American Association of Indian Social Workers, Inc.
Annual Report 2004
Introduction
I am privileged to be here as the Secretary of AAISW to present you
our annual report, filled with activities and accomplishments over the
past one year. During the year we have made real measurable progress
moving faster and further raising the morale and boosting the spirit of our
members . As you know this has been an year of great expectations, big
challenges and hard work. But we have proved together we can do a lot.
This progress /achievement is the result of cooperation, commitment
and participation of each and everyone of you who have stood solidly
behind us in carrying out the mission put forward by the executive
committee.
Election 2004
The Election of the office bearers for 2004-'05 was conducted at Raj
Mahal Restaurant in Queens on .
The Election was conducted between two panels. Before the election was
started candidates from both panels were given a brief time to
introduce themselves. About seventy registered members participated in the
Election using secret ballots. The Election was conducted under the
supervision of the returning officers Luke Malika
and Alex Chamakkala.
The following were elected as office bearers
- President - John M. John
- Vice President - Saji Joseph
- Secretary - Sajan Thomas
- Sajimon Kadavil - Joint Secretary
- James George - Treasurer
- Abraham Thomas - Board Chairman
- Biju Philip - Board Member
- Jhancy Anthony - Board Member
- Kamalesh Bagga - Board Member
- Sajan Jose - Board Member
- Charlie V Daniel, CPA - Auditor
- Alex Chamakala - Election Officer
- Jacob Mathew, CSW and Margarette Varghes - Election Committee
- Dr. Francis Jacob and Biju Abraham - Editors
Programs accomplished:
Inaguration and Holiday Party
The Inauguration of the New Executive Committee and the Holiday Party
were celebrated on January 24th, 2004 at the Charis Christian Center
auditorium in Queens. The program started with registration coordinated
by Mr. James George- Treasurer AAISW and Ms. Jhancy Anthony. The public
meeting commenced about 4.00pm with the welcome speech by Sajan Thomas,
Secretary who was also the Master of Ceremonies. Mary Ann George's the
melodious prayer song was uplifting to everyone in the auditorium.
Sunny Paulose CSW, senior member and the Treasurer of FOKANA introduced the
chief Guest George Koshy the President of FOKANA. Mr. Koshy in his
inaugural address stressed the importance and role of Social Workers in
today's changing society. He urged social workers to become agents of
social change and get involved in the multiple challenges and complexities
of the Indian Community.
John Mattam in his Presidential address gave a brief outline of the
programs and activities of the Association for the coming year.The
lighting of the Traditional lamp "Nilavilakku" by Mr. Koshy marked the formal
inauguration of the Association, which was followed by Oath taking
ceremony by the Committee members. Dr. Paul Njalieth introduced the newly
elected executive committee to the audience. Dr. Francis Jacob in his
felicitation stressed the need to galvanize the association by making it
truly national and not just parochial. Mr. George Thaila gave a 'Walk
down' of the 10-year history of the association and its phenomenal
growth through the years. The second part of the celebration- the
entertainment programs presented by our children- conquered the hearts and mind
of every one. It was a spectacular show of talents filled with fun and
thrill. The colorful and enchanting single dances by Amy Abraham, Veena
Cherian and Silpa Francis kept everyone in rapt attention. Stacy and
Sheena Machanical, Reshma and Manisha George, Noel and Nikhil James
performed their best group dance winning applause from the spectators. Mary
Ann George, Silpa James Rony James along with Xavierkutty Thomas, John
Kuruvila and John Kusumalayam entertained everyone with their heart
warming solo performance. Instrumental music Anuraj George (clarinet)
Jerry Mathew (violin) Roy Cyriac (African Bongo) etc added further flavor
to the cultural events of the night.
Sajimon Kadavil , Joint Secretary proposed vote of thanks to everyone.
Saji Joseph Vice President took care of the sumptuous dinner, which was
enjoyed by everyone. The Asianet TV and other weekly Indian
publications provided Media coverage.
CSW review course
We have organized a well co-ordinated CSW Review Course on February
28th Saturday 2004 at the Woodhull Hospital . It was a one day class 9.00
to 4.00 attended by about 30 participants including five non AAISW
members from Woodhull. The massive attendance at the class was notable. The
class was handled by Dr.Craig Crabtree PhD Social Work Supervisor at
Woodhull. Every participant was given a package containing thousands of
possible questions and answers. Mr.Sajan Thomas, Secretary welcomed the
gathering and Mr. John Mattam ,President proposed vote of thanks. Mr.
Abraham Thomas was instrumental in arranging such a beautiful conference
room at Woodhull and making it a grand success.
