Indo American News

Tag: Harish Kotecha

  • HC4A’s Harish Kotecha Receives National Award

    HC4A’s Harish Kotecha Receives National Award

    Austin: Founder and President of Hindu Charities for America (HC4A), Mr. Harish Kotecha, has been awarded the Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) for the 32nd Annual Conference.

    Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to honor people who have tirelessly worked to ensure that all children may have what most take for granted: safety, shelter, and a future and that young people without shelter may find the promise of tomorrow.

    NAEHCY’s Board of Directors were impressed with your [Harishji’s] ability to transform a singular movement into a replicable program that now is established in 4 major cities.

    In her award letter to Kotecha, Jimiyu Evans, President, NAEHCY wrote that, “We are glad to have an advocate like you in the field to meet the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness – supporting and encouraging academic success – while implementing program coordination and community collaboration.”

    Kotecha while beaming at the live video presentation at the virtual conference, mentioned that, “This award recognizes the impact of HC4A, all the volunteers, donors, sponsors and well-wishers of HC4A!”

    Rosie Coleman, Coordinator & District Homeless/Foster Care Liaison

    Austin ISD said, “This is so great!! No one deserves this more than Harish and Hindu Charities!!! Thank you for everything you do for our Austin ISD students!”

    Coming in an especially hard year, this award sent a wave of joy in the HC4A community. They now prepare for the next big event: a virtual gala in November to raise funds for vocational scholarships for low-income youth and adults.

  • Hindu Charity—HC4A— Launches in the Houston Metro

    Hindu Charity—HC4A— Launches in the Houston Metro

    HC4A directors with Fort Bend County Court Judge Juli Mathew (second from left) and Fort Bend County Judge KP George (third from right).

    HOUSTON: The HC4A (Hindu Charities for America, a non-religious 501c charity) “Serve Where You Live” Houston area kick-off event was held at the end of April 2019 at the Sugar Creek Montessori School in Stafford (southwest Houston) and it was a grand success!

    Apart from Austin-based founder Mr. Harish Kotecha and stalwart member Mr. Dinesh Vakharia, Honorable Judges K.P. George and Juli Matthew shared their experiences working with underprivileged students and communities in Fort Bend County. In addition, Neeta Sane, Houston Community College Board Trustee shared her knowledge on the HCC system and how HC4A may effectively work in the area of workforce/vocational scholarship support.

    Their insights, along with the guidance provided by several key attendees/donors proved extremely valuable for the work of HC4A whose goal is to bridge income disparity through education by a) providing vocational scholarships to economically underprivileged students and b) raise funds for school supplies/school backpacks for the large number of children from underprivileged backgrounds. As Harish Kotecha, the Founder of HC4A put it, “education is important to us and is a passion for us all, and we will continue to support students in our local communities.” Since its launch in Austin back in 2010, Harish Kotecha has now successfully expanded HC4A activities to the Houston and Los Angeles areas.

    This charity is “for America.” It is a unique concept; Indians in the United States have long been sending justifiable aid to India, whether it be through donations for specific projects or remittances. HC4A does not seek to replace or supplant such efforts. Rather, the HC4A seeks to increase awareness of Hindu Americans as a charitable group, thereby promoting steps towards tolerance and acceptance across society. By benefiting local American communities and encouraging concerted efforts by all members of the community through charitable action, HC4A has struck a unique chord in Indo-American society. As a result, over the past few weeks, two more Foundation Board members have joined HC4A-Houston, namely, Mrs. Lalita Trehan, the founder of Sugar Creek Montessori School and Mrs. Ruchika Singh Dias of Bollywood Shake.

    The HC4A-Houston team is proud to announce that they have raised over $10,000 towards vocational scholarships since the launch event, as well as additional funding for the back-to-school backpacks program. HC4A will be meeting with organizers for both activities on July 1s, and shall be finalizing the logistics. A video highlighting HC4A’s activities is available online at https://youtu.be/hvBbRpASwDA and further information is available on their website at www.hinducharitiesforamerica.org You can also reach out to Sashi Konidena, HC4A Houston coordinator at sashi@hc4a.org if you have any further questions about donations for workforce scholarships or back-to-school backpacks program, or need any further information about the charity.