As
we close the year, our committee has had the chance to look back
upon our accomplishments from the passing year and look forward to what
is yet to come.
This
year we successfully transitioned to a new board of directors full of
energy and new ideas. We launched a new Seniors Committee and Young
Families Committee. Both of which did an excellent job in spearheading
new ideas and events and we look forward to expanding on their initial
endeavours. One of our most ambitious goals is the establishment of a Scholarship
for Young Lohanas. We have successfully raised the money for this
project for the next two years, and have put into place a Scholarship
Committee to oversee the implementation of this project. Our
Communications Committee was successful in taking the newsletter you
are reading and transforming it into an easily transmitted online
document. They also remade the website to lay the foundation down for
our future communications plans.
We
held our annual Kids Camp, Picnic, Navratri, Chopda Poojan, and Diwali
Dinner and all were quite successful. This coming year we hope to bring
back our annual Golf Tournament while maintaining the current event
schedule.
We are also looking into creating new Committees aimed at targeting
Young Professionals. As always, we encourage those who are interested
to get involved and help out.
A
new development in the last few months has been the resurgence of the
Federation of Gujarati Associations (FOGA). This, once prominent,
organization is poised to make a large impact in the coming year, and
we are excited to be a part of it.
We
look forward to next year, and hope to continue to build upon what we
have already accomplished.
Beju
Lakhani
President,
LCF
Report on
Community Activities
Navratri & Diwali Celebrations!
Our
festive season was once again a wonderful time, with many events taking
place to help us all celebrate. The Navratri Garba this year was very
well attended with the Shukla
Brothers performing for the evening. Thanks to all of those who
helped out and attended.
Our
Chopda Poojan this year was very nicely done with help of Kishorebhai Jani who presided
over it.
Our
Diwali Dinner was once again a great success with over 700 people in
attendance. This year’s event was highlighted by our MC Mo-D and DJ Jiten who kept the evening
upbeat and exciting. Many thanks to Lekha Lukka and Lalit
Kanabar for their help in organization and to Navin Majithia for his help in organizing the venue. It was
also at this event that our brand new Scholarship Program was launched,
and we are very excited to hand out our first award at next year’s
Diwali Dinner.
Lohana Post Secondary Scholarship Program
At
this year’s Diwali Dinner we announced our newly formed Scholarship
Program. Overseeing the implementation of this program are Sona Ruperalia, Bella Karia, Bimal Lakhani and Beju Lakhani.
The
plan is simple – the student with the best two years of academic
achievement entering a post secondary program will receive a reward of
$2500 from the Lohana Charitable Foundation.
Details
of the plan will be available shortly via the www.mylohana.com website and
application guidelines will be available shortly. We strongly encourage
all Lohana’s entering university or college in the coming year to check
back with the site frequently to ensure they have their applications in
on time.
Board Recruitment
In
advance of our upcoming AGM, we would like to invite all interested
community members to help out by participating on our Board of
Directors next year. We have a variety of positions available and would
love to have new members help out. Please send an email to lohanainfo@gmail.com if you are
interested.
FOGA Returns
The
Federation of Gujarati Associations (FOGA) has resurfaced after many
years of inactivity. FOGA consists of representation from thirteen different
Gujarati Associations across the GTA and in the past was responsible
for bringing the greater Gujarati Community together. It is a welcome
sign to see this organization making a return, and Lohana will be a
part of it.
Beju
Lakhani has been named as one of the four executives of the newly
revived organization and Ravi Kanani will be sitting with him on the
Board of Directors. We would like to welcome all Lohana’s interested in
taking part in FOGA activities to please email lohanainfo@gmail.com.
Lohana Graduates 2008
LCF
would like to congratulate their 2008 graduates who were recognized at
the annual Diwali Dinner. We were proud to announce 13 new graduates this
year. A special thank you to Yogi
Chandarana who, once again, generously donated the fantastic gifts
that our graduates received.
