2022 UMAS Annual Report

ANNUAL

Universal Metro Asian Services

Because taking care of our parents is UNIVERSAL

Years of Service

RESPECT

We acknowledge and respect differences in each other, and provide a safe, supportive environment in which all individuals and staff are valued, and encouraged to engage in open two-way communication.

DIGNITY

Dignity is the way in which people are physically treated. We treat clients with respect and privacy at all times. We understand the inherent value and worth of each person and that is seen in the care that we provide.

COMPASSION

Having compassion gives us the ability to understand the suffering of other people and the desire to alleviate that suffering.

Our Company

Who We Are

Universal Metro Asian Services (UMAS) has been providing Homecare and Adult Day Care services in the Chicagoland area for over 30 years! Our aim is to serve immigrant populations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe. For the past three decades we have been at the forefront of meeting the requirements of the South Asian immigrant community and have since evolved to serve all communities. UMAS is an equal opportunity employer.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide the highest possible quality homecare and adult daycare services that are tailored individually to our client’s needs in regards to culture, language and food habits. Our aim is to ensure that every client ages gracefully with the dignity and the respect they so truly deserve while maintaining their independence in their own home.

Our Story

When Mrs. Santosh Kumar migrated to America in 1985, she was amazed to see how much America had to offer. However, she was shocked to see there were elderly being neglected. Mrs. Kumar knew something had to be done about this. Immigrant families were having a tough time taking care of their elderly. They were working full-time, looking after their children, all while attempting to assimilate to the American culture. There was no outlet for these ethnic populations when it came to homecare. The Homecare industry in Chicagoland was not understanding of the cultural aspects/needs of the immigrant populations for it to be truly effective. Mrs. Kumar knew she could not see the South Asian elderly in her community suffer the way that they were so she set out on a mission to make a difference in their lives by applying for the Homecare Program from the State of Illinois. She was contracted by the State in 1993 but didn’t stop there. She added Public Benefits, Social Services, Nutrition Programs, Educational & Health Research shortly after that. In 2006, she started Adult Day Care Services to transport seniors that were neglected when their children went to work. Homecare grew to 14 locations and Adult Day Care is currently offered at 6 centers.

ADVOCACY

Advocacy ensures that people have their voice heard on issues that are important to them as well as access to information and services.

Executive Director’s Statement

At this time last year, we had just emerged from a period darkened by a global pandemic. Programs and services started to open bringing normalcy with caution for the lives of seniors, the most vulnerable population.

As we have witnessed, 2021 presented many of the same challenges as 2020 but despite the external environment, we at UMAS remain focused on our strategic program objectives. We successfully updated our facilities and implemented new technology to provide a safe & healthy environment for our seniors as well as to staff members, who worked very hard to provide hope & comfort to Homecare & Adult Daycare participants against all odds.

The year 1992 is where it all comes together! The years of working to the sunrise and burning the midnight oil. The planning and pivoting. The raising and rejoicing led to success. Success has led to this moment when it all fell in place. This year is a very special year for UMAS as we have completed 30 years of providing various social & community services with the help of pillars, dedicated staff members, and thousands of trained caregivers.

We started with a two-room office space which has now expanded into 14 centers well equipped with modern technology to take on challenges such as the one we have just faced. In fact, UMAS has changed the scenario of social services, for over 30 years as we served over 20,000 people, providing more than 50+ million hours of home care services, 10 million hours of Adult Daycare services, and a total of 660 thousand meals. During the pandemic time alone, we served 62,000 meals annually.

I often wonder what drives us to continue day after day and year after year to work in the most difficult and draining settings yet be persistent and keep at it. I am sure that those reading this have faced many similar days as I have. Days when we return home and can barely move. Days when we are too tired to cook or even eat anything or days when there is absolutely nothing left to give to our family. Yet, somehow, in some way we continue to do what we love to do, help, and serve the needy and destitute.

I am a fortunate legal/social worker who had a very kindhearted, supportive, and cooperative husband, the late Mr. Kumar. He never expected me to cook dinner or take care of my boys when they were growing up. This gave me an opportunity to develop UMAS into a national industry. I was able to grow leaders and connections within the community and serve seniors.

I want to know why other social workers do this job, and why they remain in the field. Here is why I do it. For me, this work is not really a job. It is something I cannot stop doing as the weeping eyes of my people (clients) have a hold on me. I feel I have no choice but to give them hope, a solution they expect from me. They fondly call me ‘The Mother Teressa of Chicago’ trusting me to make the impossible, possible. This faith in me alone propels my journey to serve them with passion every day for all these years. It is god’s calling destined for me. My sons Sagar and Prashant (Kumar brothers) have also started their journey to serve you in the same way. They will also hang on and continue to do what I did to serve the community and will keep in legacy going forever.

