iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Bringing warmth and caring for the homeless, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) members distributed blankets among the needy during winter. “Continuing the tradition of providing comfort and warmth to the needy and the homeless in the United States during this winter season, with the overwhelming support from dozens of our organization’s chapters, we are happy to announce that thousands of people across the nation have benefitted from the generosity of AAPI members,” Dr. Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI said.
For several years, AAPI has been reaching out to help the needy across the US. Launched in 2019, this initiative has now become an annual tradition of giving by AAPI to local communities. Thousands of blankets have been donated to the poor and the needy in several homeless shelters across the nation every year through AAPI’s “Share The Warmth” project.
ATG Tours was the grand sponsor of the program. Dr. Kolli, while expressing gratitude and appreciation to the AAPI Chapters for organizing blanket donation drives around the nation, said, “Knowing that such measures benefit the needy in the community gives us the motivation to organize more such events and give back to the local communities where we live and serve. We strongly feel that we can make more such accomplishments with support and participation from all our generous AAPI physicians.”
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), founded in 1982 is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing the interests of over 120,000 physicians of Indian origin. In addition to several programs in India, AAPI has been at the forefront, advocating for the interests of the medical fraternity and organizing regular CME programs, health & wellness events, and financial workshops for its members and outreach, public health education, and advocacy activities for the community both locally and internationally.
Dr. Raghu Lolabhattu, Vice Chair of the AAPI Board of Trustees and Chair, Share The Warmth program said: “Thirty state chapters of AAPI participated in this program. Our members helped about 3,000 homeless and other needy citizens.” He commended the Georgia Chapter of AAPI for distributing blankets to those stranded and without power during this winter, in the aftermath of a devastating Tornado striking parts of Georgia state. “It was heartwarming to see how they greatly appreciated our timely help.”
In a heart-warming gesture, led by Dr. Madhavi Gorusu, Director of Medical Oncology at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Hartford HealthCare, AAPI donated blankets to LifeStar, who in turn provided blankets to local EMS, the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department, and the neighborhood health team to hand out to the needy in the community.
Dr. V. Ranga, Chair of AAPI BOT said: “As a token of our appreciation and gratitude, we believe we are happy to be able to give back and serve the less fortunate in our society in times of need.” “This has been a one-of-a-kind experience for the teams of physicians and young volunteers alike who have generously volunteered their time and resources to bring joy to the less fortunate,” said Dr. Anjana Samadder, President-Elect of AAPI.
