Lekha Sreenivasan, Chairperson of Karuna Charities International died in Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala, India on Monday, January 9, 2023. Lekha established Karuna Charities Washington, Inc. 25 years ago In Washington DC when her husband T P Sreenivasan, Deputy Indian Ambassador was posted to the US.
Along with her immense love for humanity and ability to organize the Indian community to work for the greater good, Lekha was an artist and dancer.
She had the ability to inspire the expatriate Indian community in Africa, Europe, and North America to willingly serve the needy in their countries of residence and around the world.
She will be deeply missed by her countless friends and members of Karuna Charities Washington.
Our deepest condolences to Mr. T.P. Sreenivasan and family.
On December 9, 2022 Montgomery College hosted a grand luncheon at the Bethesda North Mariott Hotel to honor donors, including Karuna Charities represented by Kanti Singh (Vice-President), Rohini Khera (Ambassador), and Gita Bhatia (Ambassador and Webmaster). Karuna Charities has been donating a scholarship to Montgomery College annually for many years.
And so the story of Karuna Charities continues!! Next year 2023, the Charity will be completing 25 years of Service to our community and we look forward to a great celebration!! We have straddled these years with hard work and commitment! Time passes and now we see that first our Children and now our Grandkids are getting ready to carry forward the baton! The year 2022 concludes with little ones listening to the Karuna Story and contributing towards the $50 gift cards for Thanksgiving to 50 needy kids!! Our collection of money exceeded our expectations!! The Manager of the Shelter was teary eyed as she was presented with the Gift Cards!! Our Cup runneth Full and Over!!
Thank you – thank you and THANK YOU to our community.
Lookout for our activities for next year which will begin with our presentation of $5,000 each to our Endowed Scholarship holders, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA); University of the District of Columbia (UDC); Montgomery College; and The Universities at Shady Grove.
Karuna Charities wishes you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2023!
Plaques were awarded to each of its hardworking and long-time Board Members: Kanti Singh, Jasbir Sethi, Sujata Avasthi, Promila Banik, Bina Dhir and Savita Malhotra.
The year 2021 is coming to a close. Karuna Charities has done its utmost to support the needy in these very critical and trying times. Karuna Charities made an all-out effort to collect funds and was very happy with the response from all of you. In 2020, we had an online Fundraiser with the inimitable Anup Jalota, an online live program from Mumbai and in 2021, we felt bold enough to do an outdoor activity and hence the golf tournament which proved to be very popular. We have our goals in force and we did a fabulous Fundraising Drive supported by a very responsive community and gathered funds, always keeping our goals in sight. College education is very important. The needy students needed money for books, food, housing and transportation. We were able to support our four endowed scholarship holders, Montgomery College, Nothern Virginia Community College (NVCC), the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and The Universities at Shady Grove. It was and is a very tough time for women and families in shelters, for not only were the shelters full and alternate arrangements had to be made by the managements in nearby hotels and even by putting tents. The vulnerable women faced many unusual challenges. Many stayed home fearful of the pandemic, scarcity of accommodation outside and thus were subjected to unusual and increased amount of abuse. We worked with individual cases already in the shelters. The Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS) for instance did tremendous amount of work in this area and Karuna Charities was happy to set up an ongoing Karuna fund in the shelter to be dispensed according to the needs of the women. Little things like a change of locks for safety measures, transportation to reach a lawyer, etc., become so significant. Karuna Charities also sent funds to Texas to two organizations for relief work. Karuna Charities contributed wholeheartedly to food banks, shelters in the DC metropolitan area, and also reached out to COVID affected people in India with much needed medical supplies. Fresh food was sent to shelters in the hope of bringing some relief to deprived, stressed, and unhappy needy people. Just as were hoping for some normalcy in these tumultuous times, Omicron has made its appearance! It is a small inconvenience to wear a mask, but it works wonders. Vaccinations have proved to be useful. Karuna Charities is grateful to the community for the stouthearted support and thanks all who have contributed so that we can continue serving our community. Do continue to donate in kind or in person for thus we can continue to reach our goals.
Karuna Charities has donated $5,000 to Greater Washington Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GWAPI) and $5,000 to Guru Nanak Foundation of America (GNFA) for Hemkunt Foundation, who will each send medical supplies and equipment on behalf of Karuna Charities to India towards COVID relief efforts. Karuna Charities believes that human beings in spite of everything have goodness in them! We are all on a journey here on this earth. We all are familiar with life, its trivialities, its gravity, its fragility! Always be compassionate. And ofcourse ‘if your compassion does not include yourself it is incomplete. To understand Compassion turn inwards to yourself!! Karuna Means COMPASSION !! Karuna Charities, like so many other organizations, is donating towards COVID Relief in India, where the Pandemic is at its worst–Together we shall overcome!!! Amrit Kalotra, President, Karuna Charities Washington Inc.
Money sent abroad by Karuna Charities for buying medical supplies for the Covid drive in India.
Below is: (1) a receipt for $5,000 from the Guru Nanak Foundation of America, Inc.; and (2) an acknowledgement letter for the receipt of $5,000 from the Greater Washington Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.
Guru_Nanak_Receipt
GREATER WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICIANS OF INDIAN HERITAGE GWAPI2021@gmail.com Or Info@gwapi.org
May 24, 2021
Dear Karuna Charities (Amrit Kalotra/Jasbir Sethi), As always stated, it is our beloved GWAPI members and friends who make us what we are today. Our strength, unity, and successes come from within. The past month has been a true testament to this statement. During this time of great heartbreak due to the Covid19 crisis in India, we’ve been comforted, encouraged, and humbled by the outpouring of generosity and support from within our own members, and the Executive team is immensely grateful and proud. Karuna Charities, your contribution in the amount of $5,000 going towards the Oxygen Concentrator Drive is a grand gesture. In fact, your contribution is helping us lead the way in responding to this unprecedented crisis. Thanks to our membership, we have provided 100 Oxygen Concentrators which are being distributed amongst various charities in Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu, Ludhiana & Jalandhar. (Rasoi on Wheels, Hemkunt Foundation, Mata Gujri Hospital, Beena Anand Charitable Trust, CIIWI just to name a few). Additionally, we have GWAPI family, and friends on the ground in India orchestrating the distribution to the various charities. This is just remarkable!!!
Karuna Charities, thank you for helping us meet the challenges of this moment, so we can continue as physicians to provide the highest order of care with inclusion, integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence!
Attached please find a copy of your Acknowledgment Letter that can be used for tax exemption purposes as GWAPI is a 501c3 Non-Profit Entity.
Sincerely and with warmest regards, Gurdeep S. Chhabra, MD- President Rajeev Khanna, MD- Chairman Board of Trustees Trishna C. Batra, MPH- Executive Director
