Advocating & Supporting Differently Abled Individuals – “Living with Parkinson’s and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)”
Our Bureau
New York, NY
Gift of Life USA, is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, founded by Paresh Parekh, Flora Parekh, and Dr. Harshil Parekh, with the aim to help the physically and mentally challenged and nurture acceptance and empathy, bridging the gap across the various communities that form our society. The organization celebrated its 10th Annual Gala this past weekend at an evening filled with inspiring speakers and several opportunities to make a difference in our community, celebrating 10 years of dedicated service to the special needs community.
The event was gracefully emceed by Dr. Harshil Parekh, Bee Sharma (London) and Freya Savla (Boston) and had a full house with representation from several organizations and community leaders. Every year, the Gala witnesses the inspiring journey of several disorders, advocating and raising awareness of various disorders and inspiring individuals living with the disorders. This year we advocated and supported Parkinson’s and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). The Gala event, orchestrated by the organization, was proof of innovative spirit and dedication to making a meaningful difference and was evident of compassion, empathy, and tireless dedication to the noble cause.
In a landscape often marked by monotonous programs, the ability of Gift of Life USA to infuse creativity and uniqueness into the Gala was duly noticed and complimented by community leaders.
Apart from combating social stigma by raising awareness about different disorders, the true strength of Gift of Life USA lies in the funding and support it gives to individuals with these various physical and mental disorders.
Over the years, the Gala has visualized the incredible talent of the visually impaired, autistic speakers and models, down syndrome entrepreneurs, Asperger’s – epilepsy disorders, cerebral palsy role models, our special amputees, dyspraxia, dementia, Schizophrenia and Bipolar. This year we advocated and supported Parkinson’s and OCD with inspiring speakers, Special needs band by autistic and down syndrome Kool Spectrum band players, Dominican and Asian dancers Sanjana and Samyuktha and a unique performance by Masala Bhangra.
The Gala recognized their committed and dedicated donors – ASK Foundation, Kalpana Patel (UCI), Kanak & Prabha Golia (Perfume Center of America), Vass Pipe (Sunil Shah), Navika Capital (Naveen Shah), Dr, Harshil Parekh and Mukund and Padma Mehta (Life Achievement Award) for their continued support for 10 years, since inception.
The Gala serves as a unique platform where sponsors, donors and supporters get the opportunity to meet inspiring Differently abled Speakers, Entrepreneurs, employers, performers, and beneficiaries and see for themselves the beautiful talents these individuals bring to the world.
John Baumann – Living with Parkinson’s for 17 years, a high-powered corporate attorney, author of his published book “Decide Success” and motivational success speaker, John Baumann’s life changed forever, and he took us on a journey through his life and Parkinson’s disease.
Nick Padlo – Living with substance Disorder, Nick is an army veteran living with substance disorder. He is the CEO of Sophros Recovery, focused on helping individuals recover from substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring mental health issues. He inspired the audience with his experience dealing with major depressive disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and tied his experiences with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and how these conditions are connected and frequently co-occur.
Their differently abled abilities have not stopped them from achieving the impossible. The event started with an in-depth overview of the organization’s introduction and program details by Dr. Harshil Parekh and a rocking special needs band performance by Down syndrome and autistic players, followed by recognizing the youth leadership for their dedicated and continued vision and mission to serve the community and humanity.
Rocking entertainment included a mesmerizing performance by Dominican Republic authentic dance performance in colorful costumes By Dominican Dance Group. The highlight of the event was live Dance workshop of several dance forms led by Masala Bhangra with all party flavors turning the venue into a party place! Chairman Paresh Parekh and family as well as several volunteers like Sheetal Pathak were instrumental in decorating the venue.
Directors Kalpana Patel, Kamlesh & Mrudula Parekh, Shashi Malik, Dr. Bhavani Srinivasan, Sheetal and Jasmin Pathak, Dr. Harshil Parekh, Akash Patel, Bee Sharma, Freya Savla as well as Founders Paresh and Flora Parekh Welcomed and Thanked Several organizational Presidents, Community Leaders, Sponsors, Supporters well-wishers for their continued support year over year. Akshat Kaul of Kaul Photography captured magnificent event memories.
The event was graced by several community leaders and organizations – Haridas Kotahwala, Harish Parikh, Vinod Shah, Asha Shah, Dr. Harshad Bhatt, Rajesh Patel, Dr. Mahendra and Chhaya (Friends of ARCH), Sunil Hali, Indu Jaiswal, Jyoti Gupta, Dr. Jag Kalra, Anju Sharma, Lions club of Lake Grove, Bhadresh Acharya, Eric Kumar, Devang Patel, Kaushik Shah, Jagdish Mehta, Harish Thakkar and many more. The organization functions with generous donations from the community and is operated by volunteers.
Our heartfelt Thank you to all our Committee Members, Performers, Donors, Supporters, Volunteers, and well-wishers for their continued support over years. The team’s vision and efforts were a remarkable step forward towards changing lives and making our world a better place.
Our heartfelt Thank you to all for being part of our incredible journey, supporting our various programs and activities, not limited to, “Save a Child” Support, “We are Special” Talent & Skill Recognition, “Health & Education,” “Awareness”, “College Scholarships for Differently-Abled” and “Service Dog Support Program”. The organization awards Scholarships to Autistic College students, promote and showcase talent of the differently abled, help special needs community with health and education needs and much more.
Gift of Life USA appeals to donors to come, see, believe, and support these true abilities and beyond share the organization’s vision of acceptance and compassion of the differently abled. Please visit its website for additional information and ways to support.
