The Indian Association of Los Angeles celebrated India’s Independence Day on August 16 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. This was the ninth annual event in the San Fernando Valley. Activities included a free health fair, cultural dance performances, and religious, non profit, food and vending booths.
The American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles was also present. We were included as part of the Health and Disaster Preparedness Fair. The purpose of attending the event was to show case our commitment to diversity by involving diverse members of the communities that we serve so that they can to learn how to be prepared, about our products and services, and how to possibly become a volunteer.
As stated by Gail J. McGovern, President and CEO, American Red Cross when commenting on diversity” “It is imperative that all Red Cross business units and lines of business, including chapters and Blood Services regions across the country, actively engage diverse members of the communities they serve so that our products and services are developed and delivered in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner”.
The volunteers that participated in the event included: David Tuckman, Linda Housden, Joey Morales, Erick Gochez, Manuri Ranasinghe, and Scott Kaplan. Staff who were involved either by attending or staffing the event included Tim Dunar, Kelly Mulock and Kristeen Singh.
LA County Sheriff Leroy D Baca also paid a visit to the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles and was very glad that we attended the event. IALA president Raman Chadha said that “the success of this event goes to hard working committee members and volunteers who made this evening possible”. We greatly appreciate and thank Mr. Chadha, Dr. Bama Sridhar, Mr. Vasdev Singh, and Mrs. Deepi Singh for welcoming us.
