From Tampa Bay refugee support to Tallahassee community life
When WFTS profiled Radiant Hands in August 2023, executive director Ghadir Kassab was preparing for a new stage of work: welcoming refugees through a newly recognized resettlement agency. The Tampa Bay organization had already spent years helping immigrant families with housing and employment. The report captured a transition from supporting arrivals to taking on a more formal resettlement role.
Support before the new agency role
Radiant Hands dates its work with four resettlement agencies in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to October 2015. Its refugee-services page describes an intake process following notification of a family’s arrival, an assessment of immediate needs and practical help such as a cellphone with two months of service. A working phone can connect an arrival to appointments and local contacts; it is a concrete example of the small arrangements behind a much larger move.
What the 2023 reporting actually established
WFTS reported that Radiant Hands had received federal recognition and that staff had undergone months of training with Islamic Relief USA and the International Rescue Committee. The article described plans to welcome families in September and a larger projected intake the following year. Those were forward-looking plans, not evidence that a particular number of people ultimately arrived.
The report also described a tailoring operation among the organization’s activities. Alongside housing and job support, that detail points toward the work of building livelihoods after arrival. It should not be read as a current vacancy notice or a promise that a particular service is available today.
A Muslim-led organization serving varied needs
Radiant Hands describes its wider mission as supporting women, families and refugees in North Central Florida and Greater Tampa through educational, emotional and financial assistance. Its stated aim is greater self-sufficiency. These are the organization’s descriptions of its work, not an independent assessment of every program’s outcomes.
For readers seeking help, the official refugee-services page is more useful than an old news article’s arrival forecast. Check the organization’s current information about access and support; a historical profile cannot establish present funding, capacity or eligibility.
Two Tallahassee addresses, two different settings
In Tallahassee, Florida State University’s Interfaith Council lists both Al-Ansar, the campus mosque at 1020 West Pensacola Street, and Al-Furqan at 3617 Old Bainbridge Road. It also lists the university’s Muslim Student Union. The distinction is useful for a newcomer: a campus connection does not mean every community building is beside the university.
The photograph here shows the Old Bainbridge Road center in September 2026, with its entrance sign, red roofs and tree-lined grounds. The center’s own website describes cultural and social activities and friendly relations between Muslims and non-Muslims among its purposes. This is a separate Tallahassee institution, not a Radiant Hands facility in Tampa Bay. Consult the center and FSU’s directory for current contacts rather than relying on a photograph for visiting arrangements.
Explore Florida without flattening its geography
This story belongs to Tampa Bay and Temple Terrace. South Florida has its own communities and institutions, covered separately in the Miami guide. Readers interested in how local volunteers relate to formal resettlement organizations can also follow the national explainer below.
Follow the story
Explore the original reporting and organizational records:
Selected local stories, not a complete account of the state. Events and figures refer to the periods stated above. Check directly with organizations for current services.