View on PDF format
Transcript of View on PDF format
Newsletter : Apr i l 2015 Volume-3/ Issue-1
M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T
The Mission of M.O.N.A. is to act as a central organization representing the Memon community
throughout North America. On a non-profit, charitable basis, M.O.N.A. will promote and support
the advancement, unity, welfare, and well-being of all Memons and humanity.
www.memonconnect.comA place where you can find out about community events,
services, youth initiatives and contact information.
New Office & Crescent Clinic:
2180 W. Crescent Ave.Anaheim, CA 92801
1
BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
Salim Adaya
Yusuf Tar
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
PRESIDENT:
M. Ashraf Kamdar
VICE PRESIDENT:
Abdulgani Moulvi
SECRETARY:
Yasmeen Ahussain
TREASURER:
Rashid Memon
MEMBERS:
Mushtak Batliwala
Mohammed Hanif Dada
Rahil Jandga
Soaliha Lakhani
Saleem Moosani
Iesha Wadalawala
YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE:
Humera Moulvi
ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
Arif Merchant
Zakaria Sattar
Abdul Wahab
Assalamu Ala ikum!InshaAllah you are all well! We are delighted to bring you this newsletter to update you of
what your donations have allowed MONA to do! We are still so happy, Alhamdulilhah for
your support, to have opened the Crescent Clinic, a FREE health clinic in partnership with
ICNA. Since the opening of the clinic, we have served over 280 patients. We also have
been able to open Crescent Food Pantry, serving individuals and families in need with
food. The food pantry has served and fed over 139 families, and 500 individuals. Along
with free health care and food access, we have also started the Crescent Family Services,
providing free counseling services to children, teens, adults and families. We currently
have one Counseling Supervisor and four counselors on staff. Over 50 clients have been
counseled since the start of our services. We are now also listed in the 211 directories.
MONA Board 2015
MONA Annual General Body Meeting BanquetSunday, April 19th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm at
There will be a raffle and a free stay with two tickets for Knotts Berry Farm!
59146_amf_news.indd 159146_amf_news.indd 1 4/9/15 9:54 AM4/9/15 9:54 AM
22
Newsletter : Apr i l 2015 Volume-3/ Issue-1
HEALTH CORNER
2
DEALING WITH DIABETES: Farah Lakhani, MPH, RD.
In the South Asian Community, diabetes is becoming increasingly prevalent and there has not been much focus
on prevention or dealing with diabetes that many are facing. If diabetes is not controlled, there are many health
implications it could cause such as kidney problems and neuropathy (losing feeling in hands and feet). Therefore
it is important to take your medication and follow a healthy diet.
As far as diet goes, it has a significant influence on the way our blood sugar responds, especially if we are diabetic.
Sugar is not the only culprit in diabetes, carbohydrates also affects diabetes and our blood sugar levels so it is
important to not eat too many carbohydrates. The key is to eat the same amount of carbs for all meals to keep
your blood sugar numbers consistent. . Some ways to help how blood glucose responds in a good way are:
s Wheat bread/brown rice: Helps to decrease the spike in blood sugar levels
s Eating more vegetables: Vegetables have a lot of fiber which helps to decrease the amount of sugar
absorbed in our body
s Practicing weight management: Losing weight and exercising has been proven to help with diabetes and
lower your glucose numbers
s Avoid sugar drinks such as sodas, juices, excess sugar in coffee/tea
s Avoid sugary foods and desserts
s Eating more of avocados, walnuts, olive oil are some omega 3 fatty acids which helps with diabetes
Crescent Clinic is open every Saturday from 9:00AM – 2:00PM. If you would like to make an appointment,
please contact the clinic at (714) 399 – 4575.
The Crescent Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Crescent Counseling Family Services are open Saturday sand Sundays from 10:00AM – 5:00PM.
“The best among you is the one who is the most beneficial to others.”(The Prophet Muhammad PBUH)
59146_amf_news.indd 259146_amf_news.indd 2 4/9/15 9:54 AM4/9/15 9:54 AM
33
Newsletter : Apr i l 2015 Volume-3/ Issue-1
FINANCIAL LITERACY
SECURING YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
Harr i s Moten, CPA
There are a number of nonprofit organiza-
tions across the country, each of whom
relies on your donations or some form of
fundraising to continue their support of
a cause. Before you hand over a portion
of your hard earned income to these
organizations, it’s important to distinguish
between the different types of groups.
Charitable organizations, such as MONA, who are recognized as a 501(c)(3)
entity by the IRS, are exempt from federal income taxes, allowing them to pre-
serve and allocate a higher percentage of your donations. Organizations that
operate as a traditional corporation are still subject to federal income taxes,
which is similar to you and I receiving a paycheck, having federal taxes
deducted, where only a percentage of our paycheck make it into our pockets
to support our cause, which could be paying off a mortgage or buying food
and paying for the education of our youth.
Other benefits of being a 501(c)(3) charitable organization include: (1) the
ability to apply for grants only allowed to IRS-recognized groups, (2) lower
postage rates and (3) limited liability. All of that sounds great, but what about the
benefits for those that contribute to these charitable organizations? What is the
benefit to you when you donate to the likes of MONA, Islamic Relief, CAIR, etc.?