Executive Director

Thank you for wholeheartedly being a part of the UMAS team to serve the community. We are looking forward to doing much more in 2022.

Board of Directors

Our board routinely give their time and money to organizations that fight to help strengthen the South Asian community here in Chicago.

Universal Metro Asian Services would be nothing if it were not for their time, talent, goodwill and support.

Dr. Santosh Kumar Executive Director

Dr. Firdaus Jafri, DDS President

Mr. Sagar Kumar Treasurer

Mr. Prashant Kumar Secretary

Mr. Nikunj Baxi Board Member

2021 Picnic

On a bright and sunny Saturday morning of August 28th, 2021, our ‘Family Day” picnic took place at Busse Woods, Arlington Heights, IL. We celebrated and gave thanks to our Front-line Workers, our very own Home Care Aides and their families. Close to 800 people registered to enjoy this long-anticipated event. Management always makes vigorous arrangements meticulously paying attention to all details to make sure there is abundant picnic food, games for adults and children including bounce castles, giant Jenga, giant connect 4, arcade shootout basketball, a photo booth, corn hole, soak ‘n’ wet, tug of war, a piñata, volleyball, a performance by The Amazing Gary (Magician), and face painting by very our artist, Eva Contractor.

There was a variety of cuisines like Italian, Indian, Mexican, watermelon, etc. The highlights were the two ice cream vans that distributed various ice-creams non-stop.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy, Representative Michelle Mussman, Mayor of Schaumburg, Tom Dailly, and Mayor of Hanover Park, Rodney Craig joined our picnic. All of them spoke and praised the management of UMAS who graciously planned the picnic for the HCAs! They were pleased with what we do for the community and urged us to continue our services to serve the seniors all 365 days during the Pandemic.

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE

AWILDA GONZALEZ Award for Pillar of UMAS

DALAL Leadership Award

DIPTI SHAH Manager of the Year

HITANSHU RAMI Initiative of the Year

SHILPA DOSHI Supervisor of the Year

RUTU SHAH Most Improved Supervisor

BHUMI PATEL Best File Work

NAMITA MATHUR ADS Staff of the Year

RAHINDER SINGH Cook of the Year

JAGDISH Z PATEL Driver of the Year

LAGDHIRSINH CHUDASAMA Driver of the Year

SHILPA PATEL Support Staff of the Year

Pillars of UMAS

Dr. Santosh Kumar Executive Director

Mr. Prashant Kumar IT Director

Mr. Sagar Kumar Operations Director

Jahnavi Bavisi Mental Health

Dahyabhai Patel Nutrition

Harivadan Patel Billing

Pankaj Patel Relation - Outreach

Dipti Shah ADS

Promila Mehta Social Services

Khyati Dave Intake

Prem Jalota Home Care

Zareen Ahmed Accounting

Nijunj Baxi Board Member

Awilda Gonzalez Program Management

Firdaus Jafri President

Private Home Care

delivering

Private home care is a custom client-based program. All individual clients or their families have an opportunity to customize the hours and services based on their health condition, budget, and preferences in the selection of a home service worker. We have all staff members and home service workers well-trained to play a vital role in taking care of clients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, depression, or any other acute or chronic illnesses. A client utilizes their saved income or asset to cover the cost of care services. Private pay is also known as “pay out-of-pocket”.

Services Provided

Assistance in the activities of daily living (ADL)

Promoting safety and well-being

Outside of home services

Supervision and companionship services

2022 Awards

Leadership Award Nazima Ansari

Honoring those who best exemplify the values of UMAS and have made significant contributions to our mission to serve humanity

Employee of the Year Jigna Shah

Honoring those who best exemplify the values of UMAS and have made significant contributions to our mission to serve humanity

Mital Patel Manager of the Year

Nazia Islam Initiative of the Year

Jasmine Albert Supervisor of the Year

Raina Samnani Most Improved Supervisor

Rosa Gonzalez Best File Work

Grishma Shah ADS Staff of the Year

Nayanaben Patel Kitchen Staff of the Year

Darshan Patel Support Staff of the Year

Bhavna Master Driver of the Year

Ilyas Patel Driver of the Year

Adult Day Care Client Of The Year

SHIVIJI SHER ALI Chicago

Mr. Shiviji Sher Ali was born in 1939 in India. He moved to Pakistan after the partition. He was a driver by profession and did his best to provide a good education and values to his children. They are now in the medical field. In 2008 he immigrated to the US to live with his children. With their busy lives and his retirement, he became lonely at home. He joined Universal Industries in November 2008. He is very active and walks at least 2 miles per day. He keeps himself socially engaged and participates in activities. He loves coming to ADS and is a big fan of the food.

