PROVIDENCE, RI—Fresh from a three-year, $30,000 grant from Rhode Island Foundation, India Association of Rhode Island, known as IARI, is launching an educational enrichment initiative, IARI President Amrut Patel told INDIA New England News.
An open house for the orientation will be held on Sunday, Jan. 17, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Center, located at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church at 70 Jefferson Street in Providence, RI.
Patel said the educational enrichment initiative has been made possible by a three-year, $30,000 grant from Rhode Island Foundation, a non-profit community foundation that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The foundation serves the Rhode Island community.
IARI was accepted into the foundation’s Expansion Arts Program, an arts capacity-building program jointly administered by the Rhode Island Foundation, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
IARI is a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization that strives to represent the various issues concerning a growing Asian-Indian community in the State of Rhode Island.
Patel said that IARI has grown in recent year and its events are typically attended by 500 to 600 people. Through the educational enrichment program, IARI plans to offers various workshops and seminars, including: cultural and ethnic dances, arts, music, yoga, meditation, youth leadership, public speaking, SAT/college prepration, mentoring, peace, non-violence and tolerance.
IARI also plans to organize monthly meeting of seniors, singers and dance workshops for adults.
“To date, IARI has been a modest size non-profit organization, limited to organizing cultural, social and service events. However, given the rapid growth of the community, now is the right time to take the organization to the next level with the creation of the Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Center. The grant and guidance available through Expansion Arts Program would help substantially in making the MGCC a practical reality and thus serve the needs of this emerging community,” Patel said. “Mahatma Gandhi Community Center is a dream come true to serve our Indian Community of Rhode Island better.”
For more information, visit. www.IndiaRI.org.
