WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hundreds of Sikh community members raised over $330,000 for Punjab’s poor but bright students during a fundraising event hosted May 20 by the Sikh Human Development Foundation at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center here. The money was raised following a passionate appeal by chief guest Sardar Surender Singh Kandhari,
(L-R): Satinder Singh Chadha, Dr. Rajwant Singh, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Gajinder Singh Ahuja, Kamaljit Kaur Kanwal, Malkiat Singh, Dr. Gurcharan Singh Kanwal, Surender Singh Kandhari, Kawal Kaur Singh, Manpreet Singh, Jaspreet Kaur Ahuja, Abinash Singh and Reena Nagra (Brar).
who challenged the audience to match his donation of $100,000. Martin O’Malley, the Governor of Maryland, presented SHDF with the Governor’s Citation and declared May 4 as “Sikh Human Development Foundation Day.”
Dr. Gurcharan Singh and Sardarni Kamaljit Kaur Kanwal from Virginia, Dr. Ranvir Singh and Dr. Manjeet Kaur Achreja from North Carolina, Sardarni Bhupinder Kaur Sachdeva from UK, and Sardar Gunvir Singh from Northern Virginia were honored for their Sikh Spirit of Seva and continuing commitments towards empowering the disadvantaged youth with higher education.
The event also featured a movie of testimonies by some of the students. In addition, Angrej Singh, an Assistant Professor who finished his studies with the help of SHDF and is enjoying a successful career, engaged the audience in a live conversation.
A group of youngsters had started their own campaign of raising funds through bake sales and other activities. Their goal was to send three students to college by raising $1500. However, they surpassed their goal and raised over $2,500 to send five students to college. Twelve-year-old Preetam Kaur Bhutani and 13-year-old Hana Kaur Mangat had led the effort by engaging children from the Guru Nanak Foundation and the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwaras.
SHDF also plans to hold workshops in Punjab for the scholarship recipients on leadership, entrepreneur skills and how these graduates can help other poor children. SHDF partners with Delhi-based Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council to identify the qualified students and to implement the scholarship program.
Dr. Gurcharan Singh and Sardarni Kamaljit Kaur Kanwal from Virginia, Dr. Ranvir Singh and Dr. Manjeet Kaur Achreja from North Carolina, Sardarni Bhupinder Kaur Sachdeva from UK, and Sardar Gunvir Singh from Northern Virginia were honored for their Sikh Spirit of Seva and continuing commitments towards empowering the disadvantaged youth with higher education.
The event also featured a movie of testimonies by some of the students. In addition, Angrej Singh, an Assistant Professor who finished his studies with the help of SHDF and is enjoying a successful career, engaged the audience in a live conversation.
A group of youngsters had started their own campaign of raising funds through bake sales and other activities. Their goal was to send three students to college by raising $1500. However, they surpassed their goal and raised over $2,500 to send five students to college. Twelve-year-old Preetam Kaur Bhutani and 13-year-old Hana Kaur Mangat had led the effort by engaging children from the Guru Nanak Foundation and the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwaras.
SHDF also plans to hold workshops in Punjab for the scholarship recipients on leadership, entrepreneur skills and how these graduates can help other poor children. SHDF partners with Delhi-based Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council to identify the qualified students and to implement the scholarship program.
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