India Post News Service
CHICAGO: The Club of Indian Women (CIW) hosted its annual holiday gala on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove, a South-side suburb of Chicago. It was attended by several women achievers who have done great work in their respective fields and have also been a part of CIW for many years.
There were games, fun and furious, including a Bollywood themed word search, a saree tying contest as well as dancing to musical chairs without the chairs! The entertainment included beautiful singing by Raja Nadampalli and Tara Swaminathan and a dazzling dance performance by Falguni Rana. The program was planned by Sarita Sood, Tara Swaminathan and Vinita Gulabani under the leadership of CIW vice president Preeti Chawla and superbly anchored by Vinita Gulabani.
Urmil Chawla made sure that audience saw the raffle prizes and enthusiastically purchased the raffle tickets. Madhu Uppal announced that, with the generosity and support of its members, in 2020, CIW was able to donate nearly $9,000 to area food banks and food pantries and social service agencies. Impressed by the scale of its humanitarian work, some additional donations were received by CIW right after this announcement.
Club of Indian Women is a not-profit group whose vision is that ‘All Women should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential’, CIW organizes literary slams, book and movie discussions, seminars on social and cultural issues, outings to area theaters and parks, and awards funds to local agencies that are working to support families in need. ‘We are so happy to see a younger generation take on leadership role in CIW and today’s event is a testament to their skill and dedication to this organization,” remarked Prem Sharma, one of the founders of CIW. “We missed CIW president, Vandana Bankapur, who is away visiting family in India.” Prem added
