THE ISLAMIC MULTI-SERVICE ORGANIZATION (I.M.S.O.)
We are a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt Human Service Organization
Our Mission
“The Islamic Multi-Service Organization Is Committed To Developing Services Aimed at Improving The Quality Of Life For Individuals And Families In The Greater Boston Area.”
Brief History
The Islamic Multi-Service Organization, Inc., a non-profit community based organization was originally conceived in 1994 by individuals in the community who saw the need for a concerted effort to address poverty, disenfranchisement and the growing social concerns of individuals and families in the Greater Boston area.
From 1996-1998 IMSO provided services such as a weekend children’s program, sewing classes for women and children, community activities such as picnics, apple picking and fall foliage outings. In response to a growing need for counseling services, in conjunction with a Muslim psychiatrist and therapist, we provided on-site mental health therapy for individuals and families, including substance abuse counseling.
In 1998 IMSO lost the facility that it was using and decided to close its doors but not its work. Despite the many setbacks, the desire and commitment to serve remained. Since then volunteers have remained involved in many community projects and have expanded their knowledge and expertise which we believe enabled our organization later to move forward and continue the work that was begun.
Current Programs
IMSO currently provides a variety of services including emergency assistance (financial, substance abuse, homelessness, etc.), information and referral, and a food supplement program which serves more than 425 people, half of whom are elderly and children. In addition, through its collaborations with Central Boston Elder Services, IMSO has been able to link more than 65 elderly with vital support services including home care, emergency medical equipment and home delivered meals. IMSO has begun a vocational education and outreach initiative to educate and empower the men and women of community.
Recently IMSO embarked on a community improvement project which will help to beautify the lower Roxbury community and provide opportunities to engage residents, particularly elderly and youth to be active participants in change through gardening and environmental projects.
Future Hopes
IMSO now has volunteers excited about serving the community and who see serving humanity not as a hobby but as a sense of duty. In an effort to address the many disparities in our community, including tremendous underserved immigrant population in areas of health care, education and overall inclusion, lack of creative programming for youth, re-entry programs for ex-offenders and substance abuse initiatives, in 2017 IMSO will launch a number of pilot projects including S.H.O.P. (Self Help Opportunities Program) that focuses on vocational training and support, that trains and mentors people eager to become non-dependent on charity. ESL classes, a youth empowerment project Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Solutions) a re-entry initiative aimed to help individuals leaving the prison system to successfully re-enter the community, thereby reducing rate of recidivism, and develop an outreach program and creative counseling approaches, targeting youth and adults, to help stop the cycle of substance dependency, which continues to plague our communities.
Barriers
Culture, language, and perceived attitudes toward a particular linguistic, ethnic or religious group, have considerable impact on how individuals access and respond to services available to them. Although we do provide information on available resources such as food stamps, local food pantries and other resources that assist people, we encourage self-sufficiency; the diverse cultural and religious communities which we target remain significantly underserved. Therefore, IMSO has committed itself to developing programs and services that can effectively address these disparities.
How Will IMSO Achieve its Goals
In order to achieve our objectives, IMSO has received technical assistance from various organizations that has helped us improve our programs and our capacity to develop services. IMSO will develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy, which will include generating funds from diverse sources including, the general public, federal and state grant programs, and the business community so that it does not become totally reliant on a single source of funding.
IMSO recognizes the “it takes a village…” concept and will work to develop positive and cooperative relations with various organizations and the business community committed to improving and serving the community. In addition, IMSO hopes that through a visible commitment to serve the community, IMSO will be able to garner and foster broad based community support that we hope will lead to eventual collaborations with other organizations whose mission is to serve humanity.
We believe that as an organization we cannot combat the problems of our community alone, and as such we will strive to build partnerships with individuals and organizations, committed to our “Lending A Helping Hand Philosophy.” Through those partnerships we can help to ensure that not only no-one gets left behind but that all have an equal opportunity to improve the quality of their lives and that of their families and communities.
