BY MANSI MOTWANI
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - The Los Angeles chapter of Pratham USA came together and hosted a glittering fundraising gala to support their mission - Every child in school and learning well,- on Sept 29, raising a whopping $2.5 million. The gala was kicked off by some pre-event socializing at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort,
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - The Los Angeles chapter of Pratham USA came together and hosted a glittering fundraising gala to support their mission - Every child in school and learning well,- on Sept 29, raising a whopping $2.5 million. The gala was kicked off by some pre-event socializing at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort,
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while renowned Mentalist Oz Pearlman kept the guests ecstatic with his feats.
The event started with a welcome speech by President Rajen Dhami. Pratham has transformed the lives of more than 50 million underserved children and youth across 21 Indian states, 23 cities and 2 union territories. In addition, we have assisted 100,000 youth in getting relevant jobs and supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in building their own enterprises, he said, speaking of the organizations programs and efforts in touching lives of the underprivileged. He continued, For eight consecutive years, Pratham has maintained a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, one of the USs largest charity assessment organizations. Pratham has received numerous awards, both in the US and across the world. Dhami also announced that he would be stepping down from his position of leadership on December 31st this year, after serving the organization for six fulfilling years.
President Pratham USA Deepak Raj, took to the stage and spoke of the goals and contribution to and by Pratham to the communities of India and US. He introduced the keynote speaker as “his Senator from the great state of New Jersey”.
The keynote speaker for the evening was New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. In a heart-warming talk, Booker emphasized on the importance of empowering the deprived. The best way to ensure a great future for humanity is to invest in the education of children. The greatest natural resource on planet Earth is not oil, gas or coal; it is the genius of our children. The more we invest in that resource, the more we all benefit, the more our society grows, he said. Speaking of the fundraising evening, he added, You are planting seeds that will yield a harvest. What youre doing now will also change lives of the generations not yet born. This gathering today, is a blessed gathering of people committed to the cause of humanity. The children who benefit from this will make sure the hope for humanity radiates brighter and brighter every single day.
Pratham’s founder Madhav Chavan came up next and with what he called. “advanced technology”, connected the audiences live to groups of people in vocational training centers in eight major cities . Each, a group of well clad youngsters, starched white shirts and well ironed pants, meeting a group of 350 Los Angelenos that get to donate to their cause. They were chefs and mechanics in the making, all a cause that Pratham has taken on to help young adults be self-sufficient
Present at the event was Pranali Kaurati, a scarfed woman as she covered the wounds of an accident. A Pratham beneficiary hailing from a small village in Maharashtra, she shared how her encounter with the organization enabled her to stand tall on her feet and become the breadwinner for her family.
She took center stage and bared her soul, telling her story most nervously and most eloquently. As her words poured out and translated in English on the screen, there was not a dry eye in the room. She spoke of Pratham’s impact on her and her family.
Pratham LA’s Vice President Raj Shah and guest auctioneer Jim Nye conducted the pledge drive for the evening.The highlight of the fundraising was the generosity of the Sarva Mangal Family Trust of Manu and Rika Shah who alone volunteered to pledge a whopping $1 million to Pratham.
Asked to say a few words to IJ, President Dhami said, Everything was perfect! Im totally ecstatic. This being my last year, it was totally fantastic for me. I must say, it is a very nice feeling to go back home with.
The highlight of the entertainment segment was Oz Pearlman, who succeeded in blowing the minds of all the guests. The most astonishing feat of the evening was when Pearlman interacted with one of the guests who had been asked to think of any person (dead or alive) that she would like to have dinner with - and managed to accurately arrive at the name ( Amitabh Bachchan), without having any prior knowledge whatsoever!
Navneet Chugh thanked the gathering as he summed up the 20 years of giving to Pratham, “$50 million have been contributed by LA chapter”, he said, “and $20 million by Sudesh and Chitra Arora”.
When asked why do you donate so much, Sudesh laughed and said, “tell me what else can I do with the money? If it is to secure my future then I am securing my next-life on this earth by giving all I can”.
The evening was heartwarming with the stories of those impacted by and those impacting lives through Pratham.
Dinner was served and the evening ended in high spirits.
The event started with a welcome speech by President Rajen Dhami. Pratham has transformed the lives of more than 50 million underserved children and youth across 21 Indian states, 23 cities and 2 union territories. In addition, we have assisted 100,000 youth in getting relevant jobs and supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in building their own enterprises, he said, speaking of the organizations programs and efforts in touching lives of the underprivileged. He continued, For eight consecutive years, Pratham has maintained a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, one of the USs largest charity assessment organizations. Pratham has received numerous awards, both in the US and across the world. Dhami also announced that he would be stepping down from his position of leadership on December 31st this year, after serving the organization for six fulfilling years.
President Pratham USA Deepak Raj, took to the stage and spoke of the goals and contribution to and by Pratham to the communities of India and US. He introduced the keynote speaker as “his Senator from the great state of New Jersey”.
The keynote speaker for the evening was New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. In a heart-warming talk, Booker emphasized on the importance of empowering the deprived. The best way to ensure a great future for humanity is to invest in the education of children. The greatest natural resource on planet Earth is not oil, gas or coal; it is the genius of our children. The more we invest in that resource, the more we all benefit, the more our society grows, he said. Speaking of the fundraising evening, he added, You are planting seeds that will yield a harvest. What youre doing now will also change lives of the generations not yet born. This gathering today, is a blessed gathering of people committed to the cause of humanity. The children who benefit from this will make sure the hope for humanity radiates brighter and brighter every single day.
Pratham’s founder Madhav Chavan came up next and with what he called. “advanced technology”, connected the audiences live to groups of people in vocational training centers in eight major cities . Each, a group of well clad youngsters, starched white shirts and well ironed pants, meeting a group of 350 Los Angelenos that get to donate to their cause. They were chefs and mechanics in the making, all a cause that Pratham has taken on to help young adults be self-sufficient
Present at the event was Pranali Kaurati, a scarfed woman as she covered the wounds of an accident. A Pratham beneficiary hailing from a small village in Maharashtra, she shared how her encounter with the organization enabled her to stand tall on her feet and become the breadwinner for her family.
She took center stage and bared her soul, telling her story most nervously and most eloquently. As her words poured out and translated in English on the screen, there was not a dry eye in the room. She spoke of Pratham’s impact on her and her family.
Pratham LA’s Vice President Raj Shah and guest auctioneer Jim Nye conducted the pledge drive for the evening.The highlight of the fundraising was the generosity of the Sarva Mangal Family Trust of Manu and Rika Shah who alone volunteered to pledge a whopping $1 million to Pratham.
Asked to say a few words to IJ, President Dhami said, Everything was perfect! Im totally ecstatic. This being my last year, it was totally fantastic for me. I must say, it is a very nice feeling to go back home with.
The highlight of the entertainment segment was Oz Pearlman, who succeeded in blowing the minds of all the guests. The most astonishing feat of the evening was when Pearlman interacted with one of the guests who had been asked to think of any person (dead or alive) that she would like to have dinner with - and managed to accurately arrive at the name ( Amitabh Bachchan), without having any prior knowledge whatsoever!
Navneet Chugh thanked the gathering as he summed up the 20 years of giving to Pratham, “$50 million have been contributed by LA chapter”, he said, “and $20 million by Sudesh and Chitra Arora”.
When asked why do you donate so much, Sudesh laughed and said, “tell me what else can I do with the money? If it is to secure my future then I am securing my next-life on this earth by giving all I can”.
The evening was heartwarming with the stories of those impacted by and those impacting lives through Pratham.
Dinner was served and the evening ended in high spirits.
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