Newsletter
The first Newsletter for the year published in April provided all the
members with important news and happenings with in the organization. The
second issue is getting ready on the editors desk of Mr. Francis Jacob
(Editor) and Mr. Bijumon Abraham (co-editor). The members and families
are urged to contribute articles for our Newsletter.
SW month celebration
The Social Work month was celebrated on 03/27/04 at Raj Mahal
Restaurant, Queens, New York with a participation of forty members. The keynote
address was made by the chief guest Ms. Irene Torres, Associate
Executive Director of Woodhull Hospital. Ms. Torres spoke on the National
Social Work Month theme "The Power Of Social Work. Pass It On". Another
guest of the occasion Ms.Indira Parmar, Director f Social Work, Wycoff
Hospital urged the members to go beyond the community and geographical
limits and reach out to the burning national problems of Indian society
like AIDS, Domestic Violence, illiteracy etc. She also encouraged to
involve more Social Workers from other parts of India as well. Awards of
recognition was given to Ms. Torres and Dr. Craig Crabtree Ph.D, Social
Work Supervisor of Woodhull Hospital. The program was sponsored by Dry
Harbor Nursing Home, Brooklyn.
Fund raising
'Summer in USA' fund- raising program conducted on 06/06/04 at Martin
Van Buren High School auditorium, Queens was a grand success. By all
account it surpassed all our expectations and calculations in the amount
we collected and the massive crowd we were able to assemble.The
dedicated team effort and untiring hard work by our Committee & Board as well
as the members who took upon themselves the strenuous task of reaching
out to their friends and families are commendable. We also want to
thank our benefactors, sponsors and advertisers who generously supported
us in our endeavor. Besides the financial gain we also scored in the
public relations front. As a team we were able to bring the message of our
Association to the public and let them know our strength and
solidarity.
Family Picnic and General body meeting
This year the AAISW Family Picnic was conducted on July 17th, 2004 at
the Glen Island Park, upstate New York. It was really a day of family-
fun in the sun. Many thanks go out to everyone who made the 2004 picnic
a phenomenal success. There were approximately 150 people. Members came
with their spouse, children , parents and family members. Besides the
Barbeque everyone brought in an array of delicious dishes which made it
sumptuous and enjoyable. That's the joy of sharing . We had a
spectacular show of sports and games competition for the children as well as for
the adults. The winners were awarded trophies and prizes at the end of
the day. Every child was given a gift for their participation.
We did have our semi annual general body meeting held on the picnic
arena. The General body expressed many words of appreciation for the
excellent fund raising program we had in June. A lot of valuable ideas and
suggestions were shared about the future programs for upcoming year.
Public Seminar on Retirement Plan
A free seminar for public on "ELDER LAW and ESTATE PLANNING" was
conducted in collaboration with The Law Office of Steven A. Kass, P.C. The
seminar took place at the Charis Christian Center auditorium in Queens on
9/26/04.
The seminar helped to understand Medicaid laws - to plan future
healthcare needs, and to protect hard earned assets. The seminar also covered
- court action of Guardianship, empowering Family to implement
planning in lose of competency, how to protect your spouse and loved ones who
may be on Medicaid at your demise, investigate Long Term Care Insurance
etc.
The seminar was marked as a success with a good participation of more
than 30 people from the local area. The members had suggested that more
free seminars shall be conducted on different parts of the Tri-state
area in future.
Blood Donation program
Our Association together with The Kerala Cultural Association of North
America (KCANA) had organized a Blood Donation Drive on 10/09/04 at
Kerala Cultural Center in Queens Village. The blood drive was a noticed
public event with a good participation of people from all walks of life.
Special thanks to Mr. Regi Kurien (who took initiative to conduct the
program), New York Blood Bank and their well- equipped professionals
and all the members volunteered for blood donation - a great
humanitarian act which can save lives.
Website revamping
The association's official website - aaisw.org - was revamped with many
features, adding sites of interests, services and infos, updates etc..
The new site is also more user friendly, informative and attractive.
Search engines like Yahoo and Google have listed our website for public
access. Special thanks to Desicompany.com and Mr. Tomy George for
modifying and maintaining our website for free of cost.
Conclusion
2004 was a great year of hard work, success and accomplishments for
AAISW. I believe that the executive committee was able to keep the
promise, we made in the beginning of this year, to bring our association to
the path of progress and achievements. This was made possible through a
lot of tiresome meetings, constant phone calls, mailing letters and many
campaigns. And I appreciate each and every member of this association
for the enduring support and continuos motivation you have provided in
needy times. As a team we were able to bring the message of our
Association to the public and let them know our strength and solidarity, as we
made inroads into the community. Definitely it was the result of
dedicated team effort and untiring hard work by our Committee & Board as
well. I am privileged to be a part of this great team and hope that next
year also we can continue the progress we made with all your support.
Sajan Thomas
Secretary.
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