Grand Celebration at Mobile, Alabama

The Gujarati Samaj of Mobile, Alabama has played an integral role in many events for both enjoyment and charity. The members of this esteemed group are revered constituents of society. Their careers range from the medical field to engineering to convenience stores & hotels and motel business owners. While the members of this group come from a wide variety of fields, they are connected by one thing: the ability and desire to make the world a better place.

One of the recent events hosted by the Gujarati Samaj of Mobile, was a fundraiser for the Muni Seva Ashram based in Goraj ( Near Baroda ), India. The event took place on May 15, 2011 in Mobile; there were over 300 attendees at this event, excluding the numerous volunteers.

Muni Seva Ashram began thirty years ago by Anuben Thakkar, and has since under the leadership and management of Vikrambhai Patel, formed many institutions and homes for those in need. These include a cancer hospital, a general medicine hospital, a research facility, a shelter for the elderly, an orphanage, a center for mentally challenged girls, and several schools and colleges. The Ashram refers to itself as a “Green Ashram” and the name is well deserved. The Ashram has built a biogas plant, a pilot solar conditioning plant, a biomass system, and the ashram has plans to become 100% renewable within the next year.

The fundraiser for this well-regarded organization boasted an exquisite buffet and a fabulous entertainment line-up. The highlight of the evening was the musical and comedic acts of well-known performer Jagdish “Actor” Patel and his wife Daksha Gauri of New Jersey. Together, in a well-practiced, synchronized fashion, they made the audience respectfully laugh, sing-a-long to old classics, and laugh once more. A brief consensus revealed that the favorite acts of the night were the “musical comedy” acts, which incorporated well-placed portions of song into comedic stories.

The fundraiser would not have been nearly as successful without the senior and chief members of the Gujarati Samaj of Mobile, Alabama or the volunteers. Both played integral parts in the development of this fundraiser. Without the many volunteers, many children and teenagers, the fundraiser would not have flourished to its full extent. The volunteers performed every task, including setting up, decorating, providing baby sitting services, waiting tables, collecting donations, serving food, and taking all the decorations down at the end of the night. The volunteers were very efficient in every task asked of them and their efforts were praised by many attendees.

To conclude, the fundraiser earned a great deal of money for an even greater organization. This event cannot be attributed to any one individual, it was the entire community and Gujarati Samaj of Mobile, Alabama members, who came together for a great cause and accomplished their comprehensive goal of making the world a better place. If you want to know more about Muni Seva Ashram, visit their web site at www.greenashram.org