Who we are
An independent parent organization, built into the school's own bylaws — with a seat on the board and a simple mission: show up for our kids.
Mission
A father-led culture of servant leadership — intentional with our children, with other fathers, and within our community.
The Universal School Fathers' Club is a father-led effort creating simple ways for fathers to be intentional with their children, with other fathers, and within their community. Our mission is to be the best to our children and families as our Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) taught us: “The best of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my family.”
The Fathers' Club welcomes those who identify personally with our culture. We want our fathers and our children to uphold Islamic morals: kindness, charity, forgiveness, honesty, patience, justice, respecting parents and elders, keeping promises, and controlling anger; having the love of God and those God loves; and having the love of His messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him) and of the believers.
Holding onto these morals is one of the most important components of creating a compelling culture that lasts. The Fathers' Club culture isn't just lived by its members — we want all fathers in our community to experience our servant leadership culture. Our process focuses on our core values:
We serve the school administration, the teachers, the students, our families, and each other for the sake of Allah (swt). Al-Mughira said that the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to such an extent that his feet became swollen. On being asked why he did this when his former and latter sins had been forgiven, he replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant?” We favor servanthood and will proudly serve our children's school and community.
Whatever we do, we do with excellence. We desire to excel in speech, in knowledge, in actions, in worship, and in obedience to Allah (swt). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said about excellence: “It is to worship Allah (swt) as if you can see Him, for although you cannot see Him, He can see you.” We act with excellence toward our children and spouses knowing that only Allah sees our actions at home.
We teach our children and others by our actions. Actions speak louder than words. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The most perfect believer in respect of faith is he who is best of them in manners. We teach by example and pray that our children will inherit the best of our manners and the best of our character.
One of the most important blessings we have is the sense of hearing. We must hear each other with purpose. Listening to our children's needs and being there for them will give them comfort and security. We must lecture our children less and listen to them more by hearing with purpose.
We strive to be truthful, trustworthy, and sincere and want our children to follow suit. We hold ourselves accountable daily, and when challenges come in our lives, we are prepared for them because we expect goodness from Allah. Jabir said he heard God's messenger say three days before his death, “See that none of you dies without having good expectations from God.” When our children make mistakes we don't immediately overreact. We stay patient, we work with them, and we teach them to know that Allah will provide us all with a good outcome if we put our trust in Him.
We are in a time where being patient upon our religion is like holding onto a burning ember. This is even more true for our children's generation. It is difficult for many of us and for many of our youth. We each establish prayer and give zakat, and we promote a positive character, cleanliness, positive behavior, and positive desires — and we speak out against evil character, evil actions, and evil desires.
We are blessed to have our children enrolled in a private Islamic school. It is a testament to how we value the upbringing of our children in an Islamic environment. We spend more from what we have lawfully earned, seeking the pleasure of Allah and knowing that He knows our sacrifice. We spend quality one-on-one time with each of our children, knowing that as long as we do our part and sincerely put in the effort, Allah will reward us the day that we meet Him.
Governance
The 2026-27 Parent Handbook establishes two parent groups at Universal: the Mothers' Club and the Fathers' Club. It makes the president of each club an automatic voting member of the school board.
Those presidents are elected annually by the parents. In other words, this is not a booster sideline. It is a body the school's own handbook seats at the table where decisions get made, refreshed by an election every year.
The club's by-laws go further. They name the executive committee — president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, moderator, and a member at large — elected annually at the last meeting of the year, with a three-term limit on the same office. They keep the money honest by design, too: every dollar the club raises is deposited in the school's own general account, and the club holds no authority to bank separately. Read the by-laws in full.
Sources: 2026-27 Parent Handbook, published by Universal School (universalschool.org), and the club's by-laws.
The record
Not a wish list. A track record the school calendar and the school's own Facebook page can vouch for.
The club meets through the school year in the Multi-Purpose Room, with eight dates on the 2026-27 calendar. Grants decisions, game-night planning, and service sign-ups all happen at these tables.
Every Ramadan the club hosts the Community Iftar: the evening the whole school community eats together in the MPR. This year's is Feb 23, on the school calendar.
The club's signature mornings: breakfast with your kid at the school before the day starts. Both breakfasts are long-running traditions on the club calendar, and they start the habit younger than anything else we run.
From Coloring with Baba for the youngest Stars to family game night and workshops, the club runs the low-stakes evenings where Universal families actually get to know each other.
Most recently this past spring, the club hosted the school's Teacher Appreciation Week lunch, and the school's Facebook page thanked the club for it publicly. It is on the list of things this club simply does.
The barbecue fundraiser is a tradition going back years: the club ran an all-school barbecue fundraiser in 2014, on the blacktop, and feeding the school community at a club-hosted barbecue remains one of the club's oldest jobs.
Meetings
The full 2026-27 slate, verified from the school's public calendar. Doors open to any father who walks in.
Dates are the club's 2026-27 meetings from the school's public calendar; the Community Iftar falls on Feb 23.
Officers
The club's 2026-27 executive committee — the officers who run the monthly meetings, the budget, and the year's events.
Member at large: to be announced.
The president's board seat is the part that matters: under the school's handbook, the club's president is an automatic voting member of the Universal School board, so every concern fathers raise at these tables has a vote behind it.
Independence and contact
The Fathers Club is independent of the school's administration and of this website's builder. This site is the club's working home; it is not the official Universal School website (that's universalschool.org).
To reach the school directly: Universal School, 7350 W 93rd St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, main office (708) 599-4100. The office can point you to a club officer.
Student Council
A Student Council initiative — separate from Fathers Club membership.
One of the Student Council’s goals this year is to build a network of past Universal School students for the betterment of our present Universal School students. Together, we can build a brighter future for our school community, inshallah.
