CHICAGO, IL (TIP): The Akshaya Patra Foundation will be holding its 2016 Chicago Benefit Event on Saturday, May 7th. The Mayor of the Village of Burr Ridge, Mickey Straub, will be the honorary host of the event. The event’s Host Committee will also be led by Mafat Patel of Patel Brothers.
Gopi Kallayil, Google‘s Chief Evangelist for Brand Marketing will serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Comedian and actor Omi Vaidya will serve as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. The event will be held at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and will begin with a welcome reception at 6:30 PM.
Mickey Straub was elected Mayor of Burr Ridge, a suburb of Chicago, in 2013. Nicknamed “Mayor Mickey,” he is a husband, parent, speaker, and is active in his township and church. He is the author of a newly released BIG GOALS…Short Deadlines, an inspirational book with a patriotic and spiritual message. Mickey Straub is also the founder and president of Sales Activity Management, Inc., a faith-based company providing custom business management tools and services nationwide. In 2012, Mickey became the only person in history to take a patriotic pilgrimage in honor of Lincoln and our veterans to 50 capitols in 50 days.
The event’s Host Committee is composed of prominent leaders of the Chicago community: Mayor Mickey Straub, Mafat Patel of Patel Brothers, Himanshu Patel, Ila Vyas, Saroj Patel, Sunil Kumar, Mohanbir Sawhney, Dipak Kapadia, Dr. Bharat Barai, Dr. Umang Patel, Harish Bhatt, Alok Gaur, Midwest Molding Inc., Cheena Chandra, Prashant Sheth, Vandana Walia, Dr. Romi Chopra, Ketki Parikh, Bhailal Patel, Ram Prashantha, Chhotalal Patel, Kanti S. Patel of the Gujarat Culture Samaj, Moti Agarwal of the Millennium Bank, Suketu Amin, Nilesh Naren Patel of MedStar, Kantilal Patel of New York Life, Kishan Patel of New York Life, Ram Barat, Babu Amin, Natubhai Bajee Patel, Madan Meadows Club, and Share with Love. Over 400 other business, non-profit, government, and philanthropic leaders from around the region are expected to attend and support the organization’s dual mission of addressing childhood hunger and malnutrition, and to promote education for underserved children in India.
As Google’s Chief Evangelist for Brand Marketing, Gopi Kallayil connects corporate clients to their customer base using Google and Google social applications. In his time with Google, Mr. Kallayil has also been responsible for Google +, AdWords, and AdSense. Prior to joining Google, Gopi Kallayil was on the management team of two Silicon Valley venture startups. He also worked on information technology and business performance projects for global corporations in India, China, and the United States as a consultant with McKinsey & Co.
Omi Vaidya is one of the few actors and filmmakers working in Hollywood and Bollywood. A graduate of NYU’s Film School, Omi started as a video editor on independent films and went on to direct short films that have won awards at film festivals worldwide. Omi’s work in front of the camera includes memorable characters on American TV shows like The Office, Arrested Development, Bones, Growing up Fischer, and The Comeback. In Bollywood, Omi made his major debut in Aamir Khan’s film, Three Idiots, which became the biggest Indian box office success of all time.
Established in 2000, Akshaya Patra began by serving 1,500 in 5 schools in Bangalore. Today Akshaya Patra is the largest NGO-run school meal programs in the world and serves over 1.5 million children daily in over 11,501 schools through 24 kitchens in ten states in India. This March, Akshaya Patra will celebrate its 15th Anniversary and the serving of its 2 billionth meal to children in India.
Akshaya Patra has received international recognition for its life-changing mission. In 2016, Akshaya Patra’s Founder Madhu Pandit Dasa received the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for his work with Akshaya Patra. Shridhar Venkat, CEO of Akshaya Patra India, was recognized as being among the 50 Most Impactful Social Innovators in the world. Akshaya Patra was recently awarded the Nikkei Asia Prize, an award established to recognize an organization’s outstanding achievements that contribute to the region’s sustainable development.
year’s Chicago Gala event will feature an evening of networking, entertainment, and dinner. Individuals interested in purchasing tickets and sponsoring the event, can contact Manisha C Gandhi, Director of Development, at 832-876-2142.
To Register:
www.foodforeducation.org/chicago
For more Information: www.foodforeducation.org
To register: Manisha C Gandhi,
832-876-2142 | Piyali Dutta, 781-462-8454
(Photographs and Press release courtesy Asian Media USA)