2019 Celebrating Ten Years We have great news this year! June 18, 2019 Vasundhara Kalasapudi India Home Inc. 178-36 Wexford Terrace, 2nd Floor Jamaica, New York 11432 Re: India Home Capital Award Dr. Kalasapudi: I am writing to congratulate you on India Home’s capital grant totaling $2,048,000 for property acquisition. The grant award includes $1,025,000 from Borough President Melinda Katz, $500,000 from my office, $250,000 from Council Member Donovon Richards, and $273,000 from Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Member Daneek I. Miller and myself. I look forward to all the great work that India Home will continue to do in my district and throughout New York City. Very truly yours, Rory I. Lancman 2 President’s Letter Dear Friends, This year, we celebrate a decade of service to our community! It all began when Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, Dr. Kiran Dave and Dr. Amit Sood conceived the concept of establishing a space for elderly people to mingle on a daily basis, thereby reducing social isolation and minimizing the risks of mental degeneration. The three pioneers spearheaded and devoted considerable time and efforts to implement India Home and to register it as a section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Our dreams became a reality and India Home registered as a non-profit in 2007, and obtained public charity status in 2009. I could not be more proud of the work this organization has done, with endless dedication to serving South Asian and Indo-Caribbean seniors with the culturally competent services they deserve. India Home takes pride in understanding the unique needs of the many different cultural subgroups that exist in South Asia and the intersectional complexities that such seniors have to face when aging in this country. India Home has served over 100,000 culturally-tailored meals (and counting) with special care given to take into account these populations’ dietary needs. We have seen seniors tell us firsthand, the impact our yoga/exercise classes have had on them over time, improving their mobility and motor skills. Our seniors are burgeoning with talent, having written their own scripts and performed their own plays, choreographed dances, and written their own books of poetry through our Creative Aging Program. Some of our seniors have gained citizenship and received benefits such as Access-A-Ride and Food Stamps through the help of our Case Management Program. The dynamic myriad of programming that India Home has offered over time to our community has been a true inspiration to witness. Ten years ago, this started as just an idea. India Home’s offices were operating out of Dr. Kalasapudi’s home. In 2017 it moved into a brand new office in Jamaica Estates. 2018 marked a turning point for India Home as it acquired a capital grant of $1.477 million from the NYC Council for the creation of the South Asian Community Home, our very own community center to provide culturally competent services to South Asian and Indo- Caribbean seniors. As further testament to our growing support from the government, we most recently received the news that we have been awarded a second capital grant of $2.048 million to establish a senior center in Queens Village. This year, we reflect on this journey of a decade and growth that has led us to where we are today. This journey could not have been possible without the unwavering energy and drive of our fellow community members and supporters like yourself. Whether it was volunteering for a festival or donating towards our cause to keep our services going, our community has held us strong through the ups and downs. We are flooding with activities, and the demand is higher than ever to expand our activities. This can only be done with your continued recognition of a need for these services and support for the years to come. We hope we have your blessings in our voyage forward, towards a healthier, happier, and more inclusive community. Thanks, Mukund Mehta, President 3 Our Mission India Home is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean senior immigrant community. India Home provides social, psychological, recreational, and spiritual services in a culturally sensitive environment. Board of Directors Staff Mr. Mukund Mehta Shaaranya Pillai President Development Director Sabit Bhuiyan Dr. Amit Sood Director of Community Outreach Treasurer Selvia Sikder Mr. Ali Najmi, Esq. Program Manager Secretary Dilafroz “Nargis” Ahmed Director, Desi Senior Center Ms. Neetu Jain Kavita Shah Ms. Jaya Bahadkar Program Coordinator Sanjana Inala Dr. Ankineedu Prasad Development Associate Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi Sabbir Ahmed Founding President & Executive Director Facility Coordinator Andrew De Leon Intern A special thank you to our previous board members Dr. Kiran Dave, Ms. Shanti Mudumba, Dr. Bhuvana Dorai, Dr. Gnanendra Sinha, Ms. Kamla Motihar, Dr. Nasreen Mirza, Mr. Paulose Arikupurathu, Dr. Swarna Chanduri, Mr. Mahendra Solanki, Dr. Masood Mirza, Dr. Geetha Menon, Ms. Janak Datt, Ms. Shanthi Ranasinghe, Ms. Anjali Thadani, Ms. Afreen Alam We thank our