ISNRV Expansion Project
The Islamic Society of New River Valley (ISNRV) is a diverse and growing Islamic community based in Blacksburg, VA. Our mission is to serve the Muslims in the New River Valley and foster a strong sense of community, enable Islamic education, and encourage a strong Muslim identity.
By the permission of Allah, we had hundreds of current community members, our alumni, and external donors contribute and volunteer their time and skills. In the span of 7 months and during a global pandemic, we were able to raise 1.1 million dollars to purchase land to further the ISNRV’s mission. This completed Phase I of the project.
As a community in a college town, we have a special responsibility to nurture the young people who come through our doors. Whether it be the young children of graduate students who come to our community from all over the world, or the undergraduate students who are leaving home for the first time, we take this responsibility seriously. Our focus on education, strengthening a Muslim identity of our young community members, and creating a sense of community is built into our DNA.
After completing the land purchase, we’ve been hard at work understanding the needs of our community. We conducted a community wide survey that received almost 200 hundred responses, held focus groups to discuss the projects, and received a tremendous amount of input from the community that we are incorporating into phase II of the project.
Conceptual Model and Site
The first step in designing new buildings and spaces is to map out existing ones. In March 2021, our architects visited Blacksburg and mapped out our current building and created a 3-D model of it. This effort by them saved the project as much as $10,000 in costs.
Educational Spaces for Youth
With a growing local and student community with young children, our programming for young children has expanded significantly in the last few years. To accommodate the needs of the young generation of Muslims, we are hoping to build flexible learning spaces that can accommodate robust educational activities and allow us to also provide dedicated Islamic education programs in the future (e.g. regular tahfidh and Quran programming).
*Inspirational Design Images
Spaces for University Students
We asked university students in our focus groups what the ISNRV meant to them, and the most common response surprised us. They told us that they associated the ISNRV with HOME, and that they found comfort, security, and safety in the community during a time of change in their lives. In phase II, we hope to build inclusive and comfortable spaces to keep our university students coming to the center and enliven the Masjid with their energy and presence. We also intend to create spaces that will facilitate programs focused on education and Islamic identity. We hope, insha’allah, that these spaces will provide desperately-needed environments for spiritual enrichment.
*Inspirational Design Images
Multipurpose/Event Spaces
We recognize that the availability of other facilities is critical for realizing our vision of an inclusive and educationally and spiritually-enriching Islamic center. We plan to build a large multi-purpose space that can hold a wide variety of activities, including physical activities (basketball, soccer, yoga, etc.), large social events, and invited speakers, as well as an extension to our prayer hall.
*Inspirational Design Images
Phase IIa: Community Feedback, Conceptual Design, and Site Planning
(2021 – Cost: $125,000)
Phase IIb: Site Preparation + Parking
(2022-2024 – Cost: TBD)
Phase IIc: Multi-Purpose Building Expansion
(2024-2027 – Cost: TBD)
February: Community Survey and Focus Groups (Completed) – $0.00
March: Existing Facility Survey, Site Visit, and Site Clean Up (Completed) – $15,000.00
April – June: Propose three conceptual designs, Zoning Study, Local Climate Evaluation, Conceptual design, Solicit 3 Quotes for Site Planning, Finalize Conceptual Design, Secure Civil Engineering Services, Site Survey – $20,000
July – September: 10% Complete Architectural Drawings, Site Planning Commences – $85,000
October – December: Get Master Site Plan approved by Town, 30% Architectural Drawings – $5,000
2021 SUSTAINING DONOR CAMPAIGN
عن أبي هريرة قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اكْلَفُوا مِنْ الْعَمَلِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْعَمَلِ أَدْوَمُهُ وَإِنْ قَلَّ
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly even if they are few.”
Our project is ambitious and is our attempt to serve the next generation for years to come. In order to keep the project moving forward, it is critical that we have sustaining donors that contribute a relatively small amount every year. Having this steady stream of donations will also significantly reduce our need for funds when we embark on major milestones in the future. Help us reach our target for sustaining donors by signing up for one of the levels below.
We will provide an annual report to our sustaining donors and a reminder of their recurring donation. If you ever need to cancel you recurring donation, you can do so at any time insha'allah.
SUSTAINING DONOR TARGETS
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