The Desai Foundation hosted their annual Diwali On The Hudson fundraising event at HK Hall in New York City. The event held on Wednesday, October 12th, brought together the who’s who of New York’s South Asian influencer scene.
Diwali on Hudson celebrates India’s largest holiday, Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, while also showcasing the work done by The Desai Foundation. The Desai Foundation now in its 25th year, empowers women and children through community programs that focus on health, livelihood, and menstrual equity. They are currently operating in 2,500 villages, and have a reach of nearly 5 million people. Their work cultivates dignity so that everyone can dream beyond their circumstances.
Desai Foundation was recently highlighted at Clinton Global Initiative ReLaunch for their Commitment to Women + Girls. CGI, which brings together established and emerging leaders for opportunities to collaboratively tackle pressing issues, recognized the work of three nonprofits and their leadership during this plenary session and included the work done by The Desai Foundation.
Diwali on the Hudson launched 9 years ago, has been a pioneer for other glamorous Diwali events and parties alike. This year’s celebration brought in 300 guests, including Captain Kirk Douglas (The Roots), Comedian Zarna Garg, Actress Melanie Chandra, Actress Ami Sheth, Model Diva Dhavan, Grammy Winner Falu Shah, Parag Mehta (JPM), Chef Palak Patel, Candidate Suraj Patel, Actress & Autor Sheetal Sheth, and many other influential leaders in the South Asian community.
“This year’s Diwali on the Hudson was extremely special! Not only is it an honor to bring our local community together with this beautiful celebration, but we did it while surpassing our fundraising goal! We have garnered such incredible support from our friends, and donors and have had the opportunity to showcase so many incredible artists all while raising money for the people we serve in rural communities” said Megha Desai, President of The Desai Foundation.
Singer, and songwriter Rhea Raj performed her viral hit song “Outside” while DJ Suhel entertained the crowd all evening – it was the first time she ever performed the song live! Food was sponsored by Desi Galli and other partners for the evening included American Airlines, Ranavat, Nandanson’s, beverages by Rampur Distilleries & 1947, Live Tinted, Holi Chic, Modi Toys, SpiceWell, Hummingway, Taza Tea, Preserve, and Brown Girl Magazine.
Board Member Sindhya Valloppillil Kalghatgi & Leadership Council Member & Major Donor Karam Hinduja helped the organization reach their fundraising goal while Executive Director Mittal Gohil shed light on the work done by the foundation by sharing stories from the field work.
To learn more about The Desai Foundation, visit: (http://thedesaifoundation.org/): To make a donation, visit: https://thedesaifoundation.org/donate-now/