We are a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt Human Service Organization
Our Mission
“The Islamic Multi-Service Organization Is Committed To Developing Services Aimed at Improving The Quality Of Life For Individuals And Families In The Greater Boston Area.”
Brief History
The Islamic Multi-Service Organization, Inc., a non-profit community based organization was originally conceived in 1994 by individuals in the community who saw the need for a concerted effort to address poverty, disenfranchisement and the growing social concerns of individuals and families in the Greater Boston area.
From 1996-1998 IMSO provided services such as a weekend children’s program, sewing classes for women and children, community activities such as picnics, apple picking and fall foliage outings. In response to a growing need for counseling services, in conjunction with a Muslim psychiatrist and therapist, we provided on-site mental health therapy for individuals and families, including substance abuse counseling.
In 1998 IMSO lost the facility that it was using and decided to close its doors but not its work. Despite the many setbacks, the desire and commitment to serve remained. Since then volunteers have remained involved in many community projects and have expanded their knowledge and expertise which we believe enabled our organization later to move forward and continue the work that was begun.
Current Programs
IMSO currently provides a variety of services including emergency assistance (financial, substance abuse, homelessness, etc.), information and referral, and a food supplement program which serves more than 425 people, half of whom are elderly and children. In addition, through its collaborations with Central Boston Elder Services, IMSO has been able to link more than 65 elderly with vital support services including home care, emergency medical equipment and home delivered meals. IMSO has begun a vocational education and outreach initiative to educate and empower the men and women of community.
Recently IMSO embarked on a community improvement project which will help to beautify the lower Roxbury community and provide opportunities to engage residents, particularly elderly and youth to be active participants in change through gardening and environmental projects.
Future Hopes
IMSO now has volunteers excited about serving the community and who see serving humanity not as a hobby but as a sense of duty. In an effort to address the many disparities in our community, including tremendous underserved immigrant population in areas of health care, education and overall inclusion, lack of creative programming for youth, re-entry programs for ex-offenders and substance abuse initiatives, in 2017 IMSO will launch a number of pilot projects including S.H.O.P. (Self Help Opportunities Program) that focuses on vocational training and support, that trains and mentors people eager to become non-dependent on charity. ESL classes, a youth empowerment project Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Solutions) a re-entry initiative aimed to help individuals leaving the prison system to successfully re-enter the community, thereby reducing rate of recidivism, and develop an outreach program and creative counseling approaches, targeting youth and adults, to help stop the cycle of substance dependency, which continues to plague our communities.
Barriers
Culture, language, and perceived attitudes toward a particular linguistic, ethnic or religious group, have considerable impact on how individuals access and respond to services available to them. Although we do provide information on available resources such as food stamps, local food pantries and other resources that assist people, we encourage self-sufficiency; the diverse cultural and religious communities which we target remain significantly underserved. Therefore, IMSO has committed itself to developing programs and services that can effectively address these disparities.
How Will IMSO Achieve its Goals
In order to achieve our objectives, IMSO has received technical assistance from various organizations that has helped us improve our programs and our capacity to develop services. IMSO will develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy, which will include generating funds from diverse sources including, the general public, federal and state grant programs, and the business community so that it does not become totally reliant on a single source of funding.
IMSO recognizes the “it takes a village…” concept and will work to develop positive and cooperative relations with various organizations and the business community committed to improving and serving the community. In addition, IMSO hopes that through a visible commitment to serve the community, IMSO will be able to garner and foster broad based community support that we hope will lead to eventual collaborations with other organizations whose mission is to serve humanity.
We believe that as an organization we cannot combat the problems of our community alone, and as such we will strive to build partnerships with individuals and organizations, committed to our “Lending A Helping Hand Philosophy.” Through those partnerships we can help to ensure that not only no-one gets left behind but that all have an equal opportunity to improve the quality of their lives and that of their families and communities.