The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) has been awarded this year to five Islamic Relief USA volunteers. This prestigious award is decided based on age and the amount of hours the individual has volunteered throughout the course of one year. These volunteers have worked tirelessly in IR USA’s head office and on many of the organization’s campaigns while studying, engaging in other activities, and even working full- time.
The five who received this award are:
The five who received this award are:
• Afroza Chowdhury, Public Affairs, receiving the gold award for 262 hours of service
• Muneeza Tahir, Communications, receiving the silver award for 478.2 hours of service
• Khadijah Abdullah, Community Development, receiving the silver award for 176 hours of service
• Ibrahima Dioubata , Office Support, receiving the bronze award for 185.82 hours of service
• Tracey D. Abdul-Wahhab , Office Support & Evening of Inspiration Artist Care Chair, receiving the bronze award for 159.45 hours of service
Nazia Hossain, National Volunteer Coordinator, manages IR USA’s core base of 3,000 volunteers, the largest Muslim volunteer network in the country. “Many of our volunteers help remotely through Facebook, online social media, text messages, Twitter, and assist with making donor phone calls,” Hossain said. “But many also volunteer on a regular basis at the office and help organize fundraising events. Their work is crucial to our success in helping others.”
Hossain said that if IR USA’s volunteers didn’t volunteer for one day, that “the domestic programs, community fund development, and orphans department would probably come to a standstill, and we would have significantly less departmental support.”
IR USA’s office headquarters in Virginia logged a record-breaking 935.6 volunteer hours in 2009. Many of IR USA’s employees volunteered for the organization before becoming salaried employee, including CEO Abed Ayoub, who volunteered for IR USA for 15 years.
Hossain said she was immensely proud of the volunteers who received the award as well as the countless others who have dedicated their time to help IR USA’s relief and development efforts in the U.S. (with its Day of Dignity campaign) and around the world (in Haiti, Pakistan, Mali, Palestine, and other locations).
For more information, visit Islamic Relief USA’s website. Learn how to volunteer here. Also, please click here to donate to IR USA and help the organization in its relief efforts and charity work.
