‘Bizzy’ Women | Desserts ‘n’ More
Nov 17, 2009 Business, Culinary, Outreach, Social Hour
Event: ‘Bizzy Women’ Mixer
Date: Sunday November 15, 2009
Venue: Raj Mahal, Bellaire, Texas
Photos by: Ajay Sarpeshkar
On a Sunday afternoon, women in fashionable outfits gathered for the first of a series of upcoming mixers presented by Lights Camera Action titled ‘Bizzy Women’. At each event, Lights Camera Action will aim to highlight a woman owned small business. This mixer highlighted Madhavi Gokhale’s Desserts ‘n’ More [www.dessertsnmore.com].
Each event provides an opportunity to mix, mingle, dress up and be photographed. The idea is to have fun while at the same time help each other’s business goals. Surprises await at each mixer.
Tags: Bizzy Women, Lights Camera Action
International Stimulation Part I
Oct 1, 2009 Education, Life Bytes, Non-Profit, Outreach, Youth
Watch Part I of the Awards Program held in Osterburken, Germany. To read the full story and view stills click here.
Camera work by Matti Metso.
Tags: Germany, Oserburken, Youth
Blogging and Social Media of Today
Sep 17, 2009 Discussion, Education, Outreach, Seminar, Social Hour
Event: Blogging and Social Media of Today
Venue: Children’s Museum, Houston, Texas
Date: September 16, 2009
Report By: Ruchi Mukherjee
First Lady Andrea White and OPMOM hosted an informative presentation on Blogging and Social Media Today here at the Children’s Museum in Houston, Texas on Wednesday September 16, 2009.
The event was part of the “We’re All Neighbors”, a unique community outreach program.
The event highlighted social media today including Facebook, My Space, Twitter and others. The first speaker for the evening Katie Laird, who heads SCHIPUL, a web marketing company, explained to the women centric audience about the perks, benifits, and responsiblity of social media. “It is about building a relationship with your audience, and as women are good tellers the job gets easy,” says Katie. She also expressed that Facebook is one of her favorite means of communication “and how can we ignore the fact that it has reached over 300 million participants, so lets connect online,” she added.
The next speaker informed about OPMOM an initiaive for mothers to meet and interact with other moms to compare notes and swap stories. OPMOM is about bringing moms together for social networking and more. Social Media is about individual voices and people. It is not just about selling or buying. It is more than that, it is about connecting and opening the doors to raise your voice. “The can-do spirit in Houston opens the doors for social media so no matter what field we are from, social media awareness is on the rise,” explained Andrea.
This was the first event of “We’re All Neighbors” for Monica Danna, a social scientist who is proud to coach Andrea White through twitter, facebook and other modes of social media. “I think “We’re All Neighbors” the concept of hosting different events is really an awesome idea and I really enjoyed the session today. A great way to meet other women from different walks of life,” says Monica.
Also present Tammie Kahn, Executive Director for The Children’s Museum of Houston. The speakers felt the venue was very appropriate for the topic that evening as The Children’s Museum was about story telling and pursuing a passion, which is what social media is all about.
“We’re All Neigbhors” took shape right after Mayor Bill White joined office in 2003. “During Bill’s campaign, I had accompanied him to many events, political and otherwise, and was struck by how many surprising and amazing places there were in the city of my youth that I’d somehow never managed to see or experience. I wondered how many other “native” Houstonians would feel the same. Upon reflection, I realized that what I wanted was to get to know this international city better, bring together different groups and forge a stronger sense of community. Sharing this thought with my friends, we conceived of We’re All Neighbors, this unique community outreach program,” said Andrea White.
“I wouldn’t have had the energy to keep We’re All Neighbors going for over seventy programs for six years without my dear friend, Franci Crane. Franci devoted her time and creativity to developing original ideas for each month’s program and planning them in meticulous detail. Franci’s high standards and unique sensibility have made these many events truly worth attending,” she added.
