Local Student-Run Non-Profit to Host a Charity Gala

On Sept. 13, the Manipal Foundation will host a charity gala to raise funds for the Manipal Junior College and the Dallas Children’s Medical Center. Manipal Foundation is a grassroots 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Redlands, and headed by local high school students. Its director and chairman, Anant Pai, was inspired to begin the organization when he first visited an orphanage in Mangalore, India. “I saw the direct results of my effort there, so I hoped to do that on a larger scale,” he says. “I wanted to get more people involved and spread the contagious feeling of making a change in the lives of others.” Pai carefully constructed the organization’s mission statement which reads: “empower children locally and internationally, to improve their overall quality of life and instill self-reliance and confidence by focusing on the two key pillars of health and education.” He wanted to influence and improve as many lives as possible. With this goal in mind, he organized and coordinated a board of students and began laying out the plans for the gala. OneReasonRecordings is a foundation that Pai partnered up with to refurbish the entertainment room for the Dallas Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, a project estimated to cost $10,000. Part of the proceeds will go directly to building this entertainment center for the over 36,000 young patients that visit the hospital each year. Other proceeds will go toward creating a scholarship fund for underprivileged, deserving students at Manipal Junior College, a high school in Manipal, India. By providing these scholarships, the Manipal Foundation will help increase access to higher education and open doors for high-achieving, low-income students. The gala this fall will be held at a private residence, 1533 Serpentine Dr. in Redlands on Sept. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. It will include live entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, dessert, and a silent auction, all for a ticket price of $50. If you would like to attend, or donate silent auction items, please call (909)213-3324. The Manipal Foundation will also be accepting any cash or check donations (tax-deductible), made out to Manipal Foundation and sent to 1533 Serpentine Dr. The Manipal Foundation’s Charity Gala will be an event you will not want to miss. To learn more about the Manipal Foundation and its projects, check out its website www.manipalfoundation.org.