On the first weekend of Ramadan, we came together for an incredible dinner—our first one like it in almost six years. The purpose? To gather our community and kick off our campaign to build The DREAM Center.
Today, we’re asking for your help as we continue making progress toward establishing a groundbreaking center for our community development efforts, right in the heart of our neighborhood.
The attendees at the dinner were a beautiful, representative cross-section of all the Muslim community members who have come together to support this project over the years. While we see ourselves as serving our entire neighborhood, no matter anyone’s background, and while we’re grateful for the philanthropic and institutional support we’ve received, this project is undoubtedly rooted in metro Detroit’s diverse Muslim communities. It was great to see those communities represented, breaking fast together, and leaning into the next phase of this journey.
We were grateful to hear from Shaykh Mohamed Almasmari, who reminded us that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought about change through his actions more than his words. He ended by asking everyone present to donate, saying “What we’re doing here is virtuous. It’s a blessing… We honor everyone.”
Executive Director Mark Crain then gave us a glimpse at the next big project for Dream of Detroit—the DREAM Center. He started by reminding us why we’re rooted in this neighborhood and the community we serve, then shared the vision for DREAM’s first purpose-built office, pop-up space, digital lab, and community courtyard.
Finally, we closed the evening with remarks and encouragement to donate by Imam Johari Abdulmalik, our special guest visiting from the D.C. area. Imam Johari started by complimenting the beauty of the community and its uniqueness in all of the U.S. And he told us, “if you want to transform a community, you need skills like the skills that Dream of Detroit is bringing.”
Even though we’re half way through Ramadan, it feels like our campaign just kicked off. We can’t wait to share our progress with you in the coming weeks.
