The Indo American Charity Foundation 2013 Board of Directors, standing from left) Jawahar Malhotra, Abhijit Gadgil, Mahendra Jain, Murthy Divakaruni (President), Ramesh Cherivirala, Prem Cholia, Ajay Jain, and Surender Talwar. Seated from left, Anu Bala, Alpa Shah, Kamala Raghavan, Vanitha Pothuri, Ritu Raju and Anjali Sharma
We Live Here, We Give Here 25th Annual IACF Gala Raises $220,000 to Benefit Pivotal Humanitarian Causes The Indo American Charity Foundation (IACF) pulled out all the stops and eloquently reiterated its catchphrase We Live Here, We Give Here, by raising $220,000 for local philanthropic causes at a grand annual gala banquet held on September 21, 2013. The event, held at the Hilton Americas, drew a capacity audience from the diverse local communities who also celebrated the organization’s 25th year since its inception in 1988. Murthy Divakaruni, President of IACF, lauded the Indo American community’s generosity over the years, and told gatherees that funds will be channeled towards education, the wellbeing and safety of women and children, the underprivileged, for disaster relief, and health care initiatives. Non-profit beneficiary partners include Asians Against Domestic Abuse, Daya Inc., Houston Area Women’s Center, SEARCH, Star of Hope, Teach for America, UNICEF, and Meals on Wheels/Interfaith Ministries, to name a few. Serving as honorary gala chairs were Manmeet Likhari, Nidhika Mehta, Leena Shah, and Nandita Parvathaneni. Dr. Vinod Bhuchar, a founder member of IACF, told of the birth of the organization; saddened by the desperate plight of a patient who ate dog food for sustenance, he gathered together a
24
few friends from the Indian community and began to raise funds for the underprivileged and poverty stricken. The first meeting held at Maharaja Restaurant, with Bhuchar’s fellow founders Vijay Bhuchar, Prita and Biki Mohindra, Rasika and Ramesh Dhekne, Anita and Arvind Bhandari, Neelima and Manoj Vakil, Madhu and Bhupat Vachhani, Manju and Satish Jhingran, and Sunita and Suresh Moonat in attendance, garnered $10,000. Over the years, IACF has gained recognition and respect as an innovative force in fundraising for humanitarian causes. During dinner by Daawat Caterers, guests were privy to a fashion show with models walking down the ramp attired in resplendent Indian ethnic wear created by Houston-based designers Noureen Dhanani, Simran Rihal, and Almas Tejani. Singers Mahalakshmi Krishnan, a rising star vocalist both here and in India, and Deep Bhattacharya regaled the audience with a music program. Ramesh Cherivirala will succeed Divakaruni as President of IACF for 2014. www.iacfhouston.com