Alta Vista Reforestation Project

By: Marwa Ahmed

The Muslim community and the larger Ottawa community were united on Saturday October 15th, 2005, for the Alta Vista Reforestation Project. Despite unpleasant weather conditions, City Councillor Peter Hume's staff, MAC Youth Give, Ottawa’s Horticulturist Association, Hillcrest High School, Immaculata High School, Ridgemont High School and many others showed up to plant trees at the Kilborn Greenspace.

There was rain, mud, fog, and the October chill but spirits were high and nothing impeded this group. The project lasted two hours, beginning at nine in the morning and ending at eleven. Equipped with shovels and gloves this motivated group of roughly sixty volunteers planted approximately 150 trees. Truckload after truckload, volunteers unloaded trees and found them their new homes.

The group was given special thanks by Premier Dalton Mcginty’s brother, David Mcginty, Ottawa South City Councillor. He traded in his spit shine Gordon Rush dress shoes for pro-line rain boots, working side by side with the volunteers from various communities.

The Muslim Association of Canada, MAC, would like to encourage everyone to keep their eyes open for upcoming future events. Charles Lindbergh once asked this question, “How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, [and] dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life?” We need to take care of what we have and plant seeds for generations after ours. To find out more about volunteer events that MAC Youth Give will be organizing or participating in, please email us at MACYouthGive-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Remember we are the ambassadors of the great Deen of Islam, following the steps of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH and his dedicated companions. They managed, with Allah SWT's to help, support and spread the message of Islam all over the world. Volunteering may not seem like a big step to spreading Islam, but it certainly is better than no step at all. Let us unite and show everyone what Islam is really about!