India Association of Fort Myers, Inc. Serving Southwest Florida since 1987 P.O.Box 07183, Fort Myers, FL 33919 Volume 8, Issue 2, January 2011 http://www.iafortmyers.org/ Thought of the day Life is not just to take... it's to give, forgive, and move on. One good work done today will get you 10 blessings, so be positive, and think forward." In this issue. A Message from the President Republic Day and India Fest updates Upcoming Events Membership Information Classified Advertisements Executive Committee 2010-11 President: Sunita Sharma 239-936-2554 President-Elect: Prasad Kasireddy 503-490-4362 Treasurer: Vaishali Mehta 734-546-0251 Secretary: Terry Tahal 239-464-5848 Directors: Sapna Mathur 239-247-5004 Ramana Muvva 239-275-0645 Ravi Devaguptapu 941-628-6295 Baktha Vardhini 239-433-4303 Youth Committee 2010-11 President: Ananya Mahajan President-Elect: Vaibhav Penukonda Secretary: Mumtu Lalla Directors: Alisha Puri Harsha Raju Priyanka Patel Rhea Patel Board Of Trustees Kumar Nandur: Founder President - 1987 Kunwar Jain: Chair Person - President -1997 Atiq Ahson: President - 1991 Subhash Kshetrapal: President - 2000 Harshad H. Bhatt: President - 2002-03 Rajiv Varshney: President - 2004-05 Hina Sanghvi: President - 2005-06 Suja George: Co chair - President 2007-08 Rajen Patel: President - 2008-09 Sudhanshu Desai: President - 2009-10 Newsletter: Feedback/Suggestions/Comments Email: fortmyersia@gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The silver jubilee year of India Association started with a bang with the New Year s Eve Party. This was a huge success with record attendance. Thanks to good food, lively music, and an energetic dance floor, we all had a good time. I would like to offer my gratitude to Hina Sanghvi and all those who worked towards making this possible. With two successful events behind us, our next grand event is India Festival on Feb 12 th at Hammond Stadium. The stadium will provide us a larger venue than ever before. To cater to popular demand, we have extended the event programming to 8PM. This will require hard work from all of us as we set new milestones in the history of India Association of Fort Myers. If you have any suggestions and can help us in any way, please contact me. Kudos to all of you for your continued enthusiasm and support during this Silver Jubilee year. On behalf of the Executive Committee, I wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Sunita Sharma A Friendly Reminder: Thank you for your annual membership dues. To those who have not yet responded, kindly send in your payment by Jan 31 st to avoid the dues increase and to be included in the new Membership Directory. New members are welcome! UPCOMING EVENTS 2010-11 Republic Day/ Sports Day Picnic, January 29 th, 2011 at 11AM 3PM India Fest, February 12, 2011 at the Hammond Stadium Holi, April 9th 2011, Lakes Regional Park, Shelter C1 Independence Day Picnic, August 20 th, 2011 Talent Night, September 24 th, 2011 Dunbar Middle.
REPUBLIC/SPORTS DAY PICNIC Saturday, January 29 th, 2011 Republic/sports Day Picnic will be held on Saturday, January 29 at the Lakes Regional Park in Ft. Myers, Shelter B-4 from 11 am to 3pm. There will be food and refreshments for everyone. Look forward to fun filled day of activities, games (Lime and Spoon, Tug of War, etc.), and more. For IAFM members, admission is free. For guests and non-members the cost is $5 per individual or $10 per family. Once again, I would like to invite children to write a poem on "My View of India. Best poem awards will be made for ages up to ten and ages above ten. Winners will get to read their poems at the Republic Day Picnic. The maximum length of poems is 20 lines or 100 words. Please email your entry to sonuram@comcast.net Menu ~ Food (Dosa, Idli, Chutney and Sambar) provided by the Annapoorna Group ~ Pizza Directions to Lakes Regional Park: From Naples: Take I-75 NORTH toward TAMPA. Take EXIT 131 for Daniels Parkway Take LEFT on Daniels Parkway Turn LEFT on US-41 or South Tamiami Trail Turn RIGHT onto Gladiolus Dr / CR-865 S. and drive for 0.4 miles Lakes Regional Park is on your right side Our picnic is at Shelter B-4 From Cape Coral Take Del Prado Blvd South/CR-967A Merge onto CR-884 E toward I-75 (Portion toll) Turn Right onto Summerlin Road/CR-869 Turn Left on Gladiolus Dr/Cr-865, and drive for half a mile Lakes Regional Park is on your left Our picnic is at Shelter B-4 Lakes Regional Park Address: 7330 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers, FL. Ph: 239-432-2000.
