Mission Question: How can we support the whole person flourish in our community?

The whole person includes their mental, emotional, physical, familial, social, economic & spiritual well being.

Flourishing is in accordance with the person's expectations.

Our community includes the many geographical, cultural & faith networks that contribute to our identity.

Guiding Principles

1. We believe in a ​Merciful & Generous Creator.

We begin with gratitude; gratitude for the work we do, who we do it with, and that people have trusted us with what’s difficult. ¶ We seek to imbue our work with mercy and generosity.¶ We work with an abundance of spirit – knowing that we do not have all the answers, that we must be frugal, responsible and transparent, that resources might be scarce, but that our imperative is to do what’s right and what’s right will follow.

2. We are Created to Serve.

IFSSA is both a means for people to find help and to live our fundamental purpose — to serve. We are being helped when we help. ¶ Serving others is spoken of within the Quran as medicine, and it speaks to the need within; an inner void that is filled through helping others.

“Created to Serve” is derived from Allah’s verse (Surah 3, Ayah 110), “You are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind because you have been raised to serve others.”

3. We are here to ​grow (as) people.

We want to be the place that people do their best work. We see our work not as a series of interactions/transactions with clients but an investment in people, team & ourselves. In order to this work we must be developing ourselves.

4. We are emissaries ​of a vast tradition.

We are the emissaries of a vast and rich tradition that informs and improves the way we care for people. For more than 30 years IFSSA has been supporting the community through complex challenges by acting on our values.

5. We are an integral part of the community we serve.

Community is vital to the work we do and who we are. ¶ We seek input, we serve as a platform for good initiatives, we are a starting point and a destination for those who serve. ¶ Because we want to go far we go together.

Values

1. Guiding Mercy | Rahma

At IFSSA, we recognize & appreciate the struggles – big and small – facing each and every one of us. Mercy guides us to heal ourselves and others. Mercy is the key ingredient to flourishing – for the vulnerable, for our community and for our hearts. What does mercy look like in action? How can we embody mercy in what we do?