BY GINA DARGAN
NORWALK,CA - With its continuous success in Nevada, Real Autism Difference (RAD) reached the doorstep of Southern California to open a Chapter here. On August 25, the non-profit held an awareness event at the Sanatan Dharma Temple community center here where the community had a chance to celebrate and...
NORWALK,CA - With its continuous success in Nevada, Real Autism Difference (RAD) reached the doorstep of Southern California to open a Chapter here. On August 25, the non-profit held an awareness event at the Sanatan Dharma Temple community center here where the community had a chance to celebrate and...
also gain insight into the ever-growing organization. The evening began with a beautiful touch of classical Hindi songs, courtesy of Bahar Khan, followed by a welcome speech by Dr. Jayendra and Usha Shah who graciously welcomed the guests and proudly introduced RAD on behalf of the organization’s founder and their granddaughter, Radhika Shah. Many guests throughout the night spoke eloquently about Shah and the great strides she has been making within the community.
The event started with singing of the American and Indian National Anthems by Sampurna Dube.The lamp lighting ceremony was performed by Dr. Deepti, Dr. Jayendra Shah and Usha Shah, BU Patel, Suresh Bhatti and Nalini Bhatti, and other dignitaries and signified the launch of the local SoCal chapter of RAD.
The highlight of the night was without a doubt Radhika Shah herself. The sixteen-year-old presented a passionate speech that recalled her beginnings and experience with autism, which essentially led her to create the non-profit she maintains today. Shah’s journey of becoming a young philanthropist begins and ends with her younger brother, Amar Shah, who was diagnosed with Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of three. Within her speech, Shah recollected how she was exposed to the harsh realities that came along with her brother’s disorder very early on.
“I noticed that in Southern Nevada specifically, there wasn’t a centralized location where people could go to access different resources. There was a huge lack. There wasn’t any form of respite care. Oftentimes, parents struggled with simply running basic errands and that’s what really inspired me.”
This inspiration also came from her own experience. Especially, when she dealt with the toughest aspect of her brother’s condition: the extreme lack of resources. Shah claims that this absence had inadvertently hindered her brother’s ability to fully recuperate and function. That’s when she decided to take an initiative of her own and humbly launched RAD for her sweet sixteen. The non-profit has grown immensely since then and continues to reach new heights today. For instance, Shah discussed their most recent and exciting endeavor to date–a partnership with Las Vegas’ Park and Recreation program. Alliances like these are what continue to help autistic children and adults gain the resources that Shah’s brother once lacked.
Radhika and her foundation’s accomplishments have especially made two mothers proud, Anju Garg and Anjana Patel. Both mothers have their own sons who suffer from autism and they each took their time on stage to paint a picture for the audience regarding the reality of raising a child with this disability. Both speeches were inspiring and eye-opening as the mothers debunked all the negative connotations surrounding this neurodevelopment disorder. Sunil Garg explained that children with autism are no different than any other child when it comes to desires and needs. Charu Shivakumar emphasized the fact that children with autism are not disabled but they are differentially abled.
Ali Sajjad Taj, the former mayor of Artesia, was just one of the many who addressed the gathering. His speech highlighted how Radhika is taking the lead at such a young age to create awareness about an imperative topic and how the community must come together to support this cause alongside him. Shah and her organization have also caught the eye of the Indo American Senior Heritage. In fact, they presented a plaque in her honor and, consequently, she has become the youngest recipient in IASH history. NFIA president Sudip Gorakshakar, Ashok Madan, Kewal Kanda , Harish Dhruv, Jitu Patel, Jagdish Purohit all from local community organizations, showered their support for the worthy cause. Dr. Bramara Reddy emphasized the need for early intervention for kids with autism. Following the speeches, Prem Guragain presented a collection of videos about autism.
Ramesh Pandey put smiles on every face with his laughing yoga presentation.
The evening ended on a celebratory note with dinner, dance, and music. (With inputs by KEWAL KANDA)
The event started with singing of the American and Indian National Anthems by Sampurna Dube.The lamp lighting ceremony was performed by Dr. Deepti, Dr. Jayendra Shah and Usha Shah, BU Patel, Suresh Bhatti and Nalini Bhatti, and other dignitaries and signified the launch of the local SoCal chapter of RAD.
The highlight of the night was without a doubt Radhika Shah herself. The sixteen-year-old presented a passionate speech that recalled her beginnings and experience with autism, which essentially led her to create the non-profit she maintains today. Shah’s journey of becoming a young philanthropist begins and ends with her younger brother, Amar Shah, who was diagnosed with Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of three. Within her speech, Shah recollected how she was exposed to the harsh realities that came along with her brother’s disorder very early on.
“I noticed that in Southern Nevada specifically, there wasn’t a centralized location where people could go to access different resources. There was a huge lack. There wasn’t any form of respite care. Oftentimes, parents struggled with simply running basic errands and that’s what really inspired me.”
This inspiration also came from her own experience. Especially, when she dealt with the toughest aspect of her brother’s condition: the extreme lack of resources. Shah claims that this absence had inadvertently hindered her brother’s ability to fully recuperate and function. That’s when she decided to take an initiative of her own and humbly launched RAD for her sweet sixteen. The non-profit has grown immensely since then and continues to reach new heights today. For instance, Shah discussed their most recent and exciting endeavor to date–a partnership with Las Vegas’ Park and Recreation program. Alliances like these are what continue to help autistic children and adults gain the resources that Shah’s brother once lacked.
Radhika and her foundation’s accomplishments have especially made two mothers proud, Anju Garg and Anjana Patel. Both mothers have their own sons who suffer from autism and they each took their time on stage to paint a picture for the audience regarding the reality of raising a child with this disability. Both speeches were inspiring and eye-opening as the mothers debunked all the negative connotations surrounding this neurodevelopment disorder. Sunil Garg explained that children with autism are no different than any other child when it comes to desires and needs. Charu Shivakumar emphasized the fact that children with autism are not disabled but they are differentially abled.
Ali Sajjad Taj, the former mayor of Artesia, was just one of the many who addressed the gathering. His speech highlighted how Radhika is taking the lead at such a young age to create awareness about an imperative topic and how the community must come together to support this cause alongside him. Shah and her organization have also caught the eye of the Indo American Senior Heritage. In fact, they presented a plaque in her honor and, consequently, she has become the youngest recipient in IASH history. NFIA president Sudip Gorakshakar, Ashok Madan, Kewal Kanda , Harish Dhruv, Jitu Patel, Jagdish Purohit all from local community organizations, showered their support for the worthy cause. Dr. Bramara Reddy emphasized the need for early intervention for kids with autism. Following the speeches, Prem Guragain presented a collection of videos about autism.
Ramesh Pandey put smiles on every face with his laughing yoga presentation.
The evening ended on a celebratory note with dinner, dance, and music. (With inputs by KEWAL KANDA)
RSS Feed
