The non-profit organization, Gift of Life USA, founded by Paresh Parekh, Flora Parekh, and Dr. Harshil Parekh, with the aim to help the physically and mentally challenged and nurture acceptance and empathy, celebrated its 10th Annual Gala recently.
The gala featured speakers aiming to inspire the gathering and opportunities to make a difference, a press release from the organization said.
The event was emceed by Dr. Harshil Parekh, Bee Sharma (London) and Freya Savla (Boston), and attracted a full house with representation from several organizations and community leaders.
Every year, the Gala advocates for different disabilities. This year it advocated and supported Parkinson’s and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
“Over the years, the Gala has visualized the incredible talent of the visually impaired, autistic speakers and models, down syndrome entrepreneurs, Asperger’s – epilepsy disorders, cerebral palsy role models, our special amputees, dyspraxia, dementia, Schizophrenia and Bipolar,” the press release noted.
This year’s gala featured special-needs band by autistic and down syndrome Kool Spectrum band players, Dominican and Asian dancers Sanjana and Samyuktha and a performance by Masala Bhangra.
The Gala recognized their committed and dedicated donors – ASK Foundation, Kalpana Patel (UCI), Kanak & Prabha Golia (Perfume Center of America), Vass Pipe (Sunil Shah), Navika Capital (Naveen Shah), Dr, Harshil Parekh and Mukund and Padma Mehta (Life Achievement Award) for their continued support for 10 years, since inception.
Among the main speakers were:
John Baumann – Living with Parkinson’s for 17 years, a high-powered corporate attorney, author of his published book “Decide Success” and motivational success speaker.
Nick Padlo – Living with substance Disorder, Nick is an army veteran living with substance disorder. He is the CEO of Sophros Recovery, focused on helping individuals recover from substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring mental health issues.
Their differently abled abilities have not stopped them from achieving the impossible, the organizers noted in the press release.
Dr. Harshil Parekh jumpstarted the event with an overview of goals and details of the program. The special needs band gave a performance from the Down syndrome and autistic players. Youth leaders were recognized for their dedication and mission to serve the wider community.
Among the highlights was a dance workshop of several dance forms led by Masala Bhangra.
Directors Kalpana Patel, Kamlesh & Mrudula Parekh, Shashi Malik, Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Sheetal and Jasmin Pathak, Dr. Harshil Parekh, Akash Patel, Bee Sharma, Freya Savla as well as Founders Paresh and Flora Parekh thanked the various sponsors, supporters well-wishers for their continued support year over year.
Several community leaders and representatives of organizations attended, including Haridas Kotahwala, Harish Parikh, Vinod Shah, Asha Shah, Dr. Harshad Bhatt, Rajesh Patel , Dr. Mahendra and Chhaya (Friends of ARCH), Sunil Hali, Indu Jaiswal, Jyoti Gupta, Dr. Jag Kalra, Anju Sharma, Lions club of Lake Grove, Bhadresh Acharya, Eric Kumar, Devang Patel, Kaushik Shah, Jagdish Mehta, Harish Thakkar and many more.
(Under special arrangement with NIT)
