BOSTON–The Boston-based Desai Foundation celebrates 25 years of service with their annual Lotus Festival on September 24, 2022. Founded by Samir and Nilima Desai, The Desai Foundation’s mission is to empower women and children in India with health, livelihood, and menstrual equity in rural India.
Over the last year The Desai Foundation has expanded their services to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in addition to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha. They attribute their expansion to their community-based approach which motivates local communities to invite them into their states.
“We are so grateful for our community which has developed over these 25 years,” said Megha Desai, President of The Desai Foundation. Together we have worked hard to raise quality of life standards for women and children and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. We’re excited to celebrate the many moments that brought us to this point and share our future goals.”
To date, the Desai Foundation and its supporters have provided direct services to 3.3 million people; produced 2.5 million sanitary napkins; trained 856,000 women with vocational skills; served 26,600 adults and 15,500 children with health seminars and camps; and much more.
To celebrate their achievements and their community, The Desai Foundation will be hosting their annual Lotus Festival gala at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
The Desai Foundation will be joined by special celebrity guests Filmmaker, Activist, Actor, & Former Miss America Nina Davuluri and Pop Singer & Social Activist Avanti Nagral. Nagral first graced the Lotus Festival in 2020 when she sang a beautiful rendition of “O Lal Meri” with her father, Ajit Nagral, a well-known Boston-based entrepreneur.
Nina Davuluri, is an acclaimed filmmaker, activist, actor, and entrepreneur. She first gained international recognition by becoming the first Indian American and South Asian to become Miss America 2014. Her most recent venture combines the network she has cultivated, her love for advocacy, and disrupting global beauty standards by producing her new documentary, #COMPLEXion. Since serving as Miss America 2014, Nina has traveled around the world to address an array of audiences on her platform: “Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency.”
Avanti Nagral is a pop singer and content creator on a mission to create songs, stories, and conversations that challenge societal norms. She draws inspiration from her background in Indian Classical, Broadway, and Gospel music and is the first in the world to do a dual degree at Harvard University and the Berklee College of Music.
The Lotus Festival is a sit-down gala with musical performances and a live auction, as well as VIP tours of Gillette Stadium.
The event is open to the public. Tickets and sponsorship information can be found at Eventbrite.
The Lotus Festival is The Desai Foundation’s major annual appeal with 100 percent of funds raised going to programming and all donations matched by an anonymous donor.
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
Time: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: Putnam Club at Gillette Stadium, 1 Patriot Place Foxborough, MA 02035.
