Indo American Charity Foundation’s 36 Years of Altruistic Charitableness Still Continuing!
HOUSTON: For over 36 years IACF (Indo-American Charity Foundation) has appealed to the philanthropic spirit of the Indo American community in Houston to address needs in the areas of Education, Family, General Welfare and Healthcare in the metro Houston area. “We live here, We give here” is their motto, and they have a focused mission to foster the local community where everyone’s basic needs are met and they can lead enriched lives. Friday, November 22 saw yet another altruistic event, ‘GALActic Night’ – IACF’s 2024 Annual Gala, at Stafford Centre on Cash Road, attended by over 400 guests to raise money for charitable causes.
The GALActic night, commenced with registration and cocktail hour, and the ever-charming Pooja Lodhia, from ABC13 Houston News, was the emcee for the evening. As a mark of respect to both nations, rendition of National Anthems of United States and India were beautifully presented by Tania Mahesh and Ajay Chunchoo respectively. Everyone felt ecstatic and joyful upon hearing the national anthem and these emotions were all across the hall.
IACF President, Pankaj Rana then welcomed the audience and thanked them for extending a helping hand and being a part of the prestigious IACF gala. His passion was evident as he spoke. He mentioned, “We have strengthened the partnerships with fellow organizations– Indian Doctors Associations and the Indian Doctors Charity Clinic (IDA and IDCC), to raise funds through ‘WE WALK – WE CARE’ walkathon, which supports wellness projects and provides health care at no cost.” With excitement, he shared with the audiences the outstanding work IACF has accomplished in the likes of supporting 15 local charity organizations with grants and providing financial aid to 33 deserving high school seniors through scholarships. He stated that he was overwhelmed by the ongoing support they have been receiving and hoped to get such assistance in future as well. He stated, “the most impressive thing to me is that IACF is a 100% volunteer organization. This helps to keep costs low and maximizes the distribution of funding.” With great pride, he mentioned that IACF is considered as one of the 4 pillars of the Indian community run charities here in Houston. He commented that all Board Members truly believe in the motto, ‘We live here, We give here’.
With a view to have the audiences acquainted to the noteworthy efforts of IACF in 2024, a collage of pictures played in the background. Lastly, he got the audiences acquainted with the IACF board and advisors donned in futuristic space glasses to accentuate the Space theme for the gala.
The emcee then introduced the Houston Mayors office. The IACF board was presented with a proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire declaring November 22nd as the IACF day.
The Houston Police Bomb squad was introduced to showcase their robot dog SPOT. It was a great show of the different skills SPOT can perform but more importantly the vast number of lives that the robot can save with its involvement in the various activities that the police have to perform to keep the citizens safe in major metros. SPOT walked around the floor, engaged with the audience with fist pumps, tricks & kisses. Everyone was thrilled to experience innovation first-hand and were amazed to see The Future, Now!
Key note speaker Mr Manu Asthana, CEO of PJM Interconnection has the responsibility of overseeing the function of the largest electricity grid in the world to keep the power on for millions of people with the utmost uptime as the demand for electricity keeps growing. Mr Asthana shared his perspective on purpose and meaning, and the importance of supporting causes that are meaningful to all of us.
Guest of honor Ms Diana Hayden, 47th Miss World, was introduced by DJ AJ with great enthusiasm as she was escorted by the spouses of the board members to the stage. Diana Hayden, gave a riveting speech on ‘There is no such thing as a Coincidence’. With truth and humor, she enthralled the guests using her own personal experiences. She encouraged them to go down memory lane and note the ‘coincidences’ that has shaped their lives. Ending on an articulate, purposeful note, she encouraged all to donate generously as she pointed out, ‘Remember, you being here tonight, is Not a coincidence.
This was followed by Grants Presentation. IACF supports and funds charities spanning the areas [EFGH] which are Education, Family, General welfare and Healthcare across the Greater Houston Area. The recipients this year were Attack Poverty, AVANCE-Houston, Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Child Advocates, Inc. (of Harris County), Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, iEducate, Indian American Cancer Network, Indian Doctor’s Club Charitable Foundation Inc (IDCC), Parent Engagement for Active Child Enrichment (PEACE), SEARCH Homeless Services, Second Servings of Houston, Sewa International, Inc., Sleep in Heavenly Peace Texas-Houston Central West and Wellsprings Village, Inc.
Like each year, ‘Friends of Charity’ title was honored to individuals for their exceptional service to the community and support to the foundation. Head of Chancery, Consul Mr. Prashant Sona from Indian Consulate, moderated the awards. Recipients included Faizel Dakri, Manju Gupta, Deepak Suri, Lakshmy Parameswaran, Veerender Devireddy and Ranganathan Gopalan.
Dr. Sushovan Guha was honored with ‘Champion of Charity’ award for his unwavering support over the past several years for the underserved and the Community at large.
IACF Board Member, Mahesh Wadhwa, delivered the vote of thanks. He politely expressed his gratitude to the IACF board and gala committees for their inspiring teamwork and dedication.
The event concluded with scrumptious dinner served by Michelin Star Winner Musaafer. They joined hands with IACF in giving back to the community. Shammi & Ishrat’s munificence is truly inspirational.
Live music kept the audiences engaged during and after dinner. The well-coordinated sound and lighting was provided by DJ AJ, beautiful decor by Phoenix, photos & videos by Sudhakar – Roy Photography