LEXINGTON, MA–Getting Involved Group, known as GIG, a Lexington, MA-based organization whose objective is to provide a platform and support system for Indian Americans to help increase their participation in town government and committees, is inviting all Indian Americans to a free seminar on Civic Engagement to be held on Dec. 8 in Lexington.
The free seminar will be held from 2:30 to 4:45 PM at the Lexington Community Center, located at 39 Marrett Road in Lexington. This year the line-up consists of three esteemed speakers:
- Suzie Barry, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen
- Joe Pato, Member of Board of Selectmen
- James Malloy- Town Manager.
Due to the community’s interest in Committee and Board positions, this year the speakers will focus on opportunities and process for such appointments. The speeches will be followed by a panel discussion with elected and appointed members of Indian American origin in town government.
The Getting Involved Group (GIG) was formalized in 2014 with the intent of encouraging and supporting civic participation by Indian Americans in Lexington. The group’s objective is to provide a platform and support system for Lexington Indian Americans to help increase their participation in town government and committees.
Anil Ahuja, Town Meeting Member and Co-Chair of the Annual Seminar said “We are proud to share that as of today, Lexington has 18 Indian-American Town Meeting Members, one School Committee member and several members on appointed Boards and Committees.”
“This is an exemplary success story of civic engagement at grass-roots level in a voluntary government and also a demonstration of the effort Indian-Americans are making in contributing their intellect, skills and time towards their town’s success”, said Vineeta Kumar, Town Meeting Member and Co-Chair of the Annual Seminar.
The December 8th event is an information sharing seminar where people can understand how they can get involved in town government and committees. Those interested in running for a position in March 2019 will be able to sign-up to schedule focused planning sessions with the GIG team.
Giving back is one of the many common traits between American and Indian societies. According to one of the founding members of GIG, Narain Bhatia, “Giving back to the community we live in is important and civic participation is one of the most effective ways to do that.”
GIG members are requesting Indian Americans to participate in this free event in large numbers and take advantage of the platform GIG provides.
Current GIG members are Amit Srivastava, Aneesha Karody, Anil Ahuja, Deepika Sawhney, Dinesh Patel, Hema Bhatt, Narain Bhatia, Dinesh Patel, Pam Joshi, Ravish Kumar, Rita Pandey, Sandhya Beebee, Sanjay Padaki, Sudhir Ranjan, Sunny Chandra, Syed Ali Rizvi, Vikas Kinger and Vineeta Kumar.
