India Earthquake Relief - Fundraising Dinner
Carol Chan '01
Issue date: 4/5/01 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
On January 26th, a devastating earthquake struck the people of the northern province of Gujarat, India, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. Over 95% of the city of Bhuj, population 225,000, was destroyed. Depending on the news source, estimates for the damage ranged from 25,000 to 30,000 deaths. Some experts even predict the number to reach 100,000 dead and with $5.5 billion in damage. Today, hundreds of thousands are homeless as a result of collapsed or condemned homes.
On February 17th, The Johnson School held a fundraising dinner in the atrium to benefit the survivors of this earthquake. Spearheaded by second-year Navin Deshpande with the help of the Johnson School administration (including Dean Swieringa, Harriet Peters, Janet Gray, Rhonda Velazquez and Chris Gilman) and his fellow classmates (Satyam Viswanathan, Mumtaz and Saima Kazmi, Sujith Abraham, Rajeev Sharma, Dev Vithani, Anita Varghese, Sanjay Kapoor, Shivani Kak, Rahul and Toshiba Tewari, Sandeep Soorya, Sanjay Idnani, Ram Ramakrishnan, Sanjeev Chaurasia, Shail Pandya, Arhchuna Jagota, Mayank Sinha, J.D. and Julie Pelaez, Ashim Dutta, Venkat Rao, Deepesh Jain, Sriraman Venkatraman, Abhijit Sanyal, Anuj Dua, Amit Dhawan and Ashish Shrotiya), the group worked with local businesses to raise more than $14,000 in less than two weeks.
The dinner began with a short speech thanking everyone for their attendance. Shortly after everyone finished eating, a short presentation was made with pictures showing the devastation from the quake to the background of Indian music. Navin’s goal for the evening was about $3,500, but donations continued to flow in, some for $10, some for $20 and some in the hundreds. By the end of the evening, a total of $10,000 was donated or pledged and over $4,000 was made in ticket sales. “Everyone was so supportive in getting this done, especially the administration, Satyam and Mumtaz,” said Deshpande.
Sincere thanks also go to the local sponsors for the event: Calf Audio Equipment, particularly Barney Cole and Andy Ives for the sound system and presentation; Cornell Catering for the flatware and tablecloths; Corner Store Catering, especially John Wells, for tables and chairs, and finally Diamonds Restaurant for the food.
A week later, Deshpande remembered the event and the school’s participation fondly: “People genuinely want to help, and if you provide them with the opportunity, they will shine. People are inherently generous.”
On February 17th, The Johnson School held a fundraising dinner in the atrium to benefit the survivors of this earthquake. Spearheaded by second-year Navin Deshpande with the help of the Johnson School administration (including Dean Swieringa, Harriet Peters, Janet Gray, Rhonda Velazquez and Chris Gilman) and his fellow classmates (Satyam Viswanathan, Mumtaz and Saima Kazmi, Sujith Abraham, Rajeev Sharma, Dev Vithani, Anita Varghese, Sanjay Kapoor, Shivani Kak, Rahul and Toshiba Tewari, Sandeep Soorya, Sanjay Idnani, Ram Ramakrishnan, Sanjeev Chaurasia, Shail Pandya, Arhchuna Jagota, Mayank Sinha, J.D. and Julie Pelaez, Ashim Dutta, Venkat Rao, Deepesh Jain, Sriraman Venkatraman, Abhijit Sanyal, Anuj Dua, Amit Dhawan and Ashish Shrotiya), the group worked with local businesses to raise more than $14,000 in less than two weeks.
The dinner began with a short speech thanking everyone for their attendance. Shortly after everyone finished eating, a short presentation was made with pictures showing the devastation from the quake to the background of Indian music. Navin’s goal for the evening was about $3,500, but donations continued to flow in, some for $10, some for $20 and some in the hundreds. By the end of the evening, a total of $10,000 was donated or pledged and over $4,000 was made in ticket sales. “Everyone was so supportive in getting this done, especially the administration, Satyam and Mumtaz,” said Deshpande.
Sincere thanks also go to the local sponsors for the event: Calf Audio Equipment, particularly Barney Cole and Andy Ives for the sound system and presentation; Cornell Catering for the flatware and tablecloths; Corner Store Catering, especially John Wells, for tables and chairs, and finally Diamonds Restaurant for the food.
A week later, Deshpande remembered the event and the school’s participation fondly: “People genuinely want to help, and if you provide them with the opportunity, they will shine. People are inherently generous.”