SUMAN PATEL Vernon Hills

Suman Patel has been our ADS client for a long time. She loves to socialize with all the seniors and enjoys participating in all ADS activities including chair exercises. She likes the ADS program and is thankful to Mrs. Kumar for that. She shows her appreciation by giving donations so all seniors can keep on having a good time here.

RASILA KANSARA Orland Park

Rasila Kansara is from India, and lives with her son in Tinley Park. She recently lost her husband. She is always smiling, and happy and enjoys helping others. She appreciates the work done by the employees at the center. She is proud to be a member of our senior center and is thankful to Mrs. Kumar.

MIRA MEHTA Naperville

Ms. Mira Mehta was born in Bhavnagar on 9/30/1935 and lived her post-married life in Bombay. She is a multifaceted versatile personality. She was involved in various stage activities along with her job as a salesperson. She moved to the USA in 2015 permanently and started ADS in 2017. She feels that she has got her stage life back after joining our ADS. She performs in all activities like festivals & birthday celebrations, and spiritual or outing events. Even though she has many physical limitations her presence makes any event energetic. At the age of 87 years, her enthusiasm is an inspiration to us all.

SANTABEN ZAVERI Niles

Zaveri Shantaben, born on 1926 is the most senior client in the Niles location. Even at the age of 96, it is her enthusiasm, positivity, and energy that keep her active and strong, which helped her go through the pandemic. Because of her fun-loving personality, she takes interest in all the ADS activities conducted in the center and loves dancing at any time.

JAYESH DESAI Schaumburg

Mr. Jayesh Desai has been attending our Schaumburg ADS program since 2016. He is involved in all activities and participates in most of the stage performances. He writes and directs almost all stage dramas and scripts. He helps audition characters for the dramas. Some of his remarkable plays include “Sarhad” on a surgical strike, “Roshni” for Father’s Day, and “Ba” on Mother’s Day.

Homecare Aide of the Year

NAME LOCATION

Mazgaldzieva, Fatme (1719) Chicago Patel, Sabera (3164) Chicago Shaheen, Begum (3665) Chicago Ahmed, Roshan (7437) Chicago Patel, Neetaben (5528) Elgin Massey, Nusrat (7197) Elgin Lamberty, Eileen (6242) Elgin Rathod, Chandrikaben (3787) Niles Gandhi, Kalpana (4535) Niles Patel, Hansa (5187) Niles Carrero, Joyce A (8896) Orland Park Soni, Parulben (6474) Orland Park Joshi Pragna (5921) Schaumburg PB Martinez Jose (4862) Schaumburg PB Patel Kalpanaben (7304) Schaumburg PB Kailey, Harjit (4959) Vernon Hills Devi,Usha (5471) Vernon Hills Doshi, Renuka (4087) Naperville Gonzalez, Alicia (7724) Naperville Jabbin, Farrukh (3175) Naperville Patel, Kantilal (4523) Naperville Patel, Bhagavtibahen (2359) Carol Stream Shiakh, Maherunnisa (5555) Carol Stream Mithapara, Harshaben (5613) Carol Stream Gandhi, Kaminiben (7528) Carol Stream

Our Services

UMAS offers two main services to the elderly population. One is In Homecare Services (IHS) and the other is Adult Day Care Services (ADS). We have 12 office locations around Chicagoland and a 40+ fleet of vehicles that help us provide services to the elderly.

Homecare Program

As you get older maintaining your independence and living in your own home can become near impossible as everyday chores become more & more difficult. Our homecare program helps you keep your independence from the privacy & comfort of your own home. We match families with caregivers that share your culture and create a care plan built around your needs. We want you to be able to live in your home comfortably, for as long as possible, without the burdensome costs of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

With over 2,700 highly trained staff, we can find the one that will become like family to you. Our caregivers assist with chores around the house including cooking, shopping, personal grooming, and transportation to medical appointments, when necessary.

Why Choose Us?