previous staff for their dedication and passion Joel Palma, Padmaja Ayyagari, Avani Sinha, Amee Sinha, Anand Sinha, Bhavita Mamilla, Megha Mehta, Meera Venugopal, Lakshman Kalasapudi, Rachit Manglani, Manav Bandlamudi, Divya Nagpal, Pooja Kohli, Shruti Tiwari, Monica Talla, Shankar Goud, Rupali Rege, Sujatha Mikkilneni, Afroditi Panna, Vandana Vyas, Abul Hashem, Abrar Rabbi, Fahim Farazi, Venu Thirumala, Seema Ahmed Thank you to all our volunteers & interns for their tireless efforts over the years to help us grow! 4 A Journey Through 10 Years… While India Home received its public charity status 10 years ago in 2009, the origins started years before. Three daughters, Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, Dr. Kiran Dave, and Dr. Deepika Sood, went through their own personal struggles taking care of their aging South Asian parents who suffered with the debilitating disorders of vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease. Their parents’ conditions were known and acknowledged in this country. However, their unique needs and lifestyles as South Asians were not. There lacked a place in New York City for seniors to regularly interact with peers in their own language, to provide food that accommodated their diet, and to provide services that were sensitive and tailored to their culture. This lack of ability to interact exacerbated their parents’ conditions. As the three daughters shared their experience, they found that they were not alone in realizing that there was a dire need and rampant problem in the community that was not being addressed. They decided to turn their pain into passion, and thus began the journey of India Home… 5 2006 2008 ◊ Meetings with close to 200 community members ◊ India Home launches its website and professionals take place in Roslyn Heights ◊ India Home’s first ever Fundraising Walkathon in Kissena Park 2007 ◊ India Home was envisioned and founding board is formed ◊ India Home is registered as a non-profit organization (501c3 status) by Mr. Venkaiah Dama First centers are started in collaboration with existing community centers at Sai Mandir in Long Island, and at Services Now for Adult Persons (SNAP), located in Queens Village India Home at Kerala Center in Elmont, supported by Dr. Beppy Edasery Seniors visit Long Island’s Montauk Beach and Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne, Massachusetts India Home receives a bus from founding donor Doshi Family Foundation 6 2009 2010 ◊ India Home receives public charity status through the help of Ms. Neetu Jain Second Queens-based center in collaboration with Third Queens senior center at Queens Community House Sunnyside Community Services in Kew Gardens 7 2011 2012 ◊ New Queens senior center is inaugurated at ◊ India Home inaugurates a new center at Self Help Inc. Buddhist Vihara in Parkside Hills in Flushing through the funding of the Department of ◊ Collaboration with the SAPPHIRE Research Aging Innovative Senior Center Grant Network at the Albert Einstein College of ◊ India Home obtains its first capital grant for Medicine to clearly elucidate the health needs and purchasing a bus for senior transportation from the disparities in the South Asian community Queens Borough President, the late Helen Marshall ◊ Our new Caregivers Support Program, ◊ Held our first volunteer week recognizing active India subcontracting with Sunnyside Community Home members Services, funded partially by the State of New York & Department for the Aging, focuses on ◊ Collaboration with the Warren Alpert Medical School helping those who help our seniors: their families, at Brown University support networks, and friends Intergenerational Cruise Series co-organized with the National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) brings together over 2000 members, families and and supporters, spanning across as many as four generations! Published “Sentiments”, a book of poems (in English & Hindi) and artwork created by our seniors, coordinated by previous Board Secretary Kamla Motihar Inauguration of XBOX Kinect Video Game through our Tech Literacy Program with the support of Councilmember Mark Weprin 8 2013 2014 ◊ Collaboration with Mayo Clinic studying nutrition ◊ Celebrated Diwali at the New York City Hall and metabolism in South Asians Chambers for the first time ◊ Presented research study with Brown University ◊ Supporter Ramesh Navani holds fundraiser at at the American Association for Geriatric Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan in honor of the release of Psychiatry’s annual national conference in his poetry book, “Out of the Blue: An Evolution”, Los Angeles from which all proceeds were donated to India Home ◊ Organized health fair under Memorial Sloan ◊ India Home receives its first grant from the American Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center through the South Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) Asian Health Initiative (SAHI) under the leadership of Dr. Madhu Korrapati Through the pioneering support of Council Member Rory Lancman, India Home opens the Desi Senior Center in collaboration with Jamaica Muslim Center.