Feel Good Friday - The Muslim Women's Organization

Inspired by the fact that it’s both Women’s History Month and Ramadan, we’re highlighting The Muslim Women’s Organization, a very aptly named organization that works with Muslim women.

 

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the mission of The Muslim Women’s Organization (The MWO) is “ to empower communities by harnessing the leadership of Muslim Women and ensuring that they have the resources they need to affect change in their areas of passion.”

The programs that The MWO runs are dynamic and change to meet both the needs of the community and the interests of the volunteers. Currently there are 19 programs focused on four areas:  Aid, Awareness Building, Leadership Training, and Sisterhood.

Examples of Aid programs include food donation to families with children in Title 1 schools and financial assistance such as schools supplies or gift cards to purchase clothing. Awareness Building programs educate women on issues such as mental and physical health, domestic violence and voting rights. 

Programs in the Leadership Training area include financial and business training for women as well as a program directed at boys and girls from 7th to 12th grade. Called Leaders In Training, it help develop leadership skills for the young people through opportunities to engage in community service initiatives.

Sisterhood can be found in the Cafe MWO programs which offer women a chance to connect, get to know each other and discuss current events in the world, society, community, and their own lives.

You can visit the website to read details about the programs, access a list of resources across central Florida or to get connected to spiritual support or financial aid. In the last year, The MWO volunteers have donated over 4,200 hours to various programs as well as distributed more than $65,000 in aid.

If you’d like to help The Muslim Women’s Organization expand opportunities for women’s leadership in their communities, personal lives, and professional spheres, there are many ways to get involved.

People in the Orlando area can view this calendar and join an upcoming event. All of us can make a donation and help amplify the work of The MWO on social media. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram @themwo and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - Hope for the Warriors

Tomorrow is Veterans Day in the United States and today is a great time to learn about an organization that serves veterans, Hope for the Warriors.

Hope for the Warriors was founded by military families in 2006. Headquartered in Virginia, they are a national organization that “provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources.”

 

The team at Hope for the Warriors believes that “those touched by military service can succeed at home by restoring their sense of self, family, and hope.” Their holistic approach to well-being focuses on six domains: financial wellness, life roles, physical wellness, emotional wellness, social support, and community connection. Programs are available for service members, veterans, caregivers, and family members from all branches of the military, across all 50 states. 

Examples of financial wellness and life role programs include short term financial assistance, educational scholarships, job assistance and a driver rehabilitation program. Physical and emotional wellness programs include mental health services, a virtual course to learn resiliency and coping skills and endurance events for athletes. The final group of programming targets social support and community connection. There is a peer support network to mentor veterans and a grant program to fulfill the wishes of severely injured service members and families of the fallen.

In 2019, the most recent data available on the website, Hope for the Warriors served 4,756 clients, and brought their scholarship total to over $400,000 and their Warrior’s Wish grant total to over $1 million.

If you or someone you know can benefit by getting connected to any of these services, apply at this link. If you’d like to support Hope for the Warriors there are many ways to do so. Check this calendar for upcoming events in your area, volunteer your time, donate your money and amplify their work on social media. Follow Hope for the Warriors on their Facebook page and on Instagram @hope4warriors.

 

Feel Good Friday - Comedy Gives Back

Happy April Fool’s Day! A day of pranks and (hopefully) laughter, and a perfect Feel Good Friday to talk about comedians and the people looking out for them. 

Comedy Gives Back is the safety net for the comedy community. It was founded by industry veterans in April 2020, to help comedians who found themselves out of work and struggling at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

 

As they explain on their website: “Being alone onstage is part of the job of the stand-up comedian. Feeling alone offstage is unacceptable. Comedy Gives Back was created so that comedians have resources to turn to when times get tough.”

 

The first major event produced by Comedy Gives Back was Laugh Aid, a virtual event that involved 90 comedians streaming 8 hours of live content. Comedy fans tuned in, donated and helped Comedy Gives Back raise $400,000 which was distributed to over 700 grantees.

 

In addition to the financial relief grants, Comedy Gives Back helps comedians access mental health and substance abuse resources. There is also a Facebook group for comedians to connect and support each other. 

 

If you’ve appreciated comedians who brought laughter into your world over the last two years, let them know it by making a donation and spreading the word on social media. Like the Comedy Gives Back Facebook pageand follow them on Twitter @ComedyGivesBack and Instagram @ComedyGivesBack.