Highly trained and professional 24 hours of pre-employment trainings are mandatory along with semi-annual(2) trainings every year

We are unique and local with 12 centers, in 291 villages, getting in touch with us has never been easier

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

60 years or older

Physically challenged

Illinois resident and US Citizen or Green card holder

Applied for Medicaid

We are licensed, insured and bonded The Illinois Department of Aging and Public Health have certified our agency

We speak your language Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Nepali, Spanish and Bosnian to name a few

For more information please call 866-330-8627 or visit us on the web at umasinc.com

Adult Day Care Program

Getting older doesn’t mean being lonely or slowing down. Your golden years can be a great time! Our adult day care centers provide a venue for the elderly to get involved in structured and fun-filled activities. We provide breakfast, hot lunch, and snacks to our participants. On-site medical monitoring is available by trained nurses. Yoga & fitness sessions, health education, and seminars, recreational activities, and round-trip transportation services from their home to the centers by our experienced drivers are also available free of charge for those who qualify. Come join the party at one of our 6 convenient Chicagoland locations.

Our ADS Coordinators are specially trained to take care of the elderly. We also have a nurse on staff at every location for regular checkups and in case any emergency should arise. A typical day at UMAS begins with the Morning Prayer and exercise to refresh the body and the soul which is followed by a healthy breakfast. Seniors then read newspapers, arts & crafts, or solve puzzles based on their interests. A nutritious lunch is served every day in our kitchen which is followed by hearty discussions over any topic of interest. Seniors can either play games or watch television based on their interests. The day ends with evening tea and snacks and everybody parts with a promise to meet the next day. We also provide transportation free of charge as a service.

Door to Door Transportation

We provide door to door pick-up and drop-off services in comfortable vans and curb to curb assistance by our drivers for our participants. read newspapers, arts & crafts, or solve puzzles based on

UMAS has shown consistent growth year-over-year and continually finds new ways to be innovative even in this most difficult year. This year we focused on technology and controlled systems to become more agile. We also increased rates and provided PPE for our Caregivers to support and protect them during the pandemic.

The numbers below reflect our Fiscal Year 2021-2022.

Funding Utilization

As a Provider in the Homecare Network of the Illinois Department of Aging (IDOA), we are required to meet strict fiscal guidelines. One of the most important guidelines is to ensure that the majority of funding received is used for Direct Service cost which goes directly to our homecare aides.

Fleet GrowthEmployment Opportunities

One of the more overlooked services we provide is that of employment opportunities. Over the last 30 years we have trained and educated thousands of employees. For many immigrants, we have been their first experience in the U.S. job market because of cultural and language barriers many have used the skills learned at UMAS to propel their careers.

our Adult Day Care Program continues to expand new vehicles to transport seniors need to be added to our fleet regularly. Last year alone, our Drivers

over 1,057,763 miles total!

New Texas Location

Exciting things are happening at UMAS, and we want to share some important news with you. Over the years, we have had people requesting us to offer our services in different parts of the country.

After working with states for more than one year and seeing the need to expand our services we are proud to announce that we are getting bigger and have started our new location in Texas. By popular demand from people for the expansion of our services, here we are now coming to Texas. This is our first out-of-state progress, and we are very excited about this journey. We will continue to offer the same friendly service at our new address on 3200 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75062, which will allow us to offer non-Medical In-Home Services for adults.

The location is already open, and we are staffing up in Texas. If you know anyone looking for the opportunity can contact our corporate office on 847-306-7606.

Due to our remarkable growth in the Chicagoland area, we look forward to offering our services to many more locations/states in the United States.

Paper vs. Plastic

The accounts payable process can be tedious for a small business and can increase in complexity the more locations your business has and who the paying authorities are. For many small businesses, Credit Cards, Checks, and Petty Cash, are all in-house and authorized by a single person. This halts business as everyone and everything must go through the same person or persons for payment/approval. Even when a small business starts using credit cards, opening accounts or changing budgets requires a long process that involves the Card Holders SSN and a personal guarantee. Management of these credit cards become an even larger task including tracking down receipts and trying to categorize expenses at the end of the month when your employees should be focused on their day-to-day obligations.

At UMAS, we knew there had to be a better way.

UMAS decided to work with Divvy Pay. Divvy lets you create Employee Credit cards on the fly, at zero expense without providing intrusive personal data. The Divvy platform is easy to use for both the cardholders and the accounting team, reducing the credit card reconciliation process from 3-5 days to less than one. You can add employee cards, change employee budgets, categorize transactions, add receipts, and request more funds, all in a matter of seconds. Another feature is virtual credit cards that you can create and use for a particular vendor or location or type of expense or any combination. The best part is it is directly syncing to our Accounting Software in real-time.

