall.

On Sunday December 8th, 2019 IFN hosted a Town hall meeting to our community to present the latest detailed Finance Report. The Finance Report Town hall meeting started at 11:00 AM and was as follows:

• 2019 Finance Update - Br. Sabah Khan
• Endowment Fund Update - Br. Abdullah Bushnaq

Elections were held on Sunday Dec 8th, 2019. Thank you to all those that participated.

We also want to thank our community for their participation in the recent elections. This is a great sign of conscientiousness and responsibility regarding our IFN community. It is only with full participation and representation that our Community continues to grow and flourish.

May Allah (SWT) bless our masjid, keep our community united, and give the new Board and EC the ability to serve the community to the best of their abilities. Allahumma Ameen.

Elected BOT Members:

Dr.Saquib Ahmed, Br.Irshad Khan, Dr.Farzan Mahmood, Br.Naveed Ismail and Sr. Ambareen Sheriff.

Elected EC Members:

Br.Jaseem Anwer, Br. Waseem Khan, Br.Aamir Ahmed, Br.AbdulHai Khaleel and Sr. Mona Ahmad.

A big shout out to the Election Committee Br.Abdullah Qadri, Br.Mustafa and Sr. Shamim Choudhury for conducting a fair and smooth election.

On December 15th, Ifn Muhsen hosted a caregiver support group facilitated by Sr. Kareema Abdallah, Social Worker. This Support group was ONLY for caregivers and family members of individuals with #SpecialNeeds#Support #Community. A successful turnout MashaAllah !

On Sunday Dec 15th the High School Volunteers and Scribes were joined by IFN president Jaseem Anwer and IFN Health Clinic Medical Director Dr. Kagzi for the second annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. The young women were treated to a catered lunch and flowers in appreciation for their commitment to the Mission of the IFN Health Clinic, which is to “improve access to quality healthcare for low-income individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.”

The IFN Health Clinic shares the Vision of all of the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (IAFCC) which is “To work toward a culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare environment that provides free or affordable high quality health services that promote the elimination of health disparities among uninsured and underinsured populations.”

Along with this vision, the IAFCC also plays an important role in preparing the next generation of healthcare practitioners. To this end, all IFN Health Clinic volunteers are requested to become certified in AHA AED/CPR and First Aid training. Over the next few months, the new volunteers will become adept at registering patients in the Electronic Medical Record(EMR), obtaining patient consents and taking vital signs with electronic devices. They will also practice checking blood glucose levels with a glucometer by finger stick, and will learn more about patient confidentiality & ethics, and practice good infection control measures on an ongoing basis.

No additional High School Volunteers are being accepted into the program at this time. In the coming years, Volunteers will only be onboarded during the summer months with the expectation of being clinic ready by the start of the school year calendar.

We would like to say Thank you! Again to these committed volunteers.

Without their dedication, the clinic would not be possible:

Clinic Manager: Dr. Mubashira Aziz

Chief Scribe: Aasimah Tanveer

2019-2020 High School Volunteers:

Mariam Ahmed

Alina Hussain

Zaina Hussain

Nishath Hussaini

Maryah Karim

Mahin Khan

2019-2020 Scribes:

Sarwat Ahmad

Zoya Hasan

Sameeha Iqbal

Ruquia

Namra Shafi

To help people come to the masjid for the Fajr prayer, we started a new initiative.

Check out the video and the attached flyer.

Young Muslims is an organization that addresses the important roles that Muslim youth should play in North America. Their are different programs for all age groups. YM addresses real-life problems and gives the support that is needed to live their lives as dedicated Muslim youth. Young Muslims not only bring the youth closer to Allah SWT but also creates a sense of brotherhood in their lives.

Many youth from IFN YM attended the ICNA Chicago Annual Banquet on December 7th, 2019 which was held at Shalimar banquets. The topic was Revival: Building a community and the speakers were Imam Yusuf Rios and Shaykh Tariq Musleh

Contact Br. Azmat Mohammed

azmat.mohammed@gmail.com or (312)404-7003

There is still space for members of IFN to join the IFN Official News WhatsApp Group 2. This WhatsApp group is an additional mode of communication to quickly update the members, and will strictly contain IFN Programs, Events and Activities. You can also email your phone number to sadiathiryayi@gmail.com to be added to the group.

Please click on the link from your phones to join the group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HcHkRxNYN2lCOn9RBtadjW

Thank you to all the EC members Br. Jaseem Anwer, Br. Rafiq Rakhangi, Br. Masood Ali Khan, Br. Sabah Khan and Br.Yousuf Mohammed for running the masjid operations smoothly for the year 2018 and 2019 and for their tireless efforts and dedication.

All of the services that the EC has accomplished is one of the toughest volunteer roles of all, and all of you have performed with dedication and tenacity. Thank you all for your dedication and the great job you have accomplished in your term as Executive Committee.

When:01/12/2020

Where: IFN Basement Banquet Hall

Time: Noon to 1 PM