“I wish that my family could pay our electricity bill because I would really like to study in the evenings but I can’t. Also, every morning I wake up with 5 new mosquito bites and I don’t like it.” – Laxmi, 8

“I wish that we had more computers because I love computer class but I get impatient having to wait my turn!”- Mansi, 13

“I wish that I could go for driver training. I LOVE cars and everything mechanical.” – Jeetu, 16.
Such small, modest dreams. The young professionals supporting Children’s Hope India granted all these in one evening of fun – Winter, Wine and Wishes.

One never knew there could be so many shades, so many textures and so many patterns in black and white! At the Children’s Hope India Black and White Ball, over 450 guests had come dressed in these two stark, striking colors and created a surreal, stylish world. This being an Indian event, the color red had been thrown in, and even the decor, right down to the table linens, was black and white with a touch of red.

Pier Sixty in Manhattan was transformed into a stunning black and white universe in celebration of CHI’s 20th year of service to children. Two decades ago this New York-based non-profit started as a small group of women professionals hoping to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children.

Why would young people all be wearing sunglasses in the darkness of a happening bar? The Empire State Building was recently lit up with a very different kind of light- the light of giving – when CH2 hosted the 20/20 Party Bring Sight Tonight at the Empire Room. CH2, the junior branch of Children’s Hope India, held a swinging cocktail soiree for over 300 supporters – and the idea of this fun evening was to raise funds to correct and prevent blindness in children in India through the K.K. Eye Institute of Pune.

While everyone had a fun evening, the cool thing as a guest was to acquire a pair of dark glasses – given as a thank you gift to those who contributed towards funding eye care for children in rural India. “Everyone was wearing their sunglasses, adding another fun element to the night while also a great reminder for why they were all there,” recalls Puja Pahlajani, a CH2 board member.

In a world of shut doors and glass ceilings, success in life is difficult to achieve, especially for low income women of color, with little education. Enter Wishwas, an organization that turns the homely skills of these women into assets and helps them to market their hand-made products.

Wishwas, a fledgling organization started by New Yorker Nivedita Chandrappa had its coming out party at the beautiful Queens Museum of Art in Flushing, Queens with a cocktail fundraiser showcasing the work of the women of Wishwas. It was indeed a gathering of women helping women.

“The success stories are many, they say Wishwas has given them the opportunity to grow and learn. Our women have now started talking to everyone, know how to wish and how to negotiate, how to make extra income with the skills they already have.

I think each story is unique and personal – on the whole they are a happy bunch who work together, spend time together on a weekly bases, have bonded together, and they also do that while their children are safe around them.”

It was a day of celebrating women’s inherent potential and success stories. Over 260 women came to Children’s Hope India annual Spring Lunch to support vocational projects for the girl child in the urban slums and rural India. Designer Ranjana Khan spoke eloquently about her journey as model, wife, mother and entrepreneur in the dizzying world of high fashion.

“Let’s be honest – many Indian women want sons, not daughters,” she said. “And yet here we are in this beautiful room filled with beautiful women who are all doing such interesting things with their lives. Today, I have meet salsa dancers, kick boxers and successful businesswomen.”

Can’t get to South Beach? Come to the next best thing – Children’s Hope India’s much anticipated annual Spring Lunch – Miami Beat! Over 250 women are expected at this fun event poolside at the beautiful Crest Hollow Country Club in Long Island. Ranjana Khan, the noted designer, will be honored as Woman of Distinction for having achieved success and balanced the worlds of work and family perfectly.

If you have a tiara, now’s your chance to wear it! This is the year that everyone gets to be a maharaja or maharani and indulge in a royal celebration. Falu will be performing live with her band and there’s a dance presentation of Royal India. All for children’s health and education in India.

Project Chirag began as a student-run organization in Free Enterprise at H.R. College of Commerce & Economics in Mumbai. Since its inception, the Project has purchased solar equipment, trained and hired paraplegic Indians to assemble the parts, and then installed the panels and lanterns in thousands of households across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Americans had gone Indian for a day and there were enough turbans, kurtas and jewels to outfit a Bollywood film production as over 250 guests, clad in Indian outfits and headgear, danced to the music of Om Shanti Om and Jai Ho with the Bollywood Axion dancers.
One of the most eye-catching sights was the Imperial Court, a fundraising group for gay and lesbian charities, fabulous entertainers resplendent in over-the-top Indian finery and jewels, clad in sarees for the first time. This fantasy evening was Bollywood Gala, the biennial fundraiser to support the cause of HIV/AIDS by Red Ribbon Foundation which is one of the top 25 grantmakers for HIV/AIDS organizations worldwide.

Fundraising in New York can have a wonderful ripple effect and translate into health camps, scholarships and education for children in the slums in India. That’s been the happy result of Children’s Hope India, a non-profit organization started by a group of five women professionals in New York in 1992 with seed money donated by them and with just one project in hand.