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CAN
CAN
  • The Opportunity Divide
  • Solutions
    • Civic Roots
    • Ready Together
    • Village Power
    • Earth and Equity
    • St. Thomas Recovery Cafe'
    • CAN Academy
  • News and Blog
  • Get Involved
  • More
    • The Opportunity Divide
    • Solutions
      • Civic Roots
      • Ready Together
      • Village Power
      • Earth and Equity
      • St. Thomas Recovery Cafe'
      • CAN Academy
    • News and Blog
    • Get Involved
  • The Opportunity Divide
  • Solutions
    • Civic Roots
    • Ready Together
    • Village Power
    • Earth and Equity
    • St. Thomas Recovery Cafe'
    • CAN Academy
  • News and Blog
  • Get Involved

Our HisStory

Ab-Raheem Muhammad’s life was cut short far too soon. At just 24 years old, he was navigating mental health challenges, substance use, and housing instability—barriers that too many young people face without the support they need. He dreamed of creating a children’s shoe brand, building a better life, and giving back to his community. He loved kids. He dreamed big. And he deserved more time.


His loss changed everything.


In 2014, his sister Iffat Walker turned her grief into purpose and founded Community Action NOW! (CAN)—a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the systemic cycles that keep families trapped in poverty. What began as a deeply personal response to loss has become a powerful movement to restore hope, healing, and justice.


At CAN, we know that poverty is not just about income, it’s about access, opportunity, and systems that were never built to serve everyone equally. It shows up in the lack of mental health support, unsafe housing, environmental harm, trauma, and economic isolation. These challenges don’t just hold people back, they can steal their futures.

That’s why we take a holistic approach. Through trauma-informed recovery programs, youth leadership initiatives, disaster preparedness, civic engagement, and environmental justice, we work alongside communities to build real pathways to stability and self-sufficiency.


We do this work in Raheem’s name, and in honor of every life cut short by circumstances they didn’t choose. Every son and daughter deserves the chance to thrive, not just survive.


This is our story. And it’s still being written—with love, with courage, and with community.


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