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Home of Hope Raises $130K at Annual Charity Event
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 By KETAKI GOKHALE
India-West Staff Reporter
NEWARK, Calif. — A well-heeled group of Silicon Valley professionals gathered last week at the unassuming Chandni Restaurant, tucked away in a modest strip mall here, for the 10th annual fundraiser of Home of Hope, a local charity that partners with foster homes in India to nurture orphaned, destitute, and physically and mentally disabled children. Through its grant-writing and monitoring efforts, Home of Hope has helped over 2,000 disadvantaged children, and has raised more than $1 million since its inception in 1998. The latest fundraiser netted $130,000 in ticket sales, sponsorships, pledges, and donations.
“Just like last year, we wanted to stress that we can do this while keeping the overhead very low,” Home of Hope founder and executive director Nilima Sabharwal told India-West. The cost of the entire event was under $18,000, and was organized entirely by volunteer staff, Sabharwal noted. Nalini Bhatt served as event planner; Rennu Dhillon, a local entrepreneur, along with a team of volunteers, played an integral role in the execution of the event; posters were designed by Rajesh Relan; and decorations were handled by Neelam Bhavnani.
Fundraiser attendees milled about the restaurant’s foyer, taking in the posters, pictures, and letters from children, which were clearly the highlight of the evening.
This year’s fundraiser was unique in that Home of Hope had invited 22-year-old Ruhi Mahajan, one of the early beneficiaries of the organization’s work. Mahajan’s father had left her and her two siblings in foster care after the death of their mother. After being shunted about from one home to another, the siblings finally ended up at Udayan Care, a New Delhi orphanage that has been supported by Home of Hope for years.
“Before I got there, I was very negative,” Mahajan told India-West. “When I left, I was able to trust people, and I became very independent. It was a new kind of environment—they provide love, they support the children. We were given everything we wanted. It’s a home; not like living in a hostel. I’m standing in front of you today because of them.”
Mahajan rode in an airplane for the first flight of her life to come to the U.S. for the Home of Hope fundraiser.
Vikram Dutt, a Home of Hope advisor, played a key role in creating the mental health program at Udayan Care. “We want to expand Home of Hope,” he told India-West. “In the past, it’s primarily been a charitable organization. We want make it a knowledge disseminating organization as well.”
NBC11 news anchor Scott Budman, who recently traveled to Home of Hope’s Atmashree Project in Bangalore to do a piece for a news series called “Bay to Bangalore,” gave the keynote address for the night. “I thought I knew everything about Bangalore,” the business and technology reporter told his audience. “That was until I met Dr. Sabharwal — that’s when I really learned something.”
In her welcome address, Sabharwal distinguished this year’s anniversary as momentous in the history of her organization. “You have seen many faces of Nilima up here over the years,” she said. “You’ve seen sadness, frustration, even tears. But today I’m feeling very tall—because we’ve been changing people’s lives—2,000 lives. They are like dominoes and they will regenerate other lives.”
Since 1998, Home of Hope has been identifying promising grassroots projects in India that share its vision of providing services to needy children regardless of their race, sex, or religious beliefs. The group then raises funds to support these projects and assigns a U.S.-based project coordinator to supervise and audit the progress of the project. Home of Hope currently partners with 11 organizations throughout India, while also dedicating some of its funds to one-time projects, such as the construction of classrooms, computer labs, and the purchase of books.
The organization has been lauded by many supporters for the transparency of its operations, its low operating expenses, and also the secular nature of its work.
Home of Hope president Shilpi Minocha spoke briefly about the organization’s goals for the next 10 years. She said that they would expand the nutrition and mental and emotional health programs. “Children need 2,300 calories a day, but most Indian children are getting less than 1,700 calories a day,” she said. “We are prioritizing nutrition—particularly vitamin and calcium deficiency.” More immediate goals include getting study desks, flushable toilets, and proper sleeping areas for all children under Home of Hope’s care.
The evening’s entertainment came in the form of open floor dancing with a live DJ and an auction, as well as a standup comedy act by Dan Nainan, an up-and-coming performer of Japanese and Indian origin. His jokes, which skewered ethnic stereotypes and politicians, had the entire audience in stitches. Among those enjoying the entertainment were Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman and Councilwoman Anu Natarajan.
For information on Home of Hope, visit hohinc.org. |
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