The following was included with the application.

Assalamu Alaikum! Throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have witnessed the profound impact of healthy diversity within the Muslim community and its positive contribution to broader society. Unfortunately, I’ve also observed the consequences when diversity is not embraced. I am thrilled to share that the Dawah committee at the Islamic Society of Greater Springfield, IL, has been actively promoting Islamic education, dawah training, leadership development, and program initiatives over the past few months.

We are fortunate to engage with an active interfaith community, receive regular requests for information about Islam, and collaborate with an eager Muslim community for program sharing. A summary of some ongoing dawah projects includes weekly open-to-the-public workshops, efforts to educate children and parents about Spanish in the context of Dawah, and the distribution of over 20 Qurans and 10 basics of Islam books in the last three months. Additionally, we’ve welcomed two individuals into the faith and have a dozen actively participating in the learning process about Islam through our committee.

With the funds we seek, we aim to acquire more Qurans, books, and educational materials for distribution and display in our dawah efforts. I also aspire to seek guidance from LADO on how to further engage the Latino Muslim and non-Muslim community, connect with the broader Muslim community in Springfield, and share the beautiful and inspiring message of Islam.

Sincerely, Amina Rahman