This Month’s News: CHI to honor Chandrika Tandon and Bob Roth at Upcoming Gala

At the annual CHI Gala, which attracts over 500 people, we recognize top leaders for their excellence in leadership, philanthropy and support of social causes. This year we are delighted to felicitate Chandrika K. Tandon, Grammy-nominated artist, humanitarian, and business leader as the 2017 Lotus Award honoree.

Ms. Tandon is a leader in the worlds of business, education, and the arts, dedicated to public service. After a trailblazing corporate career with her financial advisory firm, she is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York University; Chair of NYU's President's Global Council, Chair of the Board of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and serves on the Boards of the NYU School of Business, and Medicine.

Chandrika has received the Gallatin Medal, NYU's highest honor for outstanding contributions to society; the Walter Nichols Medal for leadership and integrity; and the Polytechnic Medal for her involvement in science and engineering.

She is a member of the Board of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, and the President's Councils at both Yale University and the Berklee College of Music. Additionally, The Berklee Tandon Global clinics connect world-class music faculty from the US to other countries.

Chandrika is a Grammy-nominated composer and singer, trained by masters in Hindustani, Carnatic, South American, and Jazz traditions. She has a new album being released in September 2017 called "Shivoham- The Quest", a musical expression of a journey towards Love Light Laughter; a universal journey she dedicates to seekers of the light everywhere and the teachers that guide their path.

Our Making a Difference Honoree will be Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation and Transcendental Meditation teacher for 45 years.  Bob Roth is one of the most experienced and sought-after meditation teachers in America. Over the past 40 years, Bob has taught Transcendental Meditation to many thousands of people and authored an authoritative book on the subject, fittingly entitled, Transcendental Meditation, which has been translated into 20 languages.

Bob currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the David Lynch Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity which has brought meditation to over 500,000 inner-city youth in underserved schools in 35 countries, to veterans and their families who suffer from post-traumatic stress, and women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Bob also directs the Center for Leadership Performance, another nonprofit, which is bringing meditation to Fortune 100 companies, government organizations, and non-profit charities. Bob is the host of the Sirius XM radio show, “Success Without Stress” and has spoken about meditation to industry leaders at such gatherings as Google Zeitgeist, Aspen Ideas Festival, Wisdom2.0, and Summit.

Support CHI with Amazon Smile

CHI has linked with Amazon Smile so that you can now transform your Amazon account into a regular donation vehicle for CHI.  Every time you use Amazon, a portion will be donated to Children’s Hope India.  Click here to visit Amazon Smile. 

Upcoming Events

September 10th - CH3 Chipotle Fundraiser
September 17th – CH3 Walk-a-thon
October 28th – 25th Anniversary Gala
November 28th – Giving Tuesday

October 28th Gala
Please join us on Saturday, October 28, 2017 for our largest annual fundraising event to help provide life-enriching resources to children in India.  Sponsorship opportunities are now available.  Please click here for more information.  Sponsor, buy tickets, or purchase a journal ad for the CHI Gala today!

Featured Program: The Jagati School in Jammu

In 2016, the poor conditions existing at the Government Middle School at Jagati, in Jammu, were brought to the attention of Children’s Hope India.  The school is for class one through class eight and serves 150 children of the refugees residing in Jagati camp and its neighbors.  There was no drinking water, toilet facilities, or electricity, and no funding for extra-curricular activities, books and uniforms, or a quality mid-day meal.  In partnership with the Sharika Charitable Trust, SCT, (a three-year commitment to start), CHI set out to make several improvements to the physical facilities as well as improve the quality of education imparted to the children. 

With CHI’s support, the facilities were upgraded and the school’s enrollment increased from barely 40 children to 170 children.  A mid-day meal program was started, as well as a tuition/homework completion program.  As of June 2017, a new headmaster was hired, as well as four new teachers (on top of the eight existing teachers).  Following the school’s opening after the summer holidays on July 18th, additional enhancements were added to the program including: organizing a small function on Independence Day (August 15th), a computer lab with a dedicated computer teacher, and a nursery playground (following minor construction work and landscaping improvements).

The efforts of CHI and SCT have also resulted in increased community goodwill.   The community has begun to take ownership of the new school, and the local government has even begun to support the initiative! 

CHI Board of Directors and Staff
Maya Rajani, President
Dina Pahlajani, M.D., Co-President
Sagorica Rudra, Secretary
Nisha Bharwani , Treasurer
Kavita Lund
Lavina Melwani
Kavita Gugnani
Radha Vanjani
J. Nami Kaur

Karen Flyer, Executive Director
Aarti Doshi, Donor Relations
Mimi Chan, Marketing Assistant
Sunita Manjrekar, Coordinator of  US Projects

CHI Advisory Board
Mohit Assomull
Ravi Akhoury
Madhur Jaffrey
Tinku Jain
Bhushan Khashu, M.D.
Poonam Khubani
Prakash Melwani
Raju Mirchandani
Daryl Rand
Sunil Sani
Sarat Sethi
Haresh Tharani

In the News: Sunita Manjrekar, CHI Coordinator of NY Projects, Joins Hicksville School Board

CHI is proud to announce that Sunita Manjrekar, Coordinator of NY Projects for Children’s Hope India, joined the Hicksville Public School Board of Education on July 1, 2017, and will serve a three-year term.