Staff

MANAGER

Shrenik Dalal Promila Mehta

CCP SUPERVISORS

Elnas Topic - Lead Smitesh Shah - Lead Amela Bicic Shilpy Verma Anthony Rathod Jasmina Halilovic Nazia Islam Shaista Sultana Shilpy Verma

ADULT DAY CARE

Pankaj Patel - Coordinator Jagruti Jagatia - Coordinator Mamta Kataria - Coordinator Tazneem Shaista - Registered Nurse

SUPPORT STAFF

Huma Arther - Receptionist

Jashandeep Kaur - Receptionist Elizabeth Flores

KITCHEN

Dahyabhai Patel - Manager

Vijay Bhandari - Senior Cook Sumitraben Patel - Senior Cook Davinder Kaur - Cook Nayanaben Patel - Cook

DRIVERS/ADS AIDES

Lagdhirsinh Chudasama Viram Karadavara Govindbhai Patel Kirankumar Patel

Shrenik Dalal Branch Manager

Shrenik Dalal is the manager of our Chicago location since 2017. Shrenik was born and raised in Gujarat, India. He migrated to the US in 1980. He has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Business from India. He joined Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 1981 and worked there for 22 years. He also worked in the real estate industry for 12 years. His experience, ethics and organizational skills are an asset to our company. He is involved in managing various MAFS and UMAS programs in Chicago along with implementing all office procedures to ensure smooth operation in our busy work environment. His handson experience and vision help him to be the successful person he is today. His goal is to bring joy and happiness in every senior participant at the Universal Metro. He is happy and proud of his father who has been a content participant of UMAS!

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage Will

Cook

Staff MANAGER Jahnavi Bavisi

CCP SUPERVISORS

Pinesh Sheth Rutu Shah Suhani Khan

ADULT DAY CARE Bharatkumar Soni - Coordinator Santhima Pratheesh KumarCoordinator

SUPPORT STAFF Divyesh Pandya – Receptionist

KITCHEN Rajinder Singh- Kitchen Manager Gitaben Bodiwala – Cook Jayaben Bhavsar - Cook Tayyaba Bukhari - Cook

DRIVERS/ADS AIDES

Ilyas Patel

Janak Kumar Patel Mohammed Khan Bhavendra Bavda

Jahnavi Bavisi Branch Manager

Jahnavi Bavisi is a Manager at Universal Metro Asian Services and has been working with UMAS since 2004. Prior to working with UMAS she worked at College of DuPage as a Staff Service Supervisor. She started with UMAS as a computer teacher and prior to becoming a Manager she worked as a CCP Supervisor for several years. She is responsible for all office procedures, and uses her organizational skills to ensure smooth operations in a busy work environment. Her consistent and committed work ethics have contributed to her success at UMAS for the past 17 years. Jahnavi has created the best team under her exceptional training and supervision. Born and educated in Mumbai, India. She did her graduation in commerce from the Kandivali Education Society in 2001. Ms. Bavisi has a vision of inspiring others, and she sees her parents image in every senior and it gives her joy to serve them.

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage Will

Cook

MANAGER Dipti Shah Brijeshkumar Patel

ADULT DAY CARE

Evanjeline Contractor – Coordinator Heena Mehta – Coordinator Parul Shah - ADS Coordinator Jaishree Nagaraj – Field Supervisor Sandhya Shah - Nurse

SUPPORT STAFF Kalpana Patel – Receptionist Radhika Subramanian

KITCHEN Ramila Gandhi – Lead Cook Balvinder Kaur - Cook Jayshree Thakkar - Cook Sharmistha Patel – Cook Kiranben Patel - Cook

DRIVERS

Aijaz Rajper Abdul Masra Bharat Patel Nitin Desai Rafiq Shaikh Edmund Perry Prafulbhai Patel Bakul Patel Muhammad Shahzad Sanjay Patel Amit Chhatrapati Maheshbhai Patel

Dipti shah is the manager of our Naperville ADS location. Her journey started in Universal Metro Asian Services as CCP supervisor at the Elgin location in 2014. Then she joined the Carol Stream location as ADS coordinator. Dipti was born and raised in India. She migrated to the US in 1991. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Before working with UMAS, she worked in PartyLite from 1995-1999 as an assistant in the Logistics Department. Then she worked for a loan closing while raising her kids. Her hard work and supportive nature bring out the best in her. She is happy and proud to be in this organization and getting blessings from seniors every day.

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage Will

Cook

Naperville · Oswego · Lisle · Wheaton · Bolingbrook · Downers Grove · Oakbrook · Burr Ridge · Willowbrook · Clarendon Hills

Jigna Shah is a Manager at Universal Metro Asian Services and has been working with UMAS since 2014. She started as a CCP Supervisor and has risen to this position because of her strong potential. She manages 2 locations and is responsible for the daily activities of each department and ensures that all of them work to the best of their abilities. She uses her organizational skills to ensure smooth operation in a busy work environment.

