2012 Annual Fundraiser

The annual dinner, hosted in association with Dhrishti, attracted a host of eminent business and community leaders including Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, Michael Gelder, Policy Advisor to Governor Pat Quinn, Gopal Lalmalani, MD, Village President Oakbrook, Michelle Mussman, State Representative 56th District, Mayor William McLeod, Hoffman Estates, Mary Killough, Senior Health Care Policy Advisor to Governor Pat Quinn, Marta Pareyra, Executive Director of the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly (CLESE), Jamie Boyce from AgeOptions, and foreign ministers Amrish Singh Gautam, Deputy Speaker Delhi Vidhan Sabha and Karan Singh Pawar, King of Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India. Jesse White, in his remarks, congratulated our staff, board members, and clients for serving the community with compassionate care and passion.

He said, “The range of service that MAFS provides has helped individuals to live fuller and healthier lives.”Gelder appreciated Mrs. Kumar for taking the mission and service of MAFS to the next level. He also congratulated MAFS for providing comprehensive and integrated services to the elderly immigrant population in Chicago and greater the Chicago area. Mrs. Kumar thanked government organizations and sponsors for supporting various programs of MAFS.

She extended her appreciation for our longtime supporters, S.S. Bhatt and Dr. Firdaus Jafri. Speaking on various services that MAFS renders to the community, she said, “MAFS has started many programs when and where required. MAFS has been successfully organizing various programs with little or no funding.”Celebrating twenty years of success, Mrs. Kumar couldn’t help but express her emotions as she spoke of the difficulties she faced and sacrifices that she had made as a mother and wife to benefit those who are less fortunate.

In her closing remarks, Mrs. Kumar said, “Life is worth living for all of us, thanks to your extraordinary contribution to this cause.”Amrish Singh Gautam said he felt proud to see Indian Americans doing such noble deeds in the USA. He urged them to follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Guru Nanak, Sri Krishna and Sri Ram. Karan Singh Pawar commended MAFS for providing remarkable service to the Indian community in Chicago. Part of the evening’s entertainment was a Kuchipudi dance program Puspanjali performed as a fusion dance, a true exhibition of the blending between Eastern and Western culture. The much anticipated main entertainment of the night was Amit and Smeet Kumar’s tribute to their legendary father Kishore Kumar.  Kishore Kumar was a humorous actor and singer. This performance was enjoyed by guests of all ages as the singers performed old classics with new favorites.

The audience was treated to some humorous clippings from movies of the legendary star. This was followed by the entrance of the two Kishores, Amit & Sumeet Kumar, who staged a remarkable performance. The evening was emceed by Masala T and over $100,350 was raised for the cause!