By Chuck Stewart, Jr.
Newburgh - Zafir Mowla first donated blood while a student at Newburgh Free Academy. He did so because he felt the blood he donated could save another person’s life.
That kind gesture didn’t go unnoticed by members of the mosque he attends, Masjid Al-Ikhlas. "Mowla helped push forward the idea if kids can give blood, why not the adults," said Zaib Iftikhar, a fellow member of the mosque and a donor specialist with the Hudson Valley Blood Service.
On Father’s Day, a group began to plan a blood drive, which Zafir Mowla would act as the student chair. From that initial meeting, the simple idea of a blood drive blossomed into a full fledge health fair.
After months of planning and preparation, Masjid Al-Ikhlas, Islamic Learning Center of Orange County, held its first Blood Drive and Health Fair this past Sunday on the mosque premises.
Physicians from the area gathered upstairs in the mosque to offer free consultations to check blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, to name a few. They also handed out educational materials on HIV/AIDS and women’s health issues.
Outside, in the mosque parking lot, the New York Blood Center provided their mobile bus facility to draw blood. Zafir Mowla and his team of volunteers could be seen scurrying about to recruit people from the community to donate blood.
"Anyone over the age of 17, who weighs over 110 pounds, and is in good health can donate blood," JoAnn Cella explained. Cella is an account manager for Hudson Valley Blood Services. She explained that the donation is performed by a trained technician and takes about 10 to 12 minutes. That doesn’t include the time to fill out the donor registration form or the refreshments after the donation.
And if juice and cookies weren’t enough, members of the mosque offered up a full cookout. Bar-be-que chicken and salads could be seen on most plates. There was even an ice-cream truck giving out free ice-cream to all the participants.
City of Newburgh Mayor Nicholas Valentine and Orange County Social Services Commissioner David Jolly addressed the crowd and thanked the organizers for this remarkable initiative taken for the city and Orange Country at large. The event was moderated by Dr. Arif Muslim, who thanked the Imam, physicians and volunteers. He especially thanked the youth, "who did a phenomenal job setting this up."
Dr. Muslim said they hope to make this an annual event.