INDIA FESTIVAL Saturday, February 12th, 2011 We are all eagerly awaiting the 2011 India Fest. Most of you already know that this will be held at the Hammond Stadium on February 12, from 11AM - 8PM. Since we are changing to a new site with extended hours, we are working even harder to put things together. In the afternoon, our entertainment program will showcase the talent of local Indian community. From 5PM, we hope to get professional artists to provide live musical entertainment. So let us all roll up our sleeves and put on a good show for the community of Southwest Florida. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to call or e-mail any of the Executive Committee members. To all India Fest Performers: Please submit program entries, including a CD copy of any music used during the performance, to Sapna Mathur at 8789 Paseo de Valencia Street, Fort Myers, FL 33908 or e-mail her at sapna.12@hotmail.com by February 4. This is necessary so we can ensure smooth transitions on the day of our grand event. To all India Fest Volunteers: The India Fest Volunteer Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 9 at 7:00pm at India Palace. Light refreshments will be provided. We have a great community with diversely talented members. We would appreciate if you would come forward to assist us in organizing and conducting this grand event. We request your help to make India Fest 2011 a success. We need volunteers to help in various tasks such as setup, ticket sales, money collections, stage decorations, management, and more. For questions related to volunteering activities, please call Terry Tahal at 239-464-5848 or e-mail him at ttahal@yahoo.com. Directions to Hammond Stadium: From Naples Take I-75 NORTH toward TAMPA. Take EXIT 131 for Daniels Parkway Take LEFT on Daniels Parkway Turn LEFT onto Gladiolus Dr / CR-865 S. and drive for 0.8 miles Hammond Stadium is on your right side From Cape Coral Take Del Prado Blvd South/CR-967A Merge onto CR-884 E toward I-75 (Portion toll) Turn Right onto South Cleveland Ave Turn Left on Daniels Parkway Turn right onto Gladiolus Dr / CR-865 S. and drive for 0.8 miles Hammond Stadium is on your right side Hammond Stadium Address: 14100 6 Mile Cypress Parkway Fort Myers, FL 33912-4314 2011 MEMBERSHIP DUES Annual membership dues for 2011 are due. We would like to thank all the member families who paid their annual dues at the Diwali and New Year s Party. If you have not yet paid your dues, please use this form to mail your membership dues check to India Association of Fort Myers, Inc. P.O.Box 07183, Fort Myers, FL: 33919. For your convenience, membership dues will also be collected at the Republic Day Picnic on January 29 th. Please submit membership dues by January 31 st to avoid the rate increase and to avoid being left out of the directory. We appreciate your cooperation and timely payment of dues. THANK YOU. Membership forms (new/renewal/update) can be downloaded at our web site at http://www.iafortmyers.org
India Association of Fort Myers, Inc. P.O. Box 07183, Fort Myers, FL 33919 http://www.iafortmyers.org SPONSORSHIP FORM Name of Individual or Organization: Contact Individual: Address: Phone: Fax: City/State/Zip: Alternate Phone: E-mail: SUPPORTING SPONSORSHIP CONTRIBUTING SPONSORSHIP Please Check Please Check Platinum $5,000 Full Page B&W India Fest Souvenir $400 Diamond $2,500 Half Page B&W India Fest Souvenir $250 Gold $1,000 One-Third Page B&W India Fest Souvenir $175 Silver $750 Bronze $500 Full Page B&W Membership Directory $300 Brass $400 Half Page B&W Membership Directory $200 One-Third Page B&W Member Directory $150 PLEASE NOTE: All submissions offered for publication in the Souvenir Program are subject to acceptance by