Sunita spearheaded the committee that worked on making Diwali a holiday in the Hicksville School District.  She presented to the board a unique perspective from the student’s point of view of the importance of having Diwali as a holiday so that students would not have to make the difficult choice of missing out on celebrating an important festival with family and friends or missing a school day in order to observe the holiday.  A child each from Elementary, Middle and High School presented in front of the school board.  Sunita is the first person of Indian descent to serve on the board. 

Sunita is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) with over 17 years of experience and proven leadership specializing in the field of substance abuse and workforce development.  She has also worked on behalf of the Nassau County Department of Social Services (NCDSS), where she developed innovative programs to help the public assistance population achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence.  Please join us in congratulating Sunita!

CH2 Corner

Thank you to all who joined us at the CH2 Summer Soiree on August 9th at The Time Hotel New York and supported Children’s Hope India!  Over 80 people attended, and approximately $5,000 was raised for CHI’s education programs: taking children from the streets into classrooms and transitioning them into the public schools. 

For Children’s Hope, supporting education is not just about literacy; it is about nurturing and opening new horizons.  The organization supports two schools in Hyderabad and are opening a CHI Girls Academy in Bhopal.  Approximately a dozen projects in India are focused around both formal and informal education for children.  Additionally, CHI funds several local after-school programs for underprivileged children on Long Island.

As the next generation of CHI, the junior board, CH2, strives to expand the organization’s legacy and reach out to and inspire young professionals to become Children’s Hope supporters. A dedicated team, CH2 members identify new initiatives, create awareness, and raise funds by holding events. CH2 not only educates young professionals about its mission but also encourages them to volunteer and get involved with the organization.

To learn more about CH2, please click here.

Volunteer / Staff Spotlight: Aarti Kamat

Children’s Hope India would like to extend our deepest thanks and gratitude to Aarti Kamat for her work with CHI both on the luncheon committee and as one of the parent leaders of CH3, the teen leadership team. 

Aarti has devoted her time and her skills to the organization for the past nine years, having initially become involved in the planning of the annual spring luncheon (her husband Anil serves as financial advisor to CHI).  A few years later, her oldest daughter Karishma became one of the founding members of CH3, and Aarti’s role expanded to include mentorship of this newly formed group of teens. 

Originally from Bombay, Aarti attended college in London where she studied fashion merchandise and design.  She moved to the U.S. 21 years ago, and became involved in merchandising, PR and then in the semi-precious jewelry industry.  This background, combined with her drive and passion, has made her an invaluable asset to the organization.

CH3 Corner

Become a sponsor today for our CH3 Walk-a-thon, Sunday, September 17, 2017 at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow (Dogwood Picnic Area, Parking Field #1).  Join our teen leaders as we raise funds to send underprivileged children on Long Island to summer camp.

You can help support the cause by:

- Becoming a sponsor. Please download a PDF of our sponsorship form or become a sponsor online.
- Registering to attend the walk-a-thon, either as an individual or with a team (community service hours are provided to high school students who attend or volunteer).
- Making a donation to Children’s Hope India, and helping underprivileged children in the New York Metropolitan Area and in India progress from poverty to prosperity.

Sponsorship deadline is August 30th so be sure to sign up today (details are below). Register now to attend the event!  $20 in advance, or $25 the day of the event.

Come support the mission of Children's Hope and celebrate the organization's accomplishments with DJ Sharad and MC Marco Glorious from the Wendy Williams Show!  Arrive by 10am to join in our dance warm up by Namrata Bajaj (bnbdanceny), get your free swag (Children's Hope backpacks), and participate in our raffle.  

Our theme this year is CH3 Be Your Own Superhero, understanding that underprivileged children in India and even here in our own backyard have had to be their own superheroes all their lives.  COME IN COSTUME AND GET FREE RAFFLE TICKETS!  Either as your favorite superhero, or create your own version - if YOU were a superhero, what would YOUR superpower be?

For more information about the CH3 Walk-a-thon, please contact Karen Flyer, Executive Director of CHI, at Karen@childrenshopeindia.org or 516-500-7CHI.

To learn more about CH3, please click here.

CH3 Chipotle Fundraiser

Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support Children's Hope-CH3. Come in to the Chipotle at 380 State Route 3 in Clifton, NJ on Sunday, September 10th between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. Bring in the attached flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to CH3.

Please donate now to Children's Hope India or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and LinkedIn.  Also, Like us if you enjoy the post or image that we've posted on social media.