| Service Awards |
Service AwardsIn 2004, board member Dr Kumar suggested we acknowledge a person for outstanding contribution to our community and the greater society. Our first award went to Vanita Gupta, a lawyer who worked for NAACP, and helped fight for discrimination against a group of African Americans in Tulia, Texas, and won their freedom in a landmark discrimination case. Two other awards were given that year, one to Preeti Desai from North Carolina, who helped provide children with surgeries they could not afford, and the other to Anisha Gupta, a teen from California, who gave all the money she got from her bharatanatyam arangetram (Indian classical dance recital) to an institute that helped poor hispanic children in the Bay area. The following year, the Community Ambassador award went to Chirag Patel for starting a day service program at John Hopkins Univeristy and community service projects in Houston, including a program that mediated conflict between Korean merchants and African American residents. In 2006, the award went to on outstanding teacher, Wajahat Quadri, for her outstanding work in Miami. All of these awards were underwritten by the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foundations. The Upakar service awards ended in 2006. Since then, the organization has focused its efforts on mentoring our scholars and raising funds for more scholarships so more deserving students can benefit from our resources. If you would like to support us or get involved, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |