The Desai Foundation is an organization devoted to supporting thousands by improving social, health and economic life in the villages of India as well as develop and implement educational programs to promote Indian culture and heritage in the United States. The inaugural awards and fundraiser event will take place on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at Capitale in New York City, NY and will welcome 300 of the best and brightest leaders in the arts, business, education and politics to celebrate the Desai Foundation’s mission of developing community support in the US and abroad.

The Desai Foundation has announced that it will honor Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology, Chintu Patel, CEO of Amneal Pharmeceuticals, LLC, at its inaugural fundraiser. In addition to dinner and dancing, the evening will feature a unique musical collaboration by celebrated classical Indian singer Falu and jazz ensemble Stay Human, led by “Movado Future Legend” award recipient and “Steinway Performing Artist” Jon Batiste.  Additionally, the acclaimed DJ Rekha and DJ Kunal Merchant will be spinning their signature Indian-western fusion beats.

100% of funds raised from the gala will support the organization’s goal of opening 10 more Community Centers in India to impact the vitality of more than 250,000 lives. The Foundation’s Community Center program provides essential health services, hygiene education, vocational training, and computer classes to the surrounding area—greatly improving the health and economic viability of those living in the region. The Desai Foundation has successfully built three Centers thus far, all in rural Gujarat.

Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.thedesaifoundation.org/SaveTheDate/

WHAT:       Desai Foundation to Celebrate 15 Years of Community Development at Inaugural Gala in NYC.

WHO:         Notable individuals confirmed to attend include Gala MCs Seth Herzog, Comedian on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; "Captain" Kirk Douglas, Guitarist of The Roots and Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; Melanie Kannokada, Actress and Model; Janina Gavankar, Actress on True Blood and Vampire Diaries; Justin Wilkes, President of Radical Media; Payal Kadakia, Founder of ClassPass; Hitha Prahbaker, ABC Red Carpet, Correspondent; Nihal Mehta, Founder of LocalResponse and ENIAC; Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code; Raj Goyle, Democratic politician from Kansas, who represented the 87th District in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011; Amar Sawhney, recognized by WhiteHouse.gov as an “inventor and serial entrepreneur in the field of medical devices”; Desh Deshpande, Entrepreneur and Founder of Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT; Santhana Krishnan, Founder of InteQ Corporation; Ian Gerard, Founder of GENART; Baratunde Thurston, Comedian and Author of the New York Times best-seller How To Be Black; Troy Carter, Founder of ATOM Factory; Anjali Kumar, General Counsel at Warby Parker among others.

WHEN:       Wednesday, April 9, 2014, 7:00pm – 11:00pm

WHERE:      Capitale, 130 Bowery, New York, NY 10013

About The Desai Foundation (http://thedesaifoundation.org)  
The Desai Foundation has multiple goals both in India and the United States of America (US); it seeks to improve social and economic life in the villages of India, and to develop and implement educational programs to promote Indian culture and heritage in the United States. The overall mission of the Foundation is to help the community in which we live, as well as the one we came from, by promoting better health and education. The Foundation envisions a society where everyone leverages their experiences and resources to reach out to others in greater need.

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