Monday November 30, 2009

President's Message

Dear Lohana Community,

Our committee is again approaching the end our term and we’d like to thank all of you for your generous support throughout the year. The committee has worked tirelessly on all of this year’s activities and I would like to thank them all for their hard work, patience, and commitment to this organization.

With our AGM coming shortly, it is necessary to remind everyone that it is volunteers that drive this organization, and push us forward. In the last couple of years as President, I have been proud to watch a number of young, energetic and creative individuals join us and help to move us in the right direction. I want to see that continue.

There is certainly much to be done. There is an opportunity to shape the future of this organization and keep it relevant for those that come after us. I encourage anyone who is interested to please contact any member of this committee or myself directly to talk about what you can do to help.

As I vacate my role of President in the next few months, I think the lasting message that I would like to leave is actually more of an observation. We are in an interesting place as an organization. We have two generations, both of which strive for the same goals although we do so in different ways.

In order to succeed, there needs to be a level of understanding about the sensitivities of both, and it needs to flow in both directions. I can say in all honesty that this has been our largest struggle, but it is not a struggle without purpose or reward. Through this transitional process I believe our organization has been strengthened by helping to achieve a greater understanding of our past and our future, and how these two relate to one another.

I hope, and I believe this will continue in the future, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish as a unified community with a common purpose.

You will notice that this newsletter has undergone a transformation, and we are happy to say that this new format is part of an overall plan to further improve communications with the community. This new format is easily scalable and customizable and will allow for future committees to easily pick up where previous committees have left off. Thank you to Bimal Lakhani for leading the evaluation process in accomplishing this.

Coming soon we will have the details for our annual AGM, and we look forward to seeing you all there a few Months.

Thank you and best regards
Beju Lakhani – LCF President

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Report on Past Events

Diwali Dinner
Diwali Dinner was again a tremendous success with close to 700 guests. We would like to thank the many volunteers that helped, led by Lekha Lukha, Bella Karia, Radhika Bhayani and Prity Karia. We especially want to thank our two children’s dance coordinators, Lina Thakkrar & Rupal Sachdev. The feedback we received was largely positive and we look forward to building on this year’s event. The highlight of the evening was the handing out of our first ever University Scholarship to Sahil Radia. The committee would also like to thank Yogi Chandarana for his generous graduate gifts, and Navin Majithia for his gifts for this years committee. 

We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue to expanding our efforts to support post secondary education.
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Navratri and Chopda Poojan
Our annual Navratri and Chopda Poojan events were again well attended and successful. In fact, attendance numbers exceeded expectations at both events and we look forward to seeing that trend continued next year. Many thanks to Lekha Lukha, Bella Karia, and Prity Karia for helping to organize these events this year, and thank you to all the other volunteers that helped out.

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Lohana Post-Secondary Scholarship

It is with great pride that we were able to offer, for the first time, a Lohana Charitable Foundation Post-Secondary Scholarship. Our recipient this year was Sahil Radia and we are proud to have him as our first winner. Sahil has certainly earned this recognition through his scholastic efforts, but also through his community involvement and we hope to see more of the same from our Lohana Youth. Congratulations Sahil!

We would like to also thank Member of Provincial Parliament Charles Sousa for verifying the results of our scholarship process and being on hand at the Diwali Dinner this year to present the award. 
We look forward to continuing our scholarship program next year and in years to come.

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Upcoming Events

Annual General Meeting - February 2010 (Details to Follow)

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Youth Report

It was great to see everyone at the Diwali dinner and we hope to see you again soon. This has been a great year for the LCA Youth Committee and we would like to thank the community for all the support we have received. This year, we have had successful youth events that were well attended at LaserQuest, Scooters, and Classic Bowl. The feedback we received from all these events was positive. They were enjoyed by all.

We also planned events at Wonderland over the summer and at LaserQuest in October that we cancelled due to a lack of attendance. We are planning on rescheduling the LaserQuest event to a later date, at a time that is hopefully more convenient for all.

Please check your emails to find out when this and other events are happening. Please send an e-mail to lcayouth@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the mailing list.

We would really appreciate it if you would encourage your kids to come out to the youth events! We are looking forward to another exciting, successful year with some new events in addition to our annual favourites!

Heer Shah & Sheel Radia

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Lohana Graduates 2009

LCF would like to congratulate their 2009 graduates who were recognized at the annual Diwali Dinner. We were proud to announce 15 new graduates this year. A special thank you to Yogi Chandarana who, once again, generously donated the fantastic gifts that our graduates received.

Amar Ghelani
Son of Bipin and Nalini Ghelani
Honours Bachelor of Social Work
Carleton University

Priyankaa Lakhani
Daughter of Bharat & Pravita Lakhani
Bachelor of Human Resource Management
York University

Rupal Lakhani
Daughter of Jitu & Jayshree Lakhani
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
University of Toronto

Neel Lukka
Son of Himanshu & Lekha Lukka
Bachelor of Commerce
Queen's University

Rajiv Modi
Son of Vinod & Rekha Modi
Honours Bachelor of Accounting
Brock University

Nilesh Harshadrai Ondhia
Son of Harshadrai and Bharti Ondhia
Certified Management Accountant
Society of Management Accountants of Ontario

Ram Rathod
Son of Girish and Vanita Rathod
Honours Economics and Accounting
Wilfrid Laurier University

