New York Diary
When Even A Storm Advisory Can’t Keep the Givers Away……
New York City is a Giving City where people love to wine and dine and celebrate the power and potential of transforming lives. Over 400 people came to Pier Sixty to rally around the education of vulnerable children, changing lives and making futures at the Children’s Hope India Gala by raising funds for early learning education centers in the slums and villages. This year major corporations and individual givers had come together to create a force for good.
A striking performance about hope and light by the Battery Dance Company set the mood for the evening. The beautiful Pier Sixty was lit with sparkling tapered candles as guests gathered to felicitate leaders and changemakers of the community. Anu Sehgal of The Culture Tree was Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The Consul General of India, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, spoke about the important role Indian-Americans play and presented the Lotus Award to Nitin Rakesh, CEO and Managing Director of Mphasis; Special Impact Award to M R Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora; Making a Difference Award to Priti Patkar of Prerana; Rising Star Award to Monica Lund, Co-founder, Academian. All the speakers spoke eloquently about their own personal adventures in giving.
Dr. Dina Pahlajani, President of Children’s Hope, shared the exciting new CHI projects through a powerful video. Mohit Assomull of Morgan Stanley and his wife Anjali, who have adopted a CHI Center in Delhi, spoke about visiting this center and experiencing the amazing change in the lives of these children – and the impact in their own lives
The highlight was the pledge drive with auctioneer CK Swett who raised over $300,000 for new early education centers in India. While the live pledge placed bids for CHI projects, the silent auction offered lucrative material goods from air tickets to cruises and a signed shirt from basketball celebrity Jalen Brunson.
Photo Gallery
The guests from across three generations enjoyed the street food vibes of cocktail hour followed by an elegant sit down dinner. The grand finale was a Diwali-sized Dessert Feast laid out in the verandah facing the Hudson River. A big storm was predicted but that did not deter the guests who came from the tri-state area to mingle and celebrate and help make a difference. The evening raised over $ 1.2 million for health and education of the thousands of children served by Children’s Hope India – and still counting!
http://www.childrenshopeindia.org
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Children’s Hope India Gala Raises over $ 1 Million for Education
