ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16 A Message from the Table of Contents Managing Trustee • Introducon 01 Back in New Orleans where The obvious choice was food related and thereby the • Our Trustees 02 we lived for eight glorious idea of the dabba service was generated and in April years, Aar became close 2015 we began providing hot lunches. • Advisory Board 03 friends with Ashley who was • Our Team 04 a couple of years older to Community parcipaon also includes service and so a • Our Iniaves 06 her. They had a bond that collaboraon with the Robin Hood Army was launched was indescribable even wherein we provide 25 nutrious meals to street • Parents / Volunteers 10 though Aar had very lile children on a weekly basis. • In Gratude 12 language and Ashley had • Financial Report 12 none. But they laughed Also during the year we worked on creang civic together. Oen. Aar comforted Ashley through her awareness by collaborang with the M.L. Dahanukar music and songs. Ashley loved it and when she flashed College chapter of Enactus. We have been taught how Aar a brilliant smile, everything was hunky dory to compost our kitchen waste and have a thriving again. Aar has ausm and Ashley has a smooth brain kitchen garden. syndrome. Introduction We have an enormous resource in our beneficiaries Persons with disabilies or those who are differently who enrich the lives of our support staff and Yash Charitable Trust (YCT) was established in 2014 with the overall mission of enhancing quality of life for persons abled such as Ashley and Aar and millions of others volunteers each and every day. We love the me we with developmental disabilies. Therefore acvies of YCT are geared towards assisng such individuals to show us in countless ways their special strengths: they spend together and nothing is more rewarding than to become responsible, producve members of the communies that they live in. We constantly strive to create work hard and want to do well; they share their see our beneficiaries grow in so many intangible ways: inclusive community-based opportunies that provide to our beneficiaries a sasfying and fulfilling adult life happiness with gay abandon and they feel sad when whether it is in their skills, their confidence, or their similar to their non-disabled peers. Yash Charitable Trust is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 and we do. Many have faced adversity and derision all their community parcipaon. all donaons are deducble under Sec. 80G of the Income Tax Act of 1961. lives. But they are resilient and connue to strive to be the best that they can be. We also have a wonderful set of families who support our every iniave wholeheartedly. Above all they teach us to go beyond ourselves and into the core of our being and find those qualies of There is much to do and much we would like to do. But love and compassion that are beyond egos and pey we are young and resources preclude us from doing differences. too much too soon. If we, others, choose to look beyond the disability, we In the meanwhile, we connue to marvel at the can learn. A lot. In the bargain, we also realize that inspiraon provided by the Ashleys and Aars of the inclusiveness, besides being the `right' thing to do, world. We salute their resilience and we dedicate our benefits the enre community. existence as YCT to them. Yash Charitable Trust was formed in 2013 based on Sushama Nagarkar these beliefs and with the mandate of empowering persons with developmental disabilies (PWDs) to live sasfying and fulfilling adult lives. Integral to the noon of being able to live sasfying and fulfilling adult lives is meaningful employment that is inclusive and involves community parcipaon. YASH CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT – 2015-16 YASH CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT – 2015-16 1 A Message from the Table of Contents Managing Trustee • Introducon 01 Back in New Orleans where The obvious choice was food related and thereby the • Our Trustees 02 we lived for eight glorious idea of the dabba service was generated and in April years, Aar became close 2015 we began providing hot lunches. • Advisory Board 03 friends with Ashley who was • Our Team 04 a couple of years older to Community parcipaon also includes service and so a • Our Iniaves 06 her. They had a bond that collaboraon with the Robin Hood Army was launched was indescribable even wherein we provide 25 nutrious meals to street • Parents / Volunteers 10 though Aar had very lile children on a weekly basis. • In Gratude 12 language and Ashley had • Financial Report 12 none. But they laughed Also during the year we worked on creang civic together. Oen. Aar comforted Ashley through her awareness by collaborang with the M.L. Dahanukar music and songs. Ashley loved it and when she flashed College chapter of Enactus. We have been taught how Aar a brilliant smile, everything was