Jigna was born and educated in Mumbai, India. She migrated to the US in 1995. She did her partial study in Mumbai and rest at Triton college in Chicago. She is receiving lots of appreciation from seniors for her service. She comes to work every morning with a smile on her face.

Mital Patel is the manager of our Schaumburg ADS location. She started at the Naperville location in 2015 as an ADS coordinator. I was born and raised in Gujarat, India. I graduated with a BSc in Microbiology from MB Patel Science College, Anand Gujarat. She has been working with seniors for the last 20-plus years. She has worked as a memory care director with seniors with memory loss and Dementia for 14 years. She is proud to be part of UMAS and has the opportunity to serve Indian community seniors, providing service to the senior citizens through her job gives her peace and joy.

DRIVERS

Jagdish Z

Manisha

Steven Nelson

Ibadatullah Shaikh

Ramanbhai Patel

Manishkumar Tharwani

Bharat N Patel

Mahendra Patel

Purvin Thakkar

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage

Staff

MANAGER

Prem Jalota

Sonal Raval - Asst. Manager

CCP SUPERVISORS

Bhavi Parekh

Bhumi Patel

Bhavi Kothari

SCHAUMBURG HOME CARE

DRIVERS

Ramesh Prajapati

Qamar Nizami

Asifiqbal Bobat Raju Patel

Prakashchandra Patel Jaweed Akbar

Prem Jalota Branch Manager

During his twenty-year career at UMAS he has managed several locations, including Roselle, Schaumburg, Elgin and Carol Stream, and has helped countless individuals and has received immense, immeasurable appreciation. He has truly lived up to the UMAS mission to “educate, counsel, assist and empower individuals and families”.  Mr. Jalota has led his life by example and has proven that regardless of age and background, as long as one works hard, is versatile, and willing to learn and help others, the sky is the limit. These qualities have led to his notable contributions toward the success of UMAS. His family in Chicago and in India is proud of his achievements and he serves as a role model for current and future generations.  We wish Mr. Jalota a healthy and happy life!

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage Will

Cook

Staff

MANAGER

Nazima Ansari

SUPERVISORS

Kinnari Desai - Lead

Thakkar

Vrunda Soni

SUPPORT STAFF

Monal Shah

DRIVERS

Nazima Ansari Branch Manager

Counties Served

Nazima Ansari joined Universal Industries, Inc. in June 2014 as a CCP Supervisor. She was responsible for over 125 clients and 85 Homecare Aides and helped to train new supervisors and others with vital roles throughout the company. Her main priority is always to keep clients and staff happy. This led to a promotion to Manager in July 2022 for the Elgin and Carol Stream locations. She is currently responsible for all day-to-day tasks at both locations and to ensure they are running smoothly. She works closely with the staff to maintain a positive environment and bring out the best of their abilities. As Nazima puts it; “I believe helping seniors through my work is a very rewarding task and I love seeing the joy and happiness on all their faces”.

SUPERVISORS

Boone Mchenry Lake

Kane Kendall

DuPage

Will

Cook

Santosh Kumar Executive Director

Mrs. Santosh Kumar is a counselor, attorney, professor, community leader, and businesswoman. She is popularly known as “Mother Teresa” of Chicago. Mrs. Kumar completed her Bachelor of Science in 1969, Bachelor of Law in 1972, and Master’s in Law from AMU in 1974. At the age of 22, she became an attorney. She was a professor of Law for 11 years at Jaipur University and finally migrated to the United States in 1985. She earned her Law Graduate degree from the US in 1989 and a Computer Desktop Publishing degree in 1992, practicing in Chicago in real Estate, Family Law & Immigration.

She is the founder and Executive Director of Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS) and Universal Metro Asian Services (UMAS), both working for the well-being of the Indian community. Years ago, she set out on a journey to make a difference in the world face by face and what she initiated with a small group of people and a few resources, is now one of the biggest Social Service organizations with 12 facilities for seniors with a full spectrum of services with a pool of hard-working individuals helping the community.

