www.lilyfoundation.org Periodical News-update for Lily Wellwishers 200 9 Issue 1

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Send your donation gift to:

Lily Foundation, PO Box 59824

Dallas, TX 75229 OR

The Lily Foundation

27/5A, K. M. Naskar Rd, Kolkata-700 040

Lily Foundation welcomes you!

We welcome you all to the starting of the new year of 2009, with hopes and aspirations for a brighter tomorrow and an optimistic improvement to a much needed economic change and balance after the hard hit faced by the United States since the middle of 2008.

We are thankful to all the donors for their continued support, which helped us organize several activities as detailed below.

On 2nd.November, 2008, Lily Foundation members and volunteers got together again to meet at the Fort Worth UGM Church to cook and serve hot lunch to around 200 homeless people.  The experience was gratifying for the volunteers, for the time and effort they put in, and especially when our guests came up for second helpings, thanking everyone whole heartedly and blessing them for cooking and serving them with the best cooked Indian meal ever!

On Friday, the 27^th.of February, “The Telegraph”, in Kolkata, India published an article where Lily foundation organized a clothes donation event for the students of the social service club “Prayatna” of Techno Group Public School. The students collected and then donated old clothing to the members of Lily Foundation.

The Dhirendra Mohan Sarkar Institute at Dhulai, Bankura gets extended with a new room on the side. This new part is to be used for conducting theoretical computer classes as well as running the AALO High School Coaching Home.

Thanks to Seatle Foundation for the grant which was used in full to build this part of the center. A fun-filled inauguration event was held in the morning of February 15. Mr. Gopi Krishna Chattopadhyay, Retired Headmaster and current President of the Dhulai Education Center Managing Committee, cut the ribbon. Boys and girls sang and danced. Local dignitaries spoke to the audience encouraging everyone's cooperation in making the facility a center of excellence.

In early February 2009 Mr. & Mrs. James Zurn visited Kolkata as guests of Subhash and Rakhi Mukerji.  Since they have been regular supporters of Lily Foundation in Dallas, we thought it would be appropriate for them to visit one of the Lily schools and see where their contributions and the contributions of their friends had gone.

The Behala school was the most convenient school to visit so we set off in two cars early in the morning accompanied by Prasad Sarkar and  Subir Mitra.  The short drive was both interesting and challenging for our visitors considering the congested roads and the tiny streets we navigated through to get to the school.  Or arriving there we were greeted by Sharmila Basu and  Smita Mazumder  and a host of very young children with little bouquets, big smiles and a chorus of ‘Good Mornings.’  Some of the parents of the young children were also there.

.................for full report click here

On January 6^th. 2009, my daughter Shreya and I made a trip to two of the primary schools/study homes funded by Lily Foundation, Aalo 16 and Aalo 12 in Behala and Aakra in Kolkata , India .  Our first trip was to Aalo 16 where we were warmly welcomed by the teacher and especially by the students who greeted us with a cheerful chorus of “Good Morning!”  The young boys and girls were sharply dressed in their uniforms, with their hair combed back neatly from their faces.  Their gleeful smiles told us that they were excited and eager to show us what they had learned.  We asked them questions on math and reading, and they replied with zeal and enthusiasm. 

It was a positive, invigorating and touching experience for both my daughter and me.  The kids at Aalo 16 were well-disciplined and focused, and were in their best behavior.  It was very encouraging to see the keenness and concentration with which they responded in their class.

.................for full report click here

During our recent visit to India , I had organized a meeting of the families and students on Saturday, March 1^st, 2008, 5 PM at Navangar (suburb of Hubli), Karnataka. Five students and their family members attended the afternoon get together event. This is the first time that these students had met each other and also any one from Lily Foundation has met these students. It was a wonderful experience for me to meet these youngsters and learn first hand how the support from Lily Foundation has affected their lives.  They were so grateful for the financial support without which they would have hard time in continuing their education. Their gratefulness was quite evident from their expressions and also they were really wonderstruck that some one not known to them took interest in them and were willing to help them. They were also impressed that they had a chance to meet some one associated with Lily Foundation in person so that they could express their gratitude and were eager to learn more about Lily Foundation and its activities.

....................for full report click here

Lily Foundation is thankful for the gift of education that the sponsors are extending through their support of scholarships. The recent new sponsors are: Ms. Sadhana Aggarwal, Kolkata (2), Mr. Banaj Kamal Basu, Los Angeles (2), Arun Bellary, Bangalore (3), Mr. Tuhin & Ms. Mousumi Chatterjee, Dallas (6), Mr. Samir & Ms. Manika Lahiri, Dallas (1).

Hotar Education Centre students

 kids & the mothers- can you spot?

3-page article on Akra-Santoshpur Study Homes

Computer Centre 2008-2009 school-year