Seattle Gala 2010
General
Author :Shyam
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Pratham Seattle hosted 200 guests at the Grand Hyatt on October 15th, 2010 to raise awareness and funds to help end illiteracy in India. Emceed by Hollywood Actor Ravi Patel, the event featured visionary Dr. Rukmini Banerji, Director of the Aser Centre and Pratham North India, Dana Schmidt, Associate Program Officer with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and keynote speaker Gurcharan Das, author of a new book titled, The Difficulty of Being Good. The evening started with the sounds of Anjuman, the Indian/Afro-Cuban ensemble. Set against a backdrop of live models and mannequins provided by Fashion Network Seattle to display ornate and colorful Indian fashion, the music elegantly wove a tapestry of sound and design that joined the best of both eastern and western cultures.
After a riveting talk by Gurcharan Das on his new book and the art of dharma, there was an impassioned plea from Prathams youngest supporter, 10 year old Ishaan Chainani, who shared a personal story of his experiences with a child laborer in India and why he believes that Pratham can make a difference. Dana Schmidt elaborated on why the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has chosen Pratham to be their single largest grantee namely the quality of work, as well as the transparency and scale at which Pratham is making an impact. Dr. Rukmini Banerji spoke about the on-the-ground work and impact assessment being done and made an earnest appeal for individuals to support Pratham by generating awareness, sharing technologies, and helping raise money to transform the educational landscape of India. With a $50K donor match and call to action from Ishaan, Dana and Rukmini, Pratham Seattle proudly rose to the challenge and brought the annual fundraising for 2010 to $270K, reaching the goal set out by them.
Pratham Seattle is an entirely volunteer run chapter of Pratham USA, with a dedicated board, passionate volunteers, and committed donors all dedicated to eradicating illiteracy in India. Pratham Seattle thanks Gold Sponsors - Intelius, Aditi and Prithvi; Silver Sponsor - DenuoSource; Bronze Sponsor Audienz; and others - their generous support made this event possible.
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