the INDIA ASSOCIATION OF FORT MYERS, INC. (IAFM). Questionable, misleading, controversial, or fraudulent announcements may be declined. The IAFM reserves the right, at its option, to revise, reject, or cancel any or all advertising which in its sole judgment may be deemed objectionable for any reasons, including in its subject matter, composition, or phraseology. Payment does not guarantee publication. The above named person(s) and/or company agree to hold IAFM harmless and indemnify IAFM against any and all liability, loss or expense arising from claims for violation of rights of privacy, infringement of copyrights and property rights, libel, unfair competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of trademarks, trade names or patents, and from any other claims resulting out of or caused by publication of material by IAFM. IAFM is not responsible for errors or omission in publishing. As authorized person or representative submitting material for publication, I agree to the above terms and conditions. Authorized signature: Date: Amount Enclosed: Instructions Check the box corresponding to the level of sponsorship you desire. Make checks payable to "India Association of Fort Myers, Inc." E-mail your camera-ready art for the Souvenir Program to sonuram@comcast.net. NOTE: Electronic submissions are preferred, but you may submit printed copy or business card along with your check. A $50 art fee must be added to your payment if submission is not camera-ready. Sign sponsorship form and the art copy. Contact Sunita Sharma at (239) 936-2554 or sonuram@comcast.net with any questions. Mail your packet including sponsorship form, check, copy of the camera ready ad (if applicable) and any other relevant materials by January 15th, 2011 to: India Association of Fort Myers, P.O. Box 07183 Fort Myers, FL 33919.
Diwali gala 2010
INDIA Association OF FORT MYERS, INC I / we would like to become a member as follows: Serving Southwest Florida since 1987 P.O. BOX 07183, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA 33919 Membership Application Form NEW MEMBER RENEWAL Individual $30 (After Jan 31 st - $50) Family $50 (After Jan 31 st - $75) Life Membership Individual : $450 Life Membership Family : $750 Membership term : January to December I am including a check for $ payable to India Association of Fort Myers, Inc. P.O. Box 07183, Fort Myers, FL 33919. Please use BLOCK LETTER and print your information; no cursive hand writing. Name: Spouse: Names of 1. 2. Children 3. 4. Address: Phone: Home: ( ) Business: ( ) Cell: ( ) E mail: SIGNATURE OF THE APPLICANT DATE I would like to include not include the above information in the membership directory. I would like to receive my Newsletter or other correspondence via E-mail or US Postal Service The India Association of Fort Myers, Inc. is a charitable organization registered in the State of Florida, and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Classified section Are you interested in advertising in this Newsletter?? If yes then send us a scan copy of your business card or your business information. Rates: Business Cards in the Newsletter: $150 for the whole year India Association of Fort Myers P.O.Box: 07183, Fort Myers, FL 33919 SANDEEP WALHA For all your real estate needs, Call Sandeep Walha http://www.floridamoves.com/sandeep.walha TOLL FREE: (800) 347-3336 Ext 115 DIRECT LINE: (239) 738-7515 CELL: (239) 410-2099 sandeep.walha@floridamoves.com DINESH DENNY SHARMA PH: 239-770-7427 1-800-274-7979 Ext 127 For sales resulting from your business or referrals, I will donate a portion of my commission to the Hindu Temple Building Fund. Denny.Sharma@FloridaMoves.com www.floridamoves.com/denny.sharma Lee County REALTOR Since 1983