HOPE FOR HUMANITY
ANNUAL MEETING - SEPTEMBER 22, 2007
The Hope for Humanity Annual Meeting was held on September 22, 2007 at the home of Board Member Leela Mandava.
The meeting was opened with a keynote by Krishna Rao Boppana, who has developed a deep personal passion for Hope for Humanity and who wants to take the organization to higher levels with all of our help. She provided a definition for “Hope for Humanity” as an institute which provides hope, in our own small way, to those less fortunate. Krishna noted that 100% of our contributions go directly to the sponsored charitable organizations with absolutely 0% administrative overhead. It was a pleasure to learn how the strength of one idea along with the desire to make a difference has grown into an organization with more than 125 donors. One unique feature of HfH is the diversity of organizations that are supported. The common element of all these organizations is that they operate at a grass root level and reach out to the neediest among us. During the meeting, the feelings of passion and pride in all who are involved show what a unique organization HfH is, and it is evident that anyone can join and help shape the future of HfH.
Geeta Vallurupalli did a great job of introducing the guests, whose speeches are highlighted below.
One of the board members, Jaya Vallurupalli shared her experiences from her recent visit to Ethiopia. Though most of us are aware of the difficult conditions in Ethiopia, it was sad to hear her personal accounts of Ethiopians waiting in line for several hours to get basic medical attention. In the modern age, with all the medical advancements that are available to people in wealthy countries, it was depressing to hear that the life expectancy of the typical Ethiopian is only 40 years. It makes one want to do something to help, doesn’t it?
stories they heard in their childhood .This seems like an excellent idea for each of us to participate in…So, let’s rattle our brains for those old-time stories we heard from our grandmothers and grandfathers, and let’s put them on paper to share with younger generations. If we can write them in Telugu that would be a plus; however language shouldn’t be a barrier…at any age, we can all enjoy a good story!
The next speaker, Carrie Trybulec, is an American who has spent time studying the principles espoused by Gandhi and works to promote them at the Gandhi Memorial Center. She explained that our funds from HfH have helped sponsor 2 young adults to do research and understand the work of Gandhi. After they complete their education, these individuals will assimilate into society to work to bring much needed peace, forbearance and sense of responsibility into the world.
Neil Puri discussed Ekal Vidyalaya’s programs which involve teaching children in villages basic literacy and math skills, as well as helping people to learn a trade. We through HfH are sponsoring three such schools. As members we should be proud of such an accomplishment. As a group it was possible to do something here that might never have been accomplished as individuals.
Durga Paruchuri related the story of her mother's fight with breast cancer and the need for creating awareness among villagers about breast cancer, as well as teaching the benefits of self exams and early diagnosis of the disease.
Padma Putrevu is tackling domestic social issues through her involvement with ASHA. In this day and age, where women have broken through so many former barriers in society and can now strive to achieve virtually anything in life, it is a sad reality that some women are still trapped in oppressive or abusive situations which require help at different levels. ASHA provides a helping hand and a much-needed ear to give these women some extra strength in order to provide hope for a better life. Padma also mentioned that HfH reached out to provide funds to ASHA, rather than ASHA seeking them out. It is impressive to watch our contributions making a difference in so many positive ways.
The next speaker at the meeting was Bhavana, who spend the several months in India with an NGO, helping create awareness about AIDS and its prevention. It was a pleasure to watch this young lady define charity as a two-way street where it is not only the receiver of any assistance who is reaping the benefits, but also the giver . Each of us wo are involved with HfH can feel a sense of joy and personal pride for being a giver in our own small way, and we can be thankful to HfH for providing a vehicle to help our contributions make their way to the right organizations.
Mr. Negesh Gadam Setty effectively discussed how something most of us take for granted - our ability to see - can mean the difference between life and death. He relayed a story about a poor woman who starved to death after she lost her eyesight, and hence her capacity to earn. He also shared some statistics about the disproportionally higher number of Indians acquiring blindness as compared to other nationalities. He talked about the different ways Shankar Netralaya is helping with this issue, both at prevention and cure. The world is such a beautiful place…we, through HfH, are helping a few see this world in a new light..
Finally, Raj Lingam spoke about SOFOSH, an orphanage in Pune. This is another of the very worthwhile organizations that is receiving some funding from HfH. How fondly and dearly do we raise our kids and grandkids. Can you imagine what it must be like to be a young child who doesn't have anyone to call "Mommy" or "Daddy"? It is heart wrenching - but working together we can do something to help ease the burden on these precious children and their caregivers.
As you can see, what started as just an idea to help make the world a little bit better, has turned into a group of real people taking real actions to help bring about real change!
So, what are you waiting for? Come be a part of our group! Here's what you can do to help:
--Share your thoughts with us. Tell us how we can improve Hope for Humanity.
--Make it your personal goal to recruit one other person to HfH.
--Come to the next meeting!
--Take pride in what you can do…together we are making a difference.