The biggest benefit, outside of improving our sense of well-being and strength-
ening our religious or moral convictions, is a financial benefit - contributions
to 501(c)(3) entities are tax deductible, which will reduce your taxable
income and your tax bill on April 15th. In fact, an individual can deduct cash
contributions up to 50% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). For example, if
you have an AGI of $100,000 in 2014, you can deduct up to $50,000 of
cash contributions. Keep in mind, however, that these deductions are only
applicable when the contributor is filing a Form 1040 and itemizing their
deductions on Schedule A of the Form 1040. Also, the donation becomes
deductible at the point of payment. For example, if you send a $100 check on
December 31, 2014, but it is not received by the organization until January
5, 2015, the $100 is deductible in your 2014 Form 1040.
A cash (check or credit card) contribution is deductible only from an income
tax perspective, which is a benefit to you. A donation being deductible does
not mean that any amount of your contribution will be deducted from the
amount the charitable organization receives. It’s important to emphasize that
100% of your contribution will be received by the organization and at their
disposal to support their cause (or pay for minimal administrative expenses).
The current tax code provides us with a number of benefits and opportunities
to lower our taxable income, but often they begin to phase out as our income
gets higher and higher, but this is not the case with charitable donations. It is
safe to say our primary motive to donate is altruism, but it doesn’t hurt to
know there is a high correlation to the amount we donate and the financial
benefit we receive from donating!
3
BEWARE! TAX SEASON IS PRIME TAX
SCAM SEASON Yasmeen Ahussain
Tax related phishing scams are one
of the ways crooks try to obtain the
personal information of prospective
victims.
Some taxpayers recently logged onto
TurboTax and found that a return had
already been filed under their name.
TurboTax owner Intuit temporarily stopped processing e-filed state tax
returns in all states after reports of fraud increased.
“During this tax season, Intuit and some states have seen an increase
in suspicious filings and attempts by criminals to use stolen identity
information to file fraudulent state tax returns and claim tax refunds,”
the company said in a statement.
An identity thief uses a legitimate taxpayer’s personal information such as
name, Social Security number and birth date to file a false tax return and
claim a refund for themselves.
Tax related phishing scams are one of the ways crooks try to obtain the
personal information of their victims. An unsolicited email or a fake
website will be used to lure in potential victims and prompt them to
provide valuable personal and financial information.
If you get an unexpected email, don’t open any attachments or click
on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the email
BE ON GUARD!
To lessen the chance of becoming a victim:
s File tax returns early in the tax season, before identity thieves beat
you to it.
s Use only a secure Internet connection if you file electronically. Don’t
use publicly available Wi-Fi hotspots at places like coffee shops
or hotel lobbies.
s If you intend to mail your tax return, put it in a U.S. Postal Service
mailbox or drop it off at the post office to prevent it from being
intercepted from your roadside mailbox.
s Remember that the IRS won’t contact you by email, text or social
media. If the IRS needs information, it will contact you by mail.
s Never provide your Social Security number or other personal
information to telemarketers by text message or by email unless
you initiate correspondence with a trusted entity
59146_amf_news.indd 359146_amf_news.indd 3 4/9/15 9:54 AM4/9/15 9:54 AM
Newsletter : Apr i l 2015 Volume-3/ Issue-1
YOUTH CORNER COMMUNITY CORNER
4
PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY!MONA needs your continued support, your donations are what funds the Crescent Clinic, the Crescent FoodPantry, Crescent Family Services, Humanitarian Days, Ramadan boxes, burial plots, medical equipment fororganizations in need in Pakistan, youth activities, and so much more!
MESSAGE FROM YOUTH COMMITTEE:
Assalamualikum!
I would like to thank everyone for coming outto our MONA Ice Skating Event in Yorba Linda onJanuary 16th. It was a great turn out, mashaAllah.I find it refreshing to see the Memon youth in placesother than Memon dawaats for once. We alsoincluded kids this time around to make sure ourlittle ones don’t miss out! I hope everyone had anamazing time with friends and family. MashaAllah,the turn out was great and all of you representedMONA with pride. If you missed out on our earlierevent at Skyzone or this one, keep your eye outfor the next MONA youth event coming soon,hopefully. I look forward to having us all gettogether once again.
Humera MoulviMONA Youth Representative
ADVERTISING ON MONA WEBSITEAND NEWSLETTER:
Do you have a business that you would like to adver-
tise to the Muslim Community? Do you want to pro-
mote what you do to other Memons and Pakistanis?
If so, consider advertising with MONA for a nominal
fee, and reach all our members! Announcements are
FREE. Business Ads are $25 for the year.
We congratulate MONA on their 7th Anniversary. We love being a part of MONA and appreciate yourservice to the community. We hope you grow in membership and in success! Anis Bakali and Family
Seven years of service to the community is much appreciated! We look forward to many more yearsof supporting the work of MONA. Thank you for providing necessary programs for the needy andactivities for the youth! Anwar Gajiani and Family
59146_amf_news.indd 459146_amf_news.indd 4 4/9/15 9:54 AM4/9/15 9:54 AM