annualreport2018 | GCLEA

Annual Report 2018

With your support, GCLEA has been serving the Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia region since 2010.

Through an array of educational programs, worship services, and social outreach initiatives, we have been helping people of all ages and ethnicities connect to their faith and community in a meaningful way.

By supporting the GCLEA mission, you positively impact the lives of people around you.

Check out how you have helped over the past year below.

(Please note that the names and pics of the stories below have been changed to protect identity.)

Your contributions help young sisters like Zahrah reclaim their faith.

Zahrah comes from a traditional family. Growing up as part of a religious minority, she has struggled over the with faith and pop culture. In high school, she was overwhelmed by peer pressure to date and party with her fellow classmates. She was embarrassed to pray and would never consider wearing hijab in public.

With nothing to do one weekend, on a whim, she accepted an invitation to attend GCLEA's youth group for girls. She was surprisingly shocked to find girls her age struggling with the same issues she was. With a youth leader, they talked about a range of issues from drugs to prom.

After several months of attending the youth group, Zahrah reclaimed her faith. She made a commitment to hijab and mosque life. Now she spends her spare time helping other young girls navigate the challenging road to faith in our current context

By giving today, you ensure a friendly and familiar environment where Zahrah and others like her can find the confidence they need to live a faithful and fun life.

Your support gives people like Ahmed the opportunity to transform their lives.

Ahmed is a young professional. He is a proud 1st generation American who has done well for himself. His parents did all they could to provide him with a great college education that would afford him the opportunities they did not.

His faith was not where he wanted it to be and often his main focus was school and career.

Ahmed was inspired after listening to a very powerful and uplifting Eid sermon. Since then, he has not missed a single prayer.

By contributing today, you guarantee that Ahmed and many others like him have access to the positive messaging they need to encourage them to live the life of faith they so desperately need.

Your contributions support building a positive image for Islam and the Muslims with local leaders.

Pastor Jones is a Christian chaplain at the local university influencing thousands of students. He believed Islām was spread by the sword through forced conversions.

After working closely with the GCLEA religious leadership, Pastor Jones had a change of heart.

He now believes that Muslims are peace-loving people of God who want the same things his congregation wants; faithful and peaceful lives.

He is now happy to see Muslims on campus and looks forward to the next multi-faith event.

By contributing today, you build bridges with the community around you and help ensure that what Father Jones tells his community is positive.

Your continued support helps prevent those like Maryam and her son from being stranded.

Maryam is a young single mom with 1 son and many financial struggles. She recently found herself on the side of the road stranded. Traveling back home, her car broke down and she had no one to call. Not only could she not get back home but was worried about how she would get to work on Monday.

Maryam was put in contact with GCLEA through a friend in the area to request emergency help. After a thorough yet speedy investigation, Maryam was provided with an overnight hotel stay and a food card. Her car was taken to the mechanic for repair and the bill was paid.

Maryam was able to get back home and drive to work. As she struggles to get back on her feet, the help she received was a life-changing act of kindness.

By contributing today, you ensure that those like Maryam and her son get the help they need.

Impact of your support in 2018

With a projected annual budget of $559K,

82% directly funded programs and services.