he Petaluma Baha'i Community has continued to sponsor & offer their service to several Petaluma Community Projects, because one of our core beliefs is that "work is worship" & that we should do all we can to improve the lives of our own neighbors, as well as play our part to help develop a broader understanding and cooperation between all peoples of the world. By showing our love through Community Projects in Petaluma, we hope to enrich the lives of all those with whom we come in contact.

GARDEN PROJECT: Petaluma People Services Center, Westside Senior Center located on 25 Howard Street, Petaluma. Begun by one of our local Baha'is, Christie Heller, the Baha'is spend time each month taking care of the landscaping around the Westside Senior Center, mowing the lawn, weeding, triming plants and doing general clean-up.

BAHA PROJECT: The "Bay Area Homeless Alliance" Voice Mail System in Petaluma was originally established, sponsored and maintained by the Baha'is of Petaluma until just recently. Continually maintained by Sonoma County Baha'is, it has supplied the computers, storage facility and manpower to maintain this increasingly important communication tool that helps homeless people connect with the necessary help finding shelter, jobs and emotional support. The BAHA Program has fundamentally changed the way in which homeless and at risk individuals and families interact with the community through the voice mail component, and the Provider Library has changed how service providers refer homeless and at risk clients to available services. The human infrastructure developed as a result of this project has changed the dynamics of service provision from local to regional and has developed a collaborative approach to problems that were previously handled in isolation from each other. A collaborative learning from each other's experiences has developed. BAHA is achieving incredible results in helping the homeless and at-risk population find housing and jobs in the Petaluma area and around Sonoma County.

AYYAM-I-HA PROJECT: Each February, the Petaluma Baha'i Community members search for a special project they can do to give back to their local community during their yearly Ayyam-i-Ha Celebration. This last year, they created special Exit Bags for the children who were finally able to leave the COTS shelter with their homeless families. Bags that gave them a sense of how happy we all were for them, now that they were finally going to have a place-to-call-home. Next February, we will pick a new project for Ayyam-i-Ha. Ayyám-i-Há, which is a festive time of year for Baha'is worldwide, starts at sunset on February 25th and ends at sunset on March 1st. Here is a quote from the Baha'i writings explaining what Ayyám-i-Há is: "It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days (of Ayyám-i-Há), to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name." Bahá'u'lláh (from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas) We hope that everyone who receives our gaily wrapped Ayyam-i-Ha Cookie Gift plates feels some of the happiness we would like to share!

PETALUMA BAHA'I CENTER PROJECT: Recently the local Baha'i Community in Petaluma began saving money for their first local "Baha'i Center" in Petaluma. Funds for the future "Petaluma Baha'i Center" can only come from members of the Baha'i Faith, since one of the tenets of the Baha'is is that money cannot be accepted or solicited from people who are not members of the Baha'i Community. Our Petaluma community is excited about the steady progress of our "Petaluma Baha'i Center Fund" and look forward to the day when we will have our own local "Baha'i Center" which will be open to people of all faiths to learn more about the Baha'i World Community.

WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: Besides our involvement with our local Petaluma projects we are also involved in the Baha'i Inter-Community Committee Projects of Sonoma County and also donate funds to help support community projects on a global scale.

To learn more about the many Global Social & Economic Development Projects sponsored by the International Baha'i Community, CLICK HERE.

Take a tour of the Baha'i Houses of Worship.

Click here to find out more about the Baha'i World Faith.

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What is the Baha'i Faith?
Find out for yourself? Click here.

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The Unity of the Human Race:
as envisaged by Bahá'u'lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This world commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. ...(more)

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The Sacred Writings of the Baha'i Faith
"Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths." --Bahá'u'lláh ...(more)

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