2021 Mini Fundraiser

The show opened with our hosts, Neil Khot and Shree Guruswamy portraying the series of tireless work of MAFS and its successful continuation of nonstop services during the Pandemic. MAFS Board Member, Dr. Rakesh Asthana was invited on stage to give his appeal to the people to donate for this important cause. Dr. Asthana along with Dr. Santosh Kumar, Executive Director-MAFS, Vasanti Bhatt – Board Member, Village of Hoffman Estates Trustees Michael Gatea, Anna Newell & Gary G Stanton and James DeMello Board Member, Sunil Shah, and Dr. Vijay Prabhakar participated in the lighting of the lamp ceremony. Followed by this was a Ganesh Vandana rendition by the nightingale of Chicago, Pavitra Anand. And there on, her intermittent shower of beautiful songs captivated the audience. Dr. Santosh Kumar, who dedicated herself to serving seniors of the community, gave the introduction speech where she mentioned the challenges the organization faced during the pandemic, yet it did not stop its relentless services to the community with door-to-door healthy food delivery, wellness checks through zoom calls and much more. She spoke about the spread of COVID-19 in India and urged everyone to help the Motherland which needs the world’s help. She joined the efforts taken by Congressman Danny K Davis, Congressman Rajakrishnamoorthi, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, to donate to eradicate this deadly Pandemic. She made a trip to Washington DC to thank President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for releasing vaccines to India and urged them to release more resources to stop the disease from spilling across the borders. She thanked one and all and highlighted the importance of donations to sustain the programs of MAFS!

The highlight of the event was when the Mayor Of Hoffman Estates Mayor William D. McLeod awarded a proclamation to Dr. Santosh Kumar honoring May 29th as “MA SANTOSH KUMAR DAY”. Village of Hoffman Estates Trustees Michael Gatea, Anna Newell & Gary G Stanton awarded Dr. Santosh Kumar with the Proclamation Plaque. Congratulations to our dear Ma Santosh Kumar! What an honor! Sunil Shah-FIA presented an award of excellence to Dr. Santosh Kumar for her leadership and community service. Next, CONGRESSMAN RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI APPLAUDED DR. SANTOSH KUMAR AS COVID 19 HERO: He saluted Dr. Kumar and her staff for their strength in providing continuous services to the Senior community including over 62,000 home-delivered meals, 26,293 hours of wellness checks on zoom, and over 200,000 physical In-home visits during the Covid Pandemic. He mentioned his NOVID bill which stands for NO MORE COVID. Next, Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman, a strong advocate for seniors congratulated MAFS for their non-stop services to the community even during this harsh Pandemic.

Seniors from Vernon Hills did an enticing Zoom dance choreographed by ADS Coordinator, Namita Mathur. The senior participants are Jitendra Patel, Mohinder Jafra, Navnitlal Shah, Harjinder Kaur, Shrikanth Trivedi, Harnam Singh, Manjula Verma, Indumati Barot, Krishnakanth Gandhi, Madhu Mathur, Natvarlal Shah, Rajalakshmi S, and Jivantika Gandhi. Job well done Namita Mathur! Following this beautiful show a very melodious song performed by Orland Park seniors “Yeh kaun chitrakar hai”. This colorful and picturesque dance, choreographed by Grishma Shah, ADS Coordinator, pays tribute to the creator of beautiful Himalayan mountains, considered to be the abode of Gods for the Hindus. The senior participants are Rasila Kansara, Kamlesh Handa, Bhanumathi Patel, Chandrakanta Patel, and Reeniben Patel. Great Job Seniors.

Next, Dr. Kumar along with her Board Members, Dr. Asthana, Vasanti Bhatt, and James D’Mello presented Kanchi Shah and Dipti Desai of Sewa International In Recognition of Sewa International’s exemplary leadership in serving the people of India during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their contribution has been a glowing example for all to see and admire. you have set a new standard for excellence! Sewa has collected over 20 million dollars to help the India COVID Relief Program! They have sent over 9000 Oxygen concentrators to India along with many medical supplies. BRAVO SEWA INTERNATIONAL, USA! Dr. Santosh Kumar said she was proud to join hands with Sewa International. Dr. Santosh Kumar along with Vijay Prabhakar and the Board Members also presented another award to AAPI – Dr. Suresh Reddy and Dr. Meher Madhavaram, In Recognition of the American Association Of Physicians Of Indian Origin For their extraordinary efforts to serve the people of India during this Pandemic time. We Salute You! Following this our very own Senior Jayesh Desai appealed to all to donate for this wonderful cause of MAFS.