Mrs. Kumar’s versatility and her restless efforts to wipe out social injustice from the community were recognized by various national & international institutions. Niles Township honored her Leadership & Excellence in serving seniors, the needy, and the disabled. She was recognized as “Top Woman of Chicago” by US Congressman Danny Davis, 7th Congressional District on International Women’s Day of 2016 for her Outstanding Leadership. The Pillar of Service Award (2009) was given at the Governor’s conference by Charles Johnson, Director of IDOA for Outstanding Leadership & Advocacy on behalf of Ethnic Older Adults by CLESE. She was honored with the “Jewel of Rajasthan” award for her pioneering work in serving, leading, and enhancing the lives of needy people in Chicago, IL, USA. Recently, she was given the “Exemplary Community Service” award for her outstanding and dedicated service to the general welfare of the Asian American community in the State of Illinois by Asian American Coalition of Chicago.

Keeping It In the Family St ies

Family and loyalty are two things that go hand in hand. That is what we witnessed this year with Jasmina Halilovic, who was recently promoted to a CCP Supervisor, was once a Home Care Aide for our Chicago office for 21 years. Yes, you read that correctly. Jasmina has been providing care to our clients for over 2 decades and establishing a bond with not only her client but with our organization. That is a true example of loyalty. When the position of CCP Supervisor opened, we looked within to find a great candidate that can fill the need and we looked to a family member to take on the role. Jasmina is not only coming with

vast experience, but also knows and understands how important a caregiver is to this community. She has supported and changed clients’ lives for the better by cleaning their homes and cooking them a nice warm meal. She assisted with their grocery shopping needs and helped maintain their good hygiene. At a certain point, Jasmina did everything her client needed and more. We are truly grateful to have an outstanding employee be a part of our organization and what a better way to show her our gratitude than by having her work side by side with her peers and helping us improve and grow as a family.

17 Years of Service - Niles

Participant Mrs. Sumitra Soni has been receiving our services since 2005. She told us that 17 years ago she was struggling with day-to-day tasks like personal care, food preparation, transportation, companionship, medication reminder, etc. Then she found UMAS. She didn’t have to worry about any of these tasks, and doesn’t have to be dependent on her family to take care of her. All the caregivers who provided services in the last 17 years were wonderful, but she is especially thankful for her current aide, Ms. Purvi Patel, who has been working with her since 2019. She mentions that Purvi has great problem-solving skills. She empathizes with the client and sees all her daily needs. She always has a smile and a very positive attitude. Purvi also drives her to Doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. Mrs Soni is looking forward to seeing Purvi’s smiley face every day, her smile makes her forget all the problems in her life. Mr. Soni is thankful to UMAS for the care and respect provided to all seniors.

Mary Hill Homecare Aide Award

Honorable Mention Certificate

Congratulations to Ms. Noor Jahan Shahid from the Carol Stream site and Ms. Narinder Kaur from the Vernon Hills site.

These ladies received the Honorable Mention Certificate on behalf of the IACCPHP for the Mary I. Hill Homecare Aide Awards, on May 18, 2022, for their dedication, compassion, and excellence. The certificates were presented by Paula Basta IDOA Director and Lora McCurdy, Deputy Director.

Ms. N r Shahid

N ind Ka

Surajben Patel

I wanted to send a few words your way regarding the services you and your staff provided. A couple of things after that which exceeded my expectations. I’ve had a few care takers that have helped me, and I can honestly say they all have been wonderful. They all are caring, loving individuals who make you feel like one of their own. They have spent countless hours making fresh meals and talking to me about what’s on my mind.

I appreciate everything Universal has done for me. Thank you for making my life easier at the age of 102.

Regards, S ajben Patel

Date of Birth: 1/23/1920 (102 years)

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday... unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear. All names are from June 2021- June 2022.

CAROL STREAM

Deomic, Samed Dervisevic, Kada Desai, Natubhai Desai, Padma Desai, Suvarnaben Dhingra, Gobindram Doshi, Kanchenben Durakovic, Duza Durham, Mary Edwards, Jeroldine Estanislao, Sixto Gandhi, Jayvantiben Garcia, Isidora Ghanem, Nargis Gonzalez, Armando Grebovic, Camila Griffin, Antoinette Guerra, Rosario Gupta, Surendra Halim, Samir Hasan, Tahira Haynes, Ellystein Ikanovic, Dzemal Ikonic, Zora Jakupi, Bedrije Joneja, Vyjai Joshi, Manjulaben Kaltak, Fatima

CHICAGO

Abay, Godofredo Abbasi, Jalees Adam, Youlieh Ali, Shaukat Ali, Shujaat Amin, Chinubhai Arshad, Anis Babber, Paramjeet Badic, Ibro

Bajwa, Gurcharan Barham, Surinder K. Bashaw, Laura Begum, Kazmi Begum, Nafees Begum, Nessa Begum, Rukiya

