The Foundation of Indian Americans (FIA)–New England, along with its partner organizations, hosted a free community health camp at the Center for Creative Arts in Burlington, Massachusetts, to commemorate MLK Day by honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through meaningful community service.
Over 300 members of the community were served with medical, dental and vision checks at no cost, thanks to several healthcare professionals of Indian origin, including: Dr. Anahita Dua, Director of the Vascular Laboratory and Associate Leader of Advanced Vascular Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital; Mr. Ravindra Zende of Jatan Foundation for Inclusion (Social worker with focus on vision care); Dr Shivkumar, Senior Psychiatrist and Dementia Specialist; Dr Sapna Agarwal, Primary Care Physician; Dr. Nirav Patel, USCIS-Designated Civil Surgeon; Dr. Bijal Patel, Cardiologist; Dr. Sarju Ganatra, Cardio-Onco-Metabolic Medicine Physician; Dr. Ram Yadav, Dentist; Dr Shezan Fouzdar; Dr. Radha Bansal; Dr. Sweschha Bhatt; Mrs. Shalu Yadav, Physical Therapist; Mrs. Punithavathy, Clinical Dietitian; and Mrs. Pooja Arrora, Attorney specializing in Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts.
Event Proceedings
The event was emceed by Mrs. Jyoti Singh (FIA-Director) with brief description of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy for the pursuit of equality and social harmony. Mrs. Sahana Purohit, a social worker, was the chief guest of the event.
Mr. Sanjay Gokhale, Vice President of FIA – New England, welcomed all the Physicians and other volunteer healthcare workers, and explained the motivation and agenda for the medical camp.
Mr. Abhishek Singh, President of FIA – New England said, “we are inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior’s dream of equality and social harmony, and wanted to honor his memory by organizing free community healthcare camp with free vision.”
Community Leaders Present
FIA – New England was blessed by the presence and support of many prominent community leaders at this healthcare camp, including Mr. Nilesh and Mrs. Deepa Agarwal and Mr. Dipak Garg of the India Association of Greater Boston; Mr. Devendra Patil, Owner of The Treasury/Rassa/Bombay Launch Restaurant Chain; Mr. Rakesh and Mrs. Aditi Soni, Prominent entrepreneur and Saheli Executive; Mr. Hetal and Mrs. Java Joshi, Founders of the Academy of Creative Art; Mrs. Manisha Jain, Executive Director of Ekal Vidyalaya; Mr. Mohan Nannapannei, Founder& President of Team Aid; Mr. Vikas Deshpande of HSS; Dr. Monie and Mr. Arun Malhotra; Dr. Ranjani and Mr. Anil Saigal, Founders of Lokvani; Mr. Rakesh and Mrs. Deepti Kavsari and Mr. Anand Sharma, FIA-NE Executives; and Mrs. Sonal Limbachia.
Volunteers and Partners
The healthcare camp was successful due to the tireless effort of our young volunteers including Mr. Mitesh Soni, Mr. Mahesh Chilka, Mr. Rasik Mehta, Ms. Tisha Singh, Ms. Saisa Sharma, Ms. Pragna Kavsari, Mr. Abhuday Singh and Mr. Ranuday Singh.
Mr. Amol Penshanwar and Mrs. Shova Sharma thanked all the partners, including Jatan foundation, RestoringVision, Academy of Creative Arts, The Treasury, Lynn & Woburn Urgent Care & Happy Life Adult Day Care, as well as all the participating healthcare professionals, supporters and volunteers for making this healthcare camp a grand success.