Tags: Andrea White
International Stimulation
Sep 14, 2009 Education, Life Bytes, Non-Profit, Outreach, Youth
With dedicated classroom sessions, expeditions and cultural mixing and mingling the International Award Summer Program 2009 turned out to be the perfect recipe for an all rounded individual. Reports Ruchi Mukherjee from Osterburken, Germany.
In a small town of Germany called Osterburken with a population of less than seven thousand, it was quite amazing to garner so much knowledge in just a matter of a week. Thirty participants from seven different countries arrived in the picturesque little German town, to attend the Fourth International Award Summer School Program from August 24 to August 30, 2009.
The doors for this program were open to all, irrespective of age or race. There were individuals from sixteen to sixty traveling from from Asia to Finland . “It is for young adults planning to become award leaders, as well as experienced leaders wanting to deepen and share their knowledge,” says Klaus Vogel, National Award Coordinator. “One is invited to participate in an Awards’ Leaders course and different workshops are held in the English language,” added Klaus.
Osterburken is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg , Germany . It is situated 90 kilometers east of Heidelberg , The S1 S-Bahn line of the VRN public transport service operates between Homburg (Saarland) and Osterburken, hence the train station here is used frequently to transfer to and from other trains.
Since its very beginnings the German Award has been very closely related to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the United Kingdom .
Now the German Award School is growing bigger after its 2006 50th Year Anniversary in Edinburgh . “It was founded in 1956 in the UK but has its roots in Germany,” informed Klaus. He said that he believes in a school not just for the brain but for all-round enhancement of skills. This is a non-competitive awards program with three separate awards – bronze, silver and gold with the key mission to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and to recognize their achievements.
Among the attendees were participants from Israel , Cyprus , Finland , Romania , United Kingdom , Pakistan , Germany , and for the first time India .
Ratuli Chakraborty and Tapti Dasgupta, both teachers by profession, were attending the program from Kolkata, India as they represented their renowned school La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata.
La Martiniere College was founded by Frenchman Claude Martin of Lyon, France in the 1800’s, it offers an all-round education up to the Higher Secondary level and is one of the finest English speaking schools in India. The school was ranked 2nd “most respected day school” in India in 2008.
Klaus was thrilled with India’s participation and enthusiasm to send exchange students, and was thinking about a future expedition to the Black Forest with students from La Martieniere, India .
While ‘tasting’ some delicious German chocolate cake, I found Klaus expressing his anxiousness to make the program work. “There are so many problems in the world, we want to give these young people a chance to make it better,” he said, “We care, in these programs, for youngsters and it is a part of these meetings to learn from different situations and difficulties,” says Vogel.
Participant Danielle Almog was from Israel , and is a student of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Faisal Yousuf, a pharmacist representing Pakistan , says “During the event it was fun to see the involvement. I think these kinds of events should continue.”
While Diana Iabrasu, a student of journalism from Romania , learnt the art of henna painting on palms and Indian tongue twisters like ‘Kacha Papita Pakka Papita’, Ratuli Chakraborty from India was thoroughly impressed with the stimulation programs. “As a teacher I can vouch for how confident and well rounded I feel after participating in the International summer program. Alongside brain development, our schools need to also focus on enhancing these kinds of programs that help us learn about different cultures and other countries,” expressed Ratuli.
Jassin Rezai from Finland said that the Program made him a mature individual who was ready to grow. “I feel revolutionary changes in me. There is a big difference in the Jassin of 2001 and today. I can speak fluent Hindi and many other languages. All the credit for this goes to the Awards’ Program,” says Jassin with a grin.
The Program was filled with exciting self-development exercises but was tough at the same time. A typical day at the Awards House in Osterburken started at 7am with breakfast duties from cooking to cleaning followed by some classroom sessions along with physical recreation and expeditions. The Program’s appeal was that it centered on individual growth and challenge, not about reaching specific standards set forth by someone else. “The only person these participants compete against is themselves, by challenging their own beliefs about what they can achieve,” says Klaus.