hunky dory to compost our kitchen waste and have a thriving again. Aar has ausm and Ashley has a smooth brain kitchen garden. syndrome. Introduction We have an enormous resource in our beneficiaries Persons with disabilies or those who are differently who enrich the lives of our support staff and Yash Charitable Trust (YCT) was established in 2014 with the overall mission of enhancing quality of life for persons abled such as Ashley and Aar and millions of others volunteers each and every day. We love the me we with developmental disabilies. Therefore acvies of YCT are geared towards assisng such individuals to show us in countless ways their special strengths: they spend together and nothing is more rewarding than to become responsible, producve members of the communies that they live in. We constantly strive to create work hard and want to do well; they share their see our beneficiaries grow in so many intangible ways: inclusive community-based opportunies that provide to our beneficiaries a sasfying and fulfilling adult life happiness with gay abandon and they feel sad when whether it is in their skills, their confidence, or their similar to their non-disabled peers. Yash Charitable Trust is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 and we do. Many have faced adversity and derision all their community parcipaon. all donaons are deducble under Sec. 80G of the Income Tax Act of 1961. lives. But they are resilient and connue to strive to be the best that they can be. We also have a wonderful set of families who support our every iniave wholeheartedly. Above all they teach us to go beyond ourselves and into the core of our being and find those qualies of There is much to do and much we would like to do. But love and compassion that are beyond egos and pey we are young and resources preclude us from doing differences. too much too soon. If we, others, choose to look beyond the disability, we In the meanwhile, we connue to marvel at the can learn. A lot. In the bargain, we also realize that inspiraon provided by the Ashleys and Aars of the inclusiveness, besides being the `right' thing to do, world. We salute their resilience and we dedicate our benefits the enre community. existence as YCT to them. Yash Charitable Trust was formed in 2013 based on Sushama Nagarkar these beliefs and with the mandate of empowering persons with developmental disabilies (PWDs) to live sasfying and fulfilling adult lives. Integral to the noon of being able to live sasfying and fulfilling adult lives is meaningful employment that is inclusive and involves community parcipaon. YASH CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT – 2015-16 YASH CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT – 2015-16 1 Our Trustees Our Advisory Board A wonderful set of very diverse individuals comprises the Board of Trustees. These are persons who have We are fortunate and grateful to have on our advisory board, individuals who have worked for many years in the unflinchingly volunteered their me and efforts to take on these special responsibilies. Their varied talents and world of disabilies. Collecvely they have over 125 years of experience between them! The beauty is that they experse bring an enriched perspecve to the acvies of Yash Charitable Trust. connue to advocate relessly towards beering lives for individuals with disabilies and make a huge difference in the life of every such person they encounter. Sushama Nagarkar, Managing Trustee, is a parent of an adult with developmental disabilies. She believes that individuals with developmental disabilies are people first and that their disability does not define who they truly are. She also believes that with the right kinds of supports every adult with developmental Jody Cook believes that all people have common goals for home, work, family, friends and that vocaon, disabilies can live a very fulfilling life and be an acve contribung member of the community that he or she recreaon, and community involvement are crucial to a balanced and fulfilling life. Jody also believes that lives in. Sushama completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology from St. Xavier's College acvity, opportunity and involvement are essenal rights that should be accessible to all individuals and Bombay University and connued to obtain a Specialist degree and naonal cerficaon in School regardless of ability. Psychology as well as a Doctorate in Special Educaon during a 15 year stay in the US. She is a registered Rehabilitaon Psychologist with the Rehabilitaon Council of India. Aakil Mahajan, born and raised in Mumbai, has completed his Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from Debbie Flores has officially rered from teaching aer serving students with special needs and their families Northwestern University and a Cerficate Programme in Managerial Analycs from the Kellogg School of for over 36 years.