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Top 10 reasons to join gic's adopt-a-road clean up campaign:

1. It is a great way to show your support for keeping our environment clean and our town of Suwanee beautiful.

2. You will be doing your civic duty by reducing unsightly trash and illegal signage along our roadways. Unkempt communities are more likely to have increased crime, decreased economic growth and a decline in quality of life.

3. You only have to do it 4 times a year.

4. The more people show up, the faster it gets done.

5. The weather is beautiful, and this is a way to spend some time enjoying it.

6. The youngsters have been doing this for a while; it's time to show them how it's done!

7. We will have donuts and coffee on hand when you're done.

8. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity.”

9. It's one small way to show our local community that not ALL Muslims are crazy terrorists that like to blow up things.

10. Many of our Esteemed GIC Board members will be be on hand to help out, and they will NOT be asking you for money!

Gwinnett Islamic Circle (GIC) has had a strong focus on Community Service for not only for our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, but also the local community as a whole. For the last 2 years, our Youth Group Girls and Boys have been going out 4 times a year to clean a 2 mile stretch of road bordering our Musallah as a part of Gwinnett's Clean Air Campaign.

The litter prevention efforts of the Adopt-A-Road Campaign directly benefit the community through litter prevention, greater civic involvement and area beautification. There are many benefits not only to the community, but to the individuals participating in these acts as well. Just the simple act of picking up another person's trash teaches humility, care for your neighbor, brotherhood and a sense of accomplishment when the task is done. The Youth always keep in mind the correct Niyyah (intention) with which to do khidma (service) for their community. Our Youth have been diligently accomplishing these goals for the past 2 years, and last Sunday we added our final section for the GIC community adults. As a parent and working professional, I know how very difficult it is to take time out of my busy life with family and kids to commit to any type of extra community service. Our Youth did an excellent job as usual and many witnessed the baraqah (blessings) of passing motorists honkings, smiling and saying thank you as they bent down to clean the road. For our first ever adult event, a total of 13 adults (including 3 of our esteemed GIC Board members) rolled up their sleeves, donned the stylish bright orange vests and got to work! The weather was beautiful, and we were humbled by the dedication of our volunteers and their unwavering commitment to doing good for our community.

This initiative is something our GIC families will be continuing indefinitely so please consider joining us next time! You can get up to date information on this Community service event and others like it by visiting us on Facebook at Gwinnett Islamic Circle and liking our page.

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