We had another vote of praise and support for MAFS from Diane Slezak, Chief Executive Officer of AgeOptions. MAFS partnered with Age Options to Vaccinate 500 people during this time. Following that, we had our Keynote Speaker, US Senator Dick Durbin praised MAFS for its extraordinary services rendered through its 12 Senior Centers. Senator Durbin singled out MAFS for their enormous efforts during the pandemic and extended his support to MAFS! Next came our vote of support from our Mayor of Hanover Park, Rodney Craig, who is a great supporter of MAFS, and congratulated Dr. Kumar on her tremendous job especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic. To sustain a program for 29 years is admirable and takes a lot of effort and sacrifice. Last, but not least, Illinois State Comptroller, Susanna A. Mendoza, showed her support for MAFS and congratulated Dr. Santosh Kumar on her achievements to serve the immigrant population for the past 3 decades. She understands the plight of immigrants as her parents were immigrants too!

A commendable and inspiring music video by the seniors of the Schaumburg ADS Center was showcased. The video is titled “ Ham Har Nahi Manege.” The young senior participants were, Pushpa Bhagwaker, Hasmukh Bhagwaker, Somabhai Patel, Bakula Patel, Ramanbhai Patel, Shradaben Patel, Purshotam Thakur, Parag Patel, Jayesh Desai, Jashbhai Patel, Manubhai Patel, Prahlad Bhrambhat, Hasmukh Kacchia, Mehmud Rehman, Urmila Patel, Irani Sharukh and Rashmikaben Shah. Bravo Seniors! Naperville ADS seniors did an awesome dance medley of songs “ Corona ko Harana hai” Starring: Shobhana Nagori, Kala and Ramesh Thakker, Saroj and Bhupendra Shah, Usha and Navin Sanghavi. Our next presentation was from our Chicago seniors who put together a relevant play titled “Corona se Daro Na”! It is about an NRI family visiting India for their daughter’s wedding but get caught in the clutches of the virus instead. A happy occasion turns into a nightmare, but the play takes a positive spin. It shows how the world is coming together as a global community to help those in need. Chicago Seniors try their best to spread the message of resilience and hope amidst the most trying times humanity is facing. Wow! Our seniors can truly act! Kudos Chicago team Our young participants were, Pankaj Patel, Jagruti Jagatia, Manju Nath, Neera Kaur, Sadhana Vaish, Krishna Mahajan, Harish Mahajan, Nirmal Bhansidhar, Himali Barucha(Staff), and Urvashi Bhatt(Staff). This play was directed by our Grants Manager Roshita Pandey. Niles Seniors showcased the next noteworthy entertainment “Naye Zamane Ke Seniors with Naya Andaz. We Adore our Seniors and they are such an inspiration to us. The participants are Manjula Trivedi, Suresh Amin, Dinesh Patel, Hemlata Patel, Suryakant Patel, Kanaiyalal Shah, Hansa Kapadia, Ghanshyam Patel, Surekha Selani, Amirali Lakhani, and Bharatkumar Soni (ADS Coordinator)

The crowd enjoyed Pavithra Anand’s mesmerizing performance following which, Dr. Kumar thanked Pavithra and Rajendra Singh with flowers and a gift. With that our show ended with Sagar Kumar’s, CFO report. He thanked the amazing emcees, Neil Khot and Shree Gurusamy for being excellent hosts for this event. He thanked all our viewers, sponsors, dignitaries, and donors for their continued support to sustain the goal of MAFS.

Mrs. Kumar and Sagar Kumar called upon the Board Members, IT Team, and the rest of the Staff who stood behind MAFS to make this event a success. Mrs. Kumar praised all her staff equally for being great support especially the IT Team led by none other than our Prashant Kumar – IT Director. The show ended with lots of good vibrations and happiness which Dr. Santosh Kumar and her sons Prashant Kumar and Sagar Kumar bring forth to unite their staff and well-wishers to fulfill the aim of MAFS to serve the seniors of the community.