Over the last year CCMW continues to be represented by our members and their valuable contributions. Due to the exceptionally busy schedules of our key members meetings have been difficult to orchestrate. However, individual members were able to contribute their services to largely meet the objectives of the CCMW. This way we were able to accomplish much more.

• The President of the Peel Halton Chapter Nuzhat Haider is with the Associated Youth Services of Peel. Nuzhat has CCMW as a member of the Multicultural Inter Agency Group, where she serves as a Member of the Board. Volunteering with the Victim Services of Peel, Nuzhat has spearheaded an ongoing project Mentoring for Change. The goal is to help Muslim women deal with violent relationships or circumstances. Nuzhat also volunteers at the Muslim Cancer Support Group. In one case they were able to arrange interim custody of a cancer patient’s 4 year old by making it possible for the patient’s mother and brother to come from Pakistan and also secured housing for the family. Nuzhat represented our Chapter as a Speaker when the Federation of Muslim Women collaborated with the Heart and Stroke Foundation in a seminar that looked at Cardiovascular Disease and its impact on families.

• Atiya Ahsan as Vice-President, represents CCMW as a member of the Spiritual and Religious Care Advisory Committee of the University Health Network that includes three hospitals in downtown Toronto. Atiya also does a lot of inter faith work as a public speaker including radio and television. Atiya organized a Fine Arts and Crafts Exhibition sponsored by our Chapter, which featured the talents of 20 Muslim Women. The exhibition garnered much media coverage. It was featured in the Mississauga News, The Booster (distributed in Mississauga and East Oakville) and in the Sheridan College publication Sheridan Sun. The show was covered for 6 minutes on Yeh Karavan and for 2 minutes in South Asian News on Prime Time, both on OMNI 2. The highlight of the exhibition was the visit from the Mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion. Atiya apprised the Mayor about CCMW and its objectives.

• The mother daughter team of Naz and Sayeeda Husain over the last year led a project to contribute food to the Muslim Welfare Food Bank. Many other families participated. Another project was donating toys to The Credit Valley Hospital to be placed under the Angel Tree at Christmas. Sayeeda Husain volunteers regularly at the Credit Valley Hospital on a weekly basis. She also visits Muslims patients when necessary. She assists Muslim families to cope with Cancer.

• Naz continues in her "mission" to assist individuals with vision loss, in particular to help other Muslim families to deal with this challenge. As organizer and facilitator at the medical and social issues conference, Vision Quest 2002, hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Naz continued to represent CCMW. At the Peel, York and Toronto School Boards and Itinerant teachers for the blind Naz continued to act as a resource person to assist both students and their families with education and bridging cultural issues.

Our challenge so far has been recruiting newer members in the Chapter and organizing quarterly group meetings. This is where our focus will remain in the coming year.

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