Begum, Zia Behlic, Haska Bhimani, Doulat Bhimani, Malek Black, Dorothy Bonner, Annie Brahmbhatt, Sudhaben Brkic, Nives Caffey, Victoria Cesic, Mujo Chairez, Maria Chamlagai, Bishnu Chaudhari, Jyotsna Cirkic, Sefka Contreras, Agustina Coralic, Semsa Dalaly, Joan Dandona, Dilbaug Daniel, Olivia Dave, Pankunvar Dawood, Aishabibi Delrosario, Efren

ELGIN

Kanchwala, Barkat Kapadia, Fakhruddin King, Alexander Kizhakkeparambil, Ammal Kumar, Pawan Lacy, Olevia Ladhani, Gulbano Ladhawala, Krishnajivan Lakhani, Sultan Lampkin, Lb Lodhavia, Lalita Lombardo, Shirley Lukic, Milka Lumani, Neshat Majithia, Arvindkumar Marungo, Alejandra Meghani, Sabazali Merai, Vasanti Mitrovic, Ruth Modh, Ratilal Mohdwazir, Anees Mora, Nancy

NAPERVILLE

Kalra,Tara Parikh,Dilip Shah,Prafullchandra Muftic, Behija Patel, Ila Patel, Jyotsna Patel, Kamalaben Patel, Kamla p Patel, Kamlaben Patel, Kamlaben v Patel, Kusum C. Patel, Mafat Patel, Maganbhai Patel, Maganlal Patel, Mahendra Bhai Patel, Manguben A. Patel, Manjula-Hema Patel, Mithabhai Patel, Puriben Patel, Pushpaben Patel, Savitaben Patel, Savitaben Patel, Shantaben (Nor) S. Patel, Shardaben Patel, Sumanben Patel, Sumitra Patel, Suryakant Patel, Sushilaben Patel, Vishnubhai Patel, Zulekha Paul, Kanwanjit Pavek, Carol Pedroza, Rachel Perocevic, Hasan Perrone, Alfhild Pitts, Jean

NILES

Nash, Patsy Nezirevic, Hasiba Nicholson, Mark Nisa, Mehrun Odicho, Zarda Oliver, sharon Olivia, Victoria Orlove, Mariam Oshana, Lazar Ostolaza, Ana Palonpon, Ramon Panzarella, Rosa Pardesi, Rafia Parikh, Veerbala Patel, Babubhai Patel, Babulal Patel, BhaliBen Patel, Chaturbhai Patel, Hansa

ORLAND PARK Poljak, Raza Porto, Mark Prajapati, Hira Raawat, Sobti Ragheb-salem, Huda Rasketic, Fatima Raval, Pravin Reddy, Prameela Roberts, Beatrice Rotolo, Joseph Safia, Fatima Saharakhiz, Kefayat Sahni, Parvesh Sahota, Krishna Saiyed, Kulsumbibi Salgado, Miguel Sangani, Prabhudas Saparia, Sakarben Sethi, Kailash Sevak, Urmila Shah, Kirit Shah, Kirti

ROSELLE

Ansari, Fakhera Chandani, Savitri Channey, Gurdev Didral, Metu Goldanah, Shovel  Gonzalez, Ramon Gribben, Nancy Jani, Ashok Khan, Mohammed Lata, Pushpa Nadeem, Farah Oshana, Emmanuel Pandya, Chandrakant Pandya, Vina Patel, Hiraben Patel, Jivabhai Patel, Kamalaben Patel, Kamlaben Patel, Kantaben Patel, Kantaben Patel, Natvarbhai Patel, Shantbahen Patel, Shashikant Punatar, Jaya Shah, Avantika Shah, Kokila Sheikh, Badrunnisa Singh, Imtiyaz Soni, Champaben Soni, Natwarlal Sultana, Qudsia Tran, Hanh Trivedi, Savita Unnisa, Ahmed Vyas, Dasharathlal Wallor, Ann

SCHAUMBURG PB Shah, Maganlal Shah, Prabhavati Shah, Ramilaben Shah, Sharmishtha Shaikh, Najmunnis Shelat, Ghanshyam Sheth, Vipinchandra Singh, Kashmir Smajlovic, Adila Soto, Patricia Storce, Michael A. Stovall, Delores Sultana, Qaiser Sun, Jing Tank, Shivlal Thakker, Hasumati Triana, Josephine Trivedi, Lalit Valji, Zarina Vashi, Asha

VERNON HILLS Vera, Elva Verma, Siri Vohra, Musa Vora, Radhaben Walker, Mamie Willing, Laura Wygoda, Zdzislawa Younan, Almaz Zachariah, Varghese Zafar, Razia Zelenka, Lenka