Doing good has always been part of Plymouth’s Northwest Islamic Community Center’s (NWICC) mission. Their Community Care program provides financial assistance for those in need. The Green Team, a group which runs through Masjid Al-Kareem, NWICC’s mosque, helps keep the community environmentally friendly. With its history of positive action, the arrival of NWICC’s senior program in February of this year doesn’t come as a surprise.
Sarah Alam, NWICC board member and a volunteer with the senior program, explains that the group will work with Interfaith Outreach and other community partners.
While the program takes place at the center, Alam says that all faiths are welcome. Their partnering with Interfaith Outreach highlights this. Interfaith Outreach has no specific religious affiliation. They provide services such as “family support, food, housing … education and youth employment and transportation,” according to development manager Lani Willis. The partnership between NWICC and Interfaith Outreach is a natural one. Both groups strive to help as many people as they can, says Willis. What “began as a small food shelf in a church basement … years ago has since branched out to help other faith-related communities throughout the Twin Cities metro-area,” Willis says. Interfaith Outreach has become a mainstay of the Plymouth community, bringing people together to better the lives of those in need regardless of religious background.
Part of the mission of NWICC’s senior program is to make sure their seniors continue to be active participants in their community. Alam explains that the goal of the program is to “[get] people together and [do] various hands-on activities.”
The program offers seniors an opportunity to socialize and connect. Each month has a different theme such as arts and crafts, games and trips. “We plan on doing different activities depending on each participant's skill level,” Alam explains. Once the weather begins to warm up, Alam plans to organize a trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska.
At the program’s core is NWICC’S desire to be accessible. Alam wants to make sure that all seniors who want to participate are able to. This goes beyond the activities. Alam says, “We provide assistance and transportation.” Volunteers assist seniors who no longer drive, or who need help doing certain activities.
The program aims to include those who are often overlooked, says Alam. When seniors need help, sometimes their needs are not met by family members, Alam explains. She hopes that NWICC’s program will help to dissipate the stigma seniors at times encounter.
“Together with Interfaith Outreach and our other partners, we hope to help seniors continue to be active, valued members of the community,” says Alam.
Northwest Islamic Community Center & Masjid Al-Kareem
3300 Plymouth Blvd., Plymouth
612.756.9422
Facebook: @NorthwestIslamicCommunityCenter