The Program’s motto “There is more in you than you think!” (Kurt Hahn) rang true as all thirty participants departed the program feeling more learned, tolerant, and confident.
With input from Diana Iabrasu
Leadership Incubation with NetIP, CLUB 24 and Center for Houston’s Future
Apr 13, 2009 Business, Outreach
Event: Leadership Incubation with NetIP/CLUB 24 and Center for Houston’s Future
Date: March 27, 2009
NetIP and CLUB 24 put together an evening of professional and personal development. The event was held at one of CLUB 24′s members’ home.
Business and community leaders from CLUB 24 and the Center for Houston’s Future participated and mingled with the young professionals from the Network of Indian Professionals, a networking group spread nationally that engages its patrons through events in professional development, cultural and political awareness and community service.
The event was part of a series of events that NetIP will be hosting. “This great opportunity is solely possible due to the strategic partnership with CLUB 24, a philanthropic organization made up of business and community leaders engaged in building bridges between various organizations to encourage leadership and community growth,” informed Ajay Sarpeshkar, NetIP President.
The Women’s Home Rose Gala Kick-off Event
Jan 20, 2009 Fund Raiser, Gala, Non-Profit, Outreach
Event: The Women’s Home Rose Gala Kick-off Event
Venue: Abrahams Oriental Rugs, Post Oak Boulevard, Houston
On Tuesday, January 13, 2009 the elite gathered at the Abrahams Oriental Rugs store Post Oak location for the kick-off party for The Women’s Home Rose gala. The gala will be held on January 30, 2009 at the Hilton Americas Downtown Houston.
The Women’s Home is a multi-ethnic, non-denominational, non-profit United Way agency. Founded in Houston in 1957, The Home’s reputation has grown alongside its facilities in both size and stature.
Omana and Sam Abraham hosted the event and also offer a gala special on their rugs up until January 30, 2009. One can receive a 40% discount off the list price of rugs at Abraham’s Oriental Rugs
in the Galleria with 5% off your purchase benefiting The Women’s Home.
Present at the gathering were Prashant and Nidhika Mehta, Shawn Broussard from Health and Fitness Magazine, Elizabeth Abraham, socialite Yuki Rogers and many others.
Tags: Abrahams, Rose Gala, The Women's Home
Launch of Youth Leadership Development Program
Nov 9, 2008 Business, Outreach, Youth
Event: Launch of Youth Leadership Development Program
Venue: India House, Houston, Texas
Indian American Entrepreneurs gathered on a Saturday afternoon at the newly constructed India House in Houston, Texas mid October to pass on their entrepreneurial skills to the younger generation of young professionals and students.
The event was very well attended by not only students but also parents who participated in a tête-à-tête with the organizers to learn more about the leadership programs and discuss some concerns.
Present in the crowd was Biki Mohindra, Atul Vir, Sushma Bhan, Manisha Mehta, Swapan Dhairyawan, Bangar Reddy, Sangeeta Pasrija and other leaders of the community. From NETIP Ajay Sarpeshkar and Farida Hasanali who is also the executive committee member for YLDP.
Photos courtesy: Ajay Sarpeshkar
Tags: YLDP
‘One Voice’ National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Oct 8, 2008 Non-Profit, Outreach
Event: Domestic Violence Month
Venue: Hilcroft, Houston
Date: October 4, 2008
Photos Courtesy: Razi
Daya, Inc., a non-profit organization serving South Asian families in crisis, once again collaborated with the Houston Police Department (HPD), to host ‘One Voice’ an event to increase public awareness against domestic violence in the community. Held on Saturday October 4th in the Hillcroft area, ‘One Voice’ has been a Daya initiative to commemorate the National Domestic Violence Awareness month.
Over 250 people attended the event, the afternoon was a roaring success. Congressman Al Green, City Council Woman Yolanda Jones, and Mrs. Rina Gavai, the wife of the Consul General of India
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