The Dawoodi Bohras of California joined hundreds of volunteers for Community Climate Action Day (CCAD) on November 16th in Sacramento. In partnership with California Volunteers, dozens of Dawoodi Bohra volunteers arrived at the city’s Northern Parkway, a popular bike trail. Volunteers converged with energy, passion, and a goal of conserving the environment and building a more resilient future.

Their drive to restore green spaces takes root in the Islamic teaching that “All of Creation is a family dependent upon Allah. The most beloved to Him, therefore, is the one who benefits His family the most.”  The Community’s spiritual leader, His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, consistently emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility in environmental stewardship. It is in this spirit that community members mobilized to embrace their duty of safeguarding the environment for future generations.

Prominent attendees at the event included Josh Fryday, California’s Chief Service Officer; State Senator Angelique Ashby, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and Jessica Sanders, Executive Director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, among others. 

Mukerram Hakimuddin and Aamir Hatimi, Nominees among the national Dawoodi Bohra community’s leadership, also joined in the tree planting activities.

The event primarily involved planting 200 trees to transform the vital green space. Volunteers gathered in groups to watch expert demonstrations on tree planting by leaders of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, ensuring the activity was undertaken effectively. As important as the initiative was in itself, the event brought together people of all walks of life with a common purpose and fostered a spirit of friendship and camaraderie between different communities.

They learned proper tree planting techniques, including transporting trees with care, keeping roots intact, stabilizing trees with stakes, digging soil, depositing organic wicker mulch around the tree, and creating a water-retaining canal and cavity. Equipped with shovels, weeders, gloves, and root saws, volunteers got to work, digging holes, supporting trees with stakes and much more.

Mufaddal Ezzy, a representative of the Dawoodi Bohra community in San Francisco, emphasized the community's commitment to environmental stewardship during the event:

"Love and care for the environment is an integral part of our faith, and we share in the sincere belief that we can achieve a more sustainable future for all. But simply sharing the belief isn’t enough. We must also unify and come together in collective action that will help us nurture that future, while strengthening bonds across our communities. That’s why we’re proud to be here today, but also excited to announce our partnership with the California Volunteers Fund."

Josh Fryday, speaking on behalf of California Volunteers, praised the collaboration:

"Today, we witnessed the incredible impact volunteers, service members, community organizations and local and state leaders can have when they come together for a shared purpose. One of our incredible sponsors for not just today but also for these events that are happening across the State of California is the Dawoodi Bohra community. I’m really honored, and wanted to take a moment to say thank you to them not just for sponsoring, for making today possible, for making these events across the State of California possible, but for really embodying the spirit of everything we’re trying to do at California Volunteers. For living the values everyday that we can take care of our environment and we can take care of our community at the same time”.

This Community Climate Action Day built community, friendships, and the establishment of leadership and collaboration through collective environmental action. It brought together diverse groups, sprouting fruitful conversations around mutual support for future green initiatives. Through this partnership, the Dawoodi Bohra community hopes to continue preserving the environment and strengthening communities across the Golden State.