In the month of September, there were numerous Asha Events held in the west coast of the USA. These events hosted Dr Kiran, Founder and Director of Asha.
Here are the glimpses of the events held at Napa Valley in the words of Dr Kiran:
On 6th September I addressed a wonderful class of young people at Vintage High School in Napa. I hope the stories of our Indian children from the slums were an inspiration!
Addressing the members of the Kiwanis club at Napa. This was my 20th year of visiting them every year! They have been so generous and kind, and have always welcomed me in their midst with open hearts and hands. Thank you Kiwanians for this wonderful partnership.
It gave me great joy to speak to the Boys and Girls Club of Napa. Their clapping for each slum child as I told their stories, their wonderful questions, their excitement and enthusiasm, it all made for a memorable afternoon.
With Jan Thompson, my friend of 25 years, and wife of Congressman Mike Thompson, Representative of Napa, California. They have been hosting Asha Day every year for the past 21 years, serving the Asha communities with compassion and commitment. This year the event will be held on Sept 8 at the beautiful Black Stallion Winery.
On 7th September, I had a wonderful morning addressing the pupils of Valley Oak High School in Napa. It’s an alternative school, providing high school students with the final opportunity to graduate.
The teachers and students were excited and enthused by the many stories of the Asha young people. With the many challenges the students of Valley Oak are facing in their own lives, trying to graduate, their spirits were raised!
Here is my radio interview with Ira Smith of KVON, the Napa radio station. Ira is a wonderful radio journalist and has come to be known as The Voice of Napa.
An article on Asha Day in the Napa Valley Register, the oldest and best known newspaper in Napa.
L-R: Kailash and Gisela Chaudhary, Founders of Asha Napa, who have poured their hearts and souls into Asha for over 20 years, paying for all the catering, the event expenses and making generous donations for the work.
Further right, Rohit Patel and his wife Mridula who have been wonderful friends and introduced us to Drs Nalini and Praveen Prasad who began the Sacramento chapter of Asha. Thank you to everyone of you!
As Kailash and Gisela are growing older, they have passed on the Asha legacy to their beautiful daughter Rita, who now heads the Asha Napa Chapter, and has arranged all the meetings and events for me at Napa this week. Thank you so much Rita!
9th September marked the 21st Asha Day in Napa Valley California, hosted by Congressman Mike Thompson and his wife Jan Thompson. The organizing committee of the event was led by Rita Bresee, daughter of Kailash Chaudhary who organized the first Asha Day event and for many years thereafter.
Congressman Mike Thompson, the elected representative of the valley for over 20 years, addressed the gathering, sharing his beautiful thoughts about the mission and work of Asha, and the Asha Napa partnership.
Live Auction being conducted by Ira Smith, a renowned Radio Journalist in Napa.
Jeet, the owner of Aroma Restaurant provided absolutely delicious Indian food on a complimentary basis for a gathering of over 100 people.
Congressman Mike Thompson requested donors to come forward to Fund A Need for the various Asha programs.
He also spoke about the US version of Hope and Spice, and urged supporters to sign up to show interest in ordering copies as soon as the book became available.
Rita Bresee the Chief Organizer, with Jan Thompson. Deepest gratitude to Rita and to each one who made the day so very special as we all thought of the wonderful people in the slum communities of Delhi.
L-R: Kailash Chaudhary, Founder of Asha Day, Jan Thompson, Congressman Mike Thompson and Asha USA Board Member Dr Peter Choo. Thank you Peter for taking the time to fly over to the West Coast from Boston to participate in the event and to meet with the friends of Asha in Napa.
I had the wonderful opportunity to address the students at Chamberlain High School in Napa where the students are on court probation. These students have never had enough, be it positive support, healthy modeling or financial means. Many students have behavioral problems, are involved in gangs or have substance abuse issues. It was so heartwarming to share the Asha stories of young people at Asha who have suffered severe disadvantages in similar ways. Many of the students at Chamberlain are also first generation learners. Some will be graduating soon! Many want to go to college. There was inspiration and energy all around the classroom as we spoke about reaching for our dreams and believing in ourselves.
