The New England Leadership Council of AIF is hosting "Bow Ties and Bangles”, its 5th annual New England fundraising gala, on Saturday, December 3rd, 2011, Boston, MA. This elegant, black-tie affair will benefit the American India Foundation (AIF), the largest diaspora-led philanthropy focused exclusively on India. This year, the American India Foundation (AIF) hopes to match and succeed its fundraising achievements at last year’s gala, where it broke its prior record set in 2009 by raising $800,000, making it the most successful AIF gala in its history in the New England region.

This year’s AIF gala will honor Ravi Akhoury, former Chairman and CEO of MacKay Shields, Advisor to New York Life, and Founder of the Akhoury Foundation, for his role in guiding philanthropy in India. Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and Dr. Vikas Sukhatme will receive Special Recognition for their exemplary leadership, accomplishment and deep commitment to philanthropy in India.

The black tie Bow Ties and Bangles Gala will be held at Boston’s Renaissance Waterfront Hotel, and aims to attract approximately 500 guests, including many CEOs, media and entertainment personalities, as well as community leaders across the public and private sector, who will enjoy an exquisite evening featuring world-class entertainment and fine dining. The Mistress of Ceremonies will be Deepti Malhotra Nijhawan, and entertainment will be provided by Neena Gulati and the Triveni Ensemble. The evening begins at 6:00pm with cocktails, live art auction and music followed by a pledge drive, dinner and dancing

Says Raj Sharma, AIF Board member and Trustee  " Since its inception in 2001, AIF has raised and invested over $70mm for marginalized groups in India: providing education to children of migrant workers, securing microloans for rickshaw pullers, bridging the digital divide by providing internet access and computers to low income school districts, training urban youth for employment and several other initiatives to improve the quality of life. Our programs have impacted over two million people in India. As we celebrate our tenth year of existence, our goal is build on our accomplishments and develop programs in the next decade that are scalable and reach as many groups as possible.  In order to implement our programs, we directly work with local NGO's who have deep ties to communities on the ground."

This year’s Gala will be Chaired by Saluni P. Fadia
, Director of the Prashant H. Fadia Foundation; Trustees Brian and Sunita Pereira; Raj Sharma, and Nalini Sharma; and Venkat Srinivasan and Pratima Srinivasan.

The American India Foundation (AIF) is the largest diaspora philanthropy organization focused on India that is based out of the United States. Since its inception in 2001, AIF has benefited more than 1.5 million people through its innovative programs and partnerships with Indian non-governmental organizations. President Bill Clinton serves as its Honorary Chair; Nobel Economist Dr. Amartya Sen chairs AIF’s U.S. Advisory Council.

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