On the evening of Saturday, October 20, 2018, more than 1,000 supporters gathered at the Bergen County Academies auditorium in Hackensack, New Jersey for Share & Care’s 36th Annual Gala & Fundraiser. The theme of the event — Educate a child. Enable a woman. Empower a nation. — celebrated the power of a single person to enact great change.
The event, titled “Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon,” featured Padma Bhushan Javed Akhtar, one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated lyricists, script writers, and poets. During the program, this master of his craft took attendees on a nostalgic journey, narrating his lyrical creativity through the decades from the 1980s to the present. Akhtar was assisted by Jhanvi Shrimankar and Raman Mahadevan — two renowned playback singers — as well as by a troupe of musicians. These performers recreated memorable songs and scenes from hit movies, and kept a fully packed auditorium mesmerized for nearly four hours.
We are pleased to report that this successful event raised more than $650,000, including donations and pledges made in the month leading up to the event. These contributions have brought our total amount of donations in 2018 to nearly $1,000,000.
Our sincere thanks goes to all donors and supporters. Most notably, we extend our gratitude to our generous long-time donors and media advertisers, who were honored with plaques at this year’s event. Additionally, members 75 years and over were honored for their hard work and dedication over the past three and a half decades. We were also deeply moved when Javed Akhtar presented a plaque to Mrs. Sudha Bhansali, as a tribute to and in memory of our Founding President Arun Bhansali.
As we have for the past 36 years, we eagerly look forward to your continued support for Share & Care’s programs to help the most marginalized women, men, and children in India. Your generosity makes a significant and lasting difference in their lives.
To view a digital copy of our 36th Annual Gala Book, please click here.