Samir
Chande
Son
of Narendra & Kalpana Chande
Honours
Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath)
University
of Waterloo
Maya Dattani
Daughter
of Dinesh & Nayna Dattani
Honours
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Wilfrid
Laurier University
Arti Davda
Daughter
of Jitendra & Mangla Davda (Calgary)
Niece
of Jayanti & Jyotsna Davda (Toronto)
Master
of Business Administration (MBA)
Schulich
School of Business, York University
Seema Jethalal
Daughter
of Dr. Bhiku & Meena Jethalal
Master
of Media Production
Ryerson University
Pratik
Dhrona
Son
of Suresh & Vandana Dhrona
Master
of Science, Computer Science (MSc)
Queen`s
University
Sachin Kanabar
Son
of Lalit & (Late)Indira Kanabar
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
Queen`s
University
Hetal
Mahendra Kara
Son
of Harsha & Mahendra Kara (Mwanza, Tanzania)
Nephew of Sadhana and
Suru Raja (Toronto)
Honours
International Studies (BA); Honours Political Science (BA)
;
Certificate in Law & Social Thought
Glendon
College, York University
Shelina
Kotecha
Daughter of Mahmood & Vidya Devji
Certified
Management Accountant (CMA)
Swapnil
Shailesh Kotecha
Son of Shailesh & Sujatha Kotecha
Bachelor
of Engineering Science (BASc)
University
of Toronto
Rikesh Modi
Son
of Vinod & Rekha Modi
Honours
Finance with a minor in Economics
McMaster
University
Anuradha
Ondhia
Daughter
of Dilip & Jyoti Ondhia
Honours
Optometry (BSc)
Aston
University, Birmingham, England
Anand
Pandya
Son
of Praful & Pratima Pandya
Honours
Mechatronics Engineering (BASc)
University
of Waterloo
Archana
Pandya
Daughter
of Praful & Pratima Pandya
Honours
Bachelor of Social Sciences, International Studies and Modern Languages
University
of Ottawa
Leena Raja
Daughter of Bhanu &
Vinay Raja
Honours
Business Administration (BBA)
Richard
Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
Congratulations
to you all and best of luck in the future!
Lohana Camp 2008 Video
Posted
below is the video created for viewing at the Diwali Dinner. Please be
sure to check it out and get prepared for camp this year!
Youth
Report
Hey
YOUth!
This
past month we ran out first ever Bowling Night for the Lohana Youth and
it was a definite success! We had a great turnout from young children
to our older youth within the community.
The
past year has been a great one, with many events and many new events
that have never been done before. Our committee has worked very hard in
2008 and will continue to do so in 2009 so that more events can be run.
If there are any suggestions for events you think would work well
please contact us and let us know. Keep a look out in the new year for
more fun and exciting events.
We thank you for a wonderful
year full of new events and new friendships. I hope you have enjoyed it
as much as i have. At the
upcoming AGM we are looking for new general members for the Youth
Committee. If you are creative, enthusiastic, and love to help, we
want you! This AGM, we will also be passing an amendment to our
constitution to make the youth committee terms run in accordance to
school year. That being said, we would like you to attend this year’s
AGM as this directly affects each and every youth in the Lohana
Community.
We hope you can make it to
the AGM (details in the upcoming events section below) and please
contact Sahil Radia if you are interested in joining the Youth
Committee.
Full page advertisements will not appear directly in the
newsletter. Instead, a series of banners will provide information
regarding LCF events. You may click on these banners and they
will take you to the full page advertisement within your web browser.
Note: You must
have Adobe
Reader to view the banners. Click here to
download it.
Calendar of Events – Save these Dates
Event
Date
Annual
General Meeting
Sunday February 8th, 2009 (flyer above)
Young
Families Get-Together
Sunday February 8th, 2009 (at AGM,
further information in AGM flyer above)
Golf
Tournament
Early
Summer
Lohana
Youth Camp
Late
June/Early July
Annual
Picnic
Late
Summer
Navratri
Garba
Saturday
September 19th
Chopda
Poojan
Saturday
October 17th
Diwali
Dinner
Saturday
October 17th
Community News
& Submissions
Shamir
Tanna
was prominently featured in the Toronto Star recently regarding his
upcoming 1 year volunteer placement in Ghana with Engineers Without
Borders. Great work Shamir; you truly are an inspiration.
From the Toronto Star, January 16
2009:
When he enrolled in
engineering at the University of Toronto, Shamir Tanna envisaged
himself earning a degree, going to work in a good suit and climbing the
career ladder.
