Providing help to seniors through information, referral, and advocacy services
Our Bureau
Tavares, FL
The National Indo-American for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) held its 34th conference in the town of Tavares, Florida on Saturday, November 18th, 2023. This event was attended by over 100 participants and was held in collaboration with Shantiniketan-3, Tavares, Florida. This being the signature annual event of NIAASC, a plethora of renowned professionals attended and talked on various topics.
The theme of the conference was “Empowering Aging,” with a focus on:
- Protecting Seniors Citizens (Safeguarding against Scams) by Alicia Ramirez (AARP)
- Aging – A Curse or Boon by Baldev Seekri
- Debunking Anti-Aging Myths by Srinivasa Rao
As per the release, the speakers are nationally known professionals and have been endeared by the community at large. Alicia Ramirez is a retired professional from AARP and in her speech cautioned that AI technology is being used to scam seniors and advised that seniors need to be cognizant of the aforementioned. Baldev Seekri the author of ‘Meaningful Aging’ highlighted how the mindset can make meaningful aging happen. Srinivasa Rao, a bio-medical scientist who has authored a slew of articles on food and nutrition presented how to achieve reverse aging via nutrition.
The conference started with the lighting of the lamp and invocation by Acharya Praygraj, followed by the opening remarks provided by Yogesh Naik from Shantiniketan-3 (Advisory Committee) and Chandrakant Shah (NIAASC Conference Coordinator) who welcomed all the participants and the guests. This was followed by lectures from speakers of subject matter experts, and succinct yet meaningful content allayed a lot of apprehension/ misgivings that the attendees had relating to Aging and its effects.
In her welcome speech, Gunjan Rastogi, NIAASC president greeted all participants and talked about the detailed program and in her concluding remarks assured the members of her unwavering commitment to the organization and further reiterated that the vision will continue to fortify the organization’s mission to be a force multiplier for helping the Seniors. Gunjan’s speech was followed by Rajeshwar Prasad who is the Founder and Chairman of NIAASC. He spoke at length about the need to foster partnerships and collaboration in an effort to seek synergy to pave the way for organizing an array of nationwide workshops for Seniors.
As per the release, the conference was financially supported by various sponsors and donations ranged from $51 to $10,000. The major sponsor was Santosh Kumar from Chicago also known as “Mother Teresa of Chicago.” India Home (NY) was another notable sponsor and supported the event by sponsoring the food. The cultural program was emceed by Tara Ashok and thoroughly regaled the audience with great fanfare.
NIAASC has been in operation since its inception in the Spring of 1999 with the stated objective “To provide help to seniors through information, referral, and advocacy services,” as per the release.
