Vice President Eric Price
SANTA CLARA, CA: The National Football League Alumni is a non-profit service organization of retired NFL players who work voluntarily on behalf of youth and charity. It was formed as an outgrowth of philanthropic and civic-minded impulses of men who performed at the highest level of the nation’s most popular spectator sport and used that experience as a springboard to success in later life.
This year, NFL Alumni has partnered with Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame and other non-profit organizations to honor some of the most remarkable women in the Bay Area and give participants an opportunity to meet and interact with these women as they are honored at the “Black and White Luncheon” at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara. This event recaptured and high-lighted these women and their remarkable experiences. The proceeds from the event went to helping make dreams come true for children in need.
Ritu Maheshwari was honored with “Women Moving Forward” Award for outstanding community service. She was the only and the first Indian woman to get this recognition. Twelve extraordinary women including Carolyn Tyler – News Anchor ABC7 KGO, Susan Manheimer – Chief of Police, San Mateo, Benita McLarn – COO, The Valley Medical Center, Erin Niemeyer – Recreation Supervisor, Redwood City were among the honorees. These remarkable women were honored for their service in the community. Ruthie Bolton 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist was the keynote speaker. It was truly inspirational to hear how she overcame great adversities to accomplish athletic miracle.
Ritu was honored for her work in helping children and senior citizens in need. She has been associated with many Charities and Non-Profit organizations including Red Cross and NextDoor to help socially oppressed. She has actively worked in giving victims of domestic violence a voice by making documentaries and creating awareness in society and integrating community.
Ritu is a passionate community leader who strives to bring the Indian-American community together and help youth connect with their culture and roots. As Chair- Media Relations for the Federation of Indo-Americans (FIA) of Northern California, Ritu helps in organizing the Festival of Globe, SF Global Movie Fest, Festival of India and Parade, Diwali – the Festival of Lights; Republic Day – Celebration of Democracy, and Holi – the Festival of Colors. These events have attracted tens of thousands of people and are instrumental in building a vibrant and cohesive indo-American community in bay area.
Ritu is a software professional and works as QA Manager at Interactive Solutions, Inc. She builds products and teams in IT industry to bring innovative solutions to community needs.
During her award acceptance speech, Ritu asked everyone to avail the opportunity to help someone in need as there is no better accomplishment than helping a fellow human being in need.
She ended with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. “We may have all come on different ships but we’re in the same boat now.”
India Post News Service
