India Post News Service

BEVERLY HILLS: After a rousing golf tournament with nearly 250 players attending at the challenging Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, the Vijay Amritraj Foundation held its second annual charity banquet at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday Evening, October 13th. Hosted by sports commentator AlanWilkins and ER's Parminder Nagra and attended by a plethora of celebrities and philanthropists both among and outside the Indian community, the gala affair centered on a powerful desire to help some of the most needy in India who Vijay Amritraj vowed to help after serving several years as a UN Messenger of Peace.

"I have seen first hand the magnitude of plight and suffering that exists around us. The more I saw, the more it became obvious to me that something had to be done to help millions who continue to succumb to disease, tragedy and circumstance," wrote Vijay in the program he distributed to the audience gathered in the same room that holds the Golden Globe Awards every year. A five-minute film showing some of the work by the organizations in India that the Vijay Amritraj Foundation assists, spoke volumes to the audience.

From the Prajwala Organization in Hyderabad that helps stop the cycle of human trafficking and prostitution along with the children that are also victims of their mother's sex trade, to the St. Vincent's Home For AIDS Patients in Cochin, the Vijay Amritraj Foundation has been a bridge to move time and money from Americans across the world to help the most needy in India.

"This is hopefully going to be an annual event and a standout event," said Vijay to India Post. "But I don't see this as only an Indian event. It's a charity event with the Indian support, because the money is going directly to India. And we are pleased that 40 percent of the turnout Saturday night was Americans who aren't South Asian which is very encouraging because this is a venue to bring the US and India closer together," he said, adding that the annual event also gives Indian Americans and others the opportunity to see what we are doing with charities in India. When asked what his vision was for the future, Vijay frankly hoped to expand his foundation to perhaps having smaller events in other parts of the world.

"I'm going to New York this Wednesday and among other business meetings we're seeing if we can have a similar event like ours in New York as well as one in Northern California. Down the road there may be a possibility to do something in London and Singapore, possibly even Delhi," he said. "The important thing is to get the message out there."Vijay admits that one of the big concerns about donors to his foundation is how the money is being spent.

"What we're trying to do is create a program for different charities in India. For example, all of the charities we're helping, I know them personally. I know how the money is being spent and what they are doing," he says, adding that he often encourages people to visit these charities when they are in India to see for themselves. "One of our committee members was in Delhi so I told him to go and see one of our organizations that we support there. And he did and he said 'it's unbelievable - it was fabulous what they were doing.'" The foundation recently delivered 100 wheel chairs, walkers, and hospital beds at the Center for the Aged in Chennai.

"There's a picture of me visiting the center. For every wheel chair we bought we got one free from the company. It was really wonderful."Vijay emphasizes that the Foundation is looking for doctors, dentists and other health providers to volunteer their time and effort to the worthy cause. "Doctors who can afford their time and offer their services free. We can take care of their expenses locally if they can do a joint transplant.

Or maybe you're an eye surgeon we can use your help," he says. Vijay admits though his foundation is only a year old it's remarkable what has been accomplished in a short time but he really wants to keep the "pedal to the floor" and help the charity work grow.The Foundation's Beverly Hilton dinner live auction was led by soap opera star Tom Helleck where items such a $19,000 Rolex watch was auctioned along with a 10 night stay at the Leela Resort in Goa (with round trip air from Air India) worth nearly $30,000.

Silent auction items ranged from one-year LA Clippers skybox at the Staples Center to a poster from the original film Grease signed by John Travolta to a pink sari set by Surily Goel. Other items included a Mahatma Gandhi lithograph by renowned artist Metin Bereketli to round trip business class tickets to Montego Bay in Jamaica or Maui, Hawaii.Key sponsors included the Hamilton Brewart Insurance Company, the Walt Disney Company, Tata Consultancy Group, the Leela Palaces and Resorts and American Airlines.

Associate sponsors included Bhindi, Cargo Solution, Inc., and ATA Airlines along with Keyes Mercedes. Some of the patron sponsors were Bhalla and Associates, Wipro, and India Sweets and Spices Northridge. The golf classic on Friday, October 12 at Lost Canyon Golf Club, which preceded the Saturday gala, provided an outdoor venue for individuals to enjoy a round of golf and raise money for Vijay's cause. This reporter visited the course during the day and found the participants enjoying beautiful weather, great food and a chance to play eighteen holes on a scenic course known for its challenges.

"This is very difficult course because you're not on level plains on most of the holes," said participant and radio personality Eric Tracy. "The guys who built this course (Fred Couples and Pete Dye) are known for making them challenging," he added. Judging from the fairways, greens and sand traps, Tracy wasn't exaggerating, but the participants seemed to revel in the fact good charity effort takes hard work---even on the golf course.