Syam Rathod
Son of Girish and Vanita Rathod
Honours Business Administration
Wilfrid Laurier University

Leena Ruparelia
Daughter of Pravin and Indu Ruparelia
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)
McMaster University

Sachin Ruparelia
Son of Pravin & Madhuri Ruparelia
Certified Management Accountant

Shivali Ruparelia
Daughter of Ramesh and Mayuri Ruparelia
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)
McMaster University

Anita Sedani
Business Management, Major in Accounting
Ryerson University

Rajiv Neal Tanna
Son of Jitu & Rekha Tanna
BSc, Honours Biology: Ecology & Environmental Biology Specialization, Psychology Minor
University of Waterloo

Shailee Tanna
Mukesh & Bharati Tanna
MSc, Control of Infectious Diseases
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

Misha Thakrar
Daughter of Surendra and Jyoti Thakrar
Honours Business Administration
Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario

In addition, two long serving member of the community, Lalit Kanabar and Kishorebhai Jani, were recognized with 'honourary PhD' awards and graduate gifts were graciously provided to them by Yogi Chandarana.

Congratulations to you all of our new grads and best of luck in the future!

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Community Announcements

Prafulaben and Shantilal Pattani of Mississauga (originally from Tabora, Tanzania) are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Shilpa to Manish, son of Jasuben and Bharatbhai Manek of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Like Shilpa, Manish is a pharmacist and owns his own business in New York.

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Congratulations on the Engagement of Rishi Bhayani, son of Suresh and Mradula Bhayani, to Purvi Sheth, daughter of Mansukhbhai and Nayana Sheth.

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Congratulations to Shilpa Kotecha and Mark Priebe on the birth of their son Dhevan Om Kotecha- Priebe, born on September 3rd, 2009. Proud big brother is Shiven, along with grandparents Art and Fran Priebe of Ottawa and the late Chandulal Narberham and Sushila Kotecha of Hamilton.

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Recently, two Lohahas have recieved rewards of distinction from the greater community.

Congratulations to Suresh Thakrar for recieving the distinguished Liftime Achievement Award from the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Ramesh Chotai was recently awarded the Samaj Sevak Award at the Gujarati Association Gala Dinner, for years of service to the greater Gujarati community. Rameshbhai was also appointed by the Province Of Ontario to the Board of Small Business Agency Of Ontario which provides high level and strategic advice to the Minister of Small Business and Consumer Services and the Government Of Ontario on key issues affecting the growth and competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises in Ontario.

Congratulations to both Suresh Thakrar and Ramesh Chotai for their wonderful accomplishments!

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Our Deepest condolences to the following families who have lost their dearest ones

Jai Shree Krishna,

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Srimati Jayaben Lalitkumar Nandany in Rajkot on Saturday 5th September 2009. Jayaben was 75 years old. She had lymphoma.

Jayaben was wife of Dr Lalitkumar Tusidas Nandany (Rajkot). They have two sons and a daughter: (1) Dr. Sanjiv Nandany of Rajkot (married to Nitika),, (2) Dr. Rajiv Nandany of Mumbai and Hongkong (mariied to Dr. Priti) and (3) Dr. Shailja Mufti of Valsad (marrried to Dr. Nilax Mufti).

Om shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.

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Jai Shree Krishna,

It is with regret that we announce the passing of Prabhashanker Santokram Joshi at the age of 93.

Om shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.

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Community Submissions

My Year at School in India
by Shreeya Thakrar

When most people imagine life in an Indian gurukul they might imagine it in the worst way possible. Well, I have just spent a year in one and must tell you it was an amazing and unforgettable experience; something I will cherish forever. In June 2008, I decided to go to India for a year and study. I did my grade 8 there. Here I am now almost a year and a half later telling you of my experience.

To continue reading Shreeya's remarkable story, please click here

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Ten Tips for Senior Wellness
by Shital Tanna

1) Risks of infection increase as you get older so take measures to prevent getting sick. Have an annual influenza vaccine, and this year also the H1N1 vaccine. People over 65 years and others with chronic heart, lung, or kidney diseases should also have a pneumonia vaccine. Remember to wash your hands frequently, especially in the fall and winter months. Hot water and soap are best but anti-bacterial lotions can also help. Stay away from public venues with large crowds such as the mall if at all possible. Infected children often transmit their illnesses to parents and grandparents so keep this in mind if you help out with your grandchildren.

To continue reading, please click here

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Lohana Membership Application

If you are a new member to the community and would like to submit a membership application, please print out and fill out the following form and mail it to the address on the form. Lohana Membership Application Form

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Membership Reminder

If you have not already paid your 2009 membership fees, please send in your payment. To ensure you continue to receive the Samaj Newsletters, Auto-Dialer messages and other membership advantages, please mail your membership dues - cheques made payable to:

Lohana Charitable Foundation
P. O. Box 927
Adelaide Post Office
Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2K3

Annual Life Members Fee: $25
Annual Membership (Residents of GTA): $50
Annual Membership (Outside Greater Toronto Area): $30
Life Membership: $300

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Contributions & Feedback

If you have any general community news, events or announcements to contribute for the LCF e-mails, please email all relevant details to lohanainfo@gmail.com. Items provided will be included if relevant and appropriate. The LCF Committee reserves the right to publish and make amendments if and as necessary.

Similarly, we welcome any feedback you may have - thank you for your time and support.Enter your description

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