Assalamu-alaikum,
The ISGL Youth & Big Sister/Little Sister Camp Tecumseh 2011 program would not have been possible if not for the Mercy and help of Allah, azza wa jal, first and foremost and the generous support of many people. In this brief blog post, we would like to take a moment to thank all of the individuals who helped make this camp possible:
The Families
We are so grateful to the parents who entrusted their children into our care for this two-day camp. Several of the youth had never been to a Muslim camp before Camp Tecumseh. In shaa Allah the experience and beneficial lessons gained by the youth at this camp will provide lasting memories for the future.
Counselors
This camp would not have been possible if not for the selfless devotion and time commitment made by the following counselors:
- Adil Ghafoor (Brothers)
- Samir Khadra (Brothers)
- Sarah Ahmed (Sisters)
- Reem Malek (Sisters)
- Silai Mirzoy (Sisters)
- Wajma Mirzoy (Sisters)
- Meganh Nguyen (Sisters)
- Paige Ingram (Sisters)
These brothers and sisters spent the past 4 months carefully planning every detail of this camp to ensure all participants had an enriching experience. From locating a site for and reserving the camp, running to the stores to purchase items, designing our official t-shirt, finalizing a speaker for the workshops, preparing the information packets, printing documents, locating drivers to transport youth to the camp, conducting multiple fundraisers, setting up the cabins and activities at the camp, and much much more, our counselors completed many tasks in a short period of time. Our counselors had to play many roles during the camp including: organizers, doctors, mentors, disciplinarians, teachers, psychologists, and friend.
In addition to this, the brothers would like to thank Sheheryar Ahsan for his wonderful work serving as a photographer for the camp. Many of the pictures you see on this blog from Camp Tecumseh came from the lens of his camera. May Allah, azza wa jal, reward Sheheryar for his support and hard work. Ameen.
May Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, reward all of you for your hard work and grant you the best of success in this life and in the Hereafter! Ameen.
Parent Representatives
For the first-ever youth Summer camp, we were very fortunate to have two parents assist and support the counselors at the camp. Our two counselors for this camp were
- Dr. Mohammad Farooq
- Sr. Mia Sankari
Whether it was driving the youth to the camp, comforting a child who was home sick, helping the counselors carefully monitor the youth, or covering for one of the counselors (who may have needed a mini-break) our parent representatives played a valuable supporting role at Camp Tecumseh. We truly hope the parents enjoyed and benefited from the camp as much as the counselors and youth did.
Drivers
We would not have been able to transport all of the youth to Camp Tecumseh had it not been for the generous support of the following families and counselors who volunteered to drive the youth up to Brookston, IN:
- Br.Belkacem Bouftas
- Dr. Mohammad and Dr. Mussarat Farooq
- Br. Hakim & Dr. Wasima Hassan
- Br. Samir Khadra
- Sr. Meganh Nguyen
- Dr. Abdel Kader and Sr. Mia Sankari
Camp Tecumseh Staff
Our first camp was a truly wonderful experience in large part due to the support provided by the Camp Tecumseh staff. They ensured our youth followed all safety regulations when it came to each fun activity we conducted. In addition to this, they helped transport the youth and adults via bus to Trader Jim’s Storm Shelter during the severe storms on Saturday evening. Furthermore, the staff was kind enough to make sure to respect our values and dietary restrictions as Muslims and provide halal alternatives. To Dave, Joshua, and the rest of the staff at Camp Tecumseh, THANK YOU!
Youth Campers
Obviously there can’t be a camp without the youth. Though the youth did frazzle the counselors at times, there were waaaaaaaaayyyyy more positive memories than negative experiences from the camp. The youth were very patient when the severe storms passed through the camp and dealt with being stuck in Trader Jim’s for 4 hours. We truly hope the youth campers had an amazing experience overall and learned valuable lessons and tools which they can now implement into their daily schedules.
Sr. Tahera Ahmad
Sr. Tahera had a long journey from Chicago to Brookston in part due to the severe storms. She battled through sickness and rain to still educate the youth on how to maintain a balanced lifestyle between our deen and dunya activities. In addition to this, the youth really were engaged by and greatly appreciated the workshop on gender relations in Islam. May Allah, azza wa jal, reward Sr. Tahera for her tireless efforts to benefit the Muslim community. Ameen.
Sr. Samina Mohammad
Sr. Samina conducted a training program to educate the counselors on how to make this camp an amazing experience for the participants. She drew from her own personal experience organizing multiple camps for the Muslim youth in Southern California to help the organizers of the Summer camp create a safe, halal learning environment for our youth. By going over the information packet, providing valuable advice, going over potential situations which could have arisen at the camp, and answering questions she helped ensure the counselors were adequately prepared to lead all camp activities. May Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, reward Sr. Samina for her efforts. Ameen.
ISGL Executive Committee (EC) Board
A special thanks must be made to the brothers on the previous and current EC Board who provided verbal and financial support to ensure Camp Tecumseh would have the opportunity to succeed. The brothers on the EC Board were kind enough to allow us to advertise for the camp in the jumm’ah announcements and youth bulletin boards. They allowed the organizers to conduct lunch sales to raise funds for the camp and helped the youth leaders find additional avenues of funding for the camp. Jazakum Allahu Khairan!
Our Community Sponsors
There were many members of our community who stepped up to sponsor and support this camp financially. Regardless if funds were needed to sponsor a child to attend the camp or supplies were needed to make the camp successful, community members were willing to help. There are so many individuals we would like to thank for their contributions. The least we can say is Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your generous support! May Allah, azza wa jal, accept this generous act from you and grant yourself and your families the best of success in this life and in the Hereafter. Ameen.