But
along the way, his priorities changed. He discovered that volunteering
was what really excited him. He joined Engineers Without Borders, a
charity that uses technology to improve the lives of the world's
poorest people. He spent a summer working at the Liberian refugee camp
in Ghana... (Click here
to continue reading the article)
TONIGHT YOU’LL BE
DANCING WITH THE STARS
(A TRIBUTE TO LOHANA YOUTH)
-- A Poem by Lalit Kanabar
For over thirty years once a year
Lohanas have come together
In overwhelming number
To meet and greet each other
Nobody forgets everybody wants to remember
Whether Diwali is in October or November
On a Hindu New Year eve
Over a lavish dinner and dance we interweave
Together good times we revive
And the rest of the year we survive
To preserve our custom and culture
In our children we strive to nurture
Our religious instruction and tradition
Hoping they’ll carry it forward one more generation
Well ! Tonight you’ll be filled with admiration
Because the torch has indeed passed on to a new generation
The youth is in charge of Lohana association
With zeal so big enough to make you stand up with ovation
Tonight you’ll be dancing with the stars
Our own Lohana youngsters
Despite cars and cell phones not a moment to spare
Lo and behold ! For Lohanas how do they care
They created a stir
I’m sure you’ll concur
When you hear the detail
Of their marvellous tale
So that our fortunes don’t ebb
Within months they put the newsletter on the web
Annually saved the treasury thousand times four
Wait till you read more
So that no Lohana remains out of sight
They created an ultra modern web site
With links from Toronto to Nairobi to London
Their modern high-tech approach leaves nothing undone
Determined to forge ahead with Lohana directory on site
Scholarship and other projects just a few examples to cite
Naturally we all want them to succeed
Our expectations they already did exceed
Young and restless
And they do rest less
In pursuit of their set goal(s)
For years to come we’ll remember their role
Announcements
Congratulationsto
Beju Lakhani, son of Chandra
& Rekha Lakhani andMandeep Bassan, daughter of Amarjit Singh & Jaswinder
Kaur Bassan on their engagement.
Our Deepest
condolences to the following families who have lost their dearest ones
Jai
Shree Krishna,
Savitaben
Hiralal Nathwani (popularly known as Bai) passed away on 27th
October 2008
Om
shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.
Jai
Shree Krishna,
Mr.Chhotalal Chaganlal Ghelani
(Uganda-Mbarara), father of Neeta Rai (Ajax), Atul (Pretoria-South
Africa), Dilesh (Richmond Hill), Daksha Rayarela, Ella Savjani
(Leicester U.K.), Kirti Thakkar (Mombasa Kenya), Dipti Kanabar (Perth
Australia) passed away suddenly on the 6th of December 2008.
May his soul rest in peace,
Om shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.
Jai
Shree Krishna,
Jayaben
Laljibhai Bharania, beloved mother of Urmila Suresh Thakrar and
loving grandmother (Nanima) of Amar & Amit, passed away peacefully
at the age of 80 on Tuesday, December 16th in Leicester, England.
Om
shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.
Jai
Shree Krishna,
Shirish Nathwani, husband of
Meena Nathwani and father of Ameet and Risha, passed away suddenly
today, Sunday January 11th, 2009 at the age of 58 years.
Om
shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.
Jai
Shree Krishna,
It
is with deep regret that I inform you of the untimely passing of Pushapaben Patel, wife of
Naginbhai Patel and mother of Vinod (Vinnie) and Preety.
Pushaben passed away in India. She leaves behind husband
Naginbhai, children Vinnie & Preety, dauther-in-law Nita, son-in-
law Dimple and grand children Roshan, Nishant and Anjali.
Om
shanti, Om shanti, Om shanti.
2009 Annual Membership – A Friendly
Reminder
If you
already have not paid your 2009 membership fees, please send in
your payment. To ensure you continue to receive the Samaj Newsletters,
Auto-Dialer messages and other membership advantages, please mail your
membership dues - cheques made payable to:
Lohana Charitable Foundation
P. O. Box
927
Adelaide
Post Office
Toronto,
Ontario, M5C
2K3
Annual Life Members Fee: $25/-
Annual Membership (Residents of Greater Toronto Area):
$50/-
Annual Membership (Outside Greater Toronto Area): $30/-
Life
Membership: $300/-
Contributions & Feedback
If
you have any general community news, events or announcements to
contribute for the LCF e-mails, please email all relevant details to lohanainfo@gmail.com. Items
provided will be included if relevant and appropriate. The LCF
Committee reserves the right to publish and make amendments if and as
necessary.
Similarly, we welcome any feedback you may have - thank you for your
time and support.
If you no longer wish to receive email from us please respond to this
email and type REMOVE in the subject line.
