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Over 600 people turned up at the
Houston Omni on August 24, 2002. In spite of poor economic
conditions Houston raised over U$ 580,000, which includes
about U$ 140,000 in matching contributions from the American
India Foundations.
The event included a chat session
with Ms. Waheeda Rehman who bowled over the nostalgic audience
with her straightforward and witty responses to questions
about films and Pratham. She said that she would return to
Houston and was actively considering getting other stars to
join the Pratham campaign.
On August 25, and 26 Ms. Rehman
and Farida Lambay (Executive Secretary of Pratham Mumbai)
along with Yogi Patel (President, PrathamUSA) toured Midland,
Texas and Dallas. The two locations helped raise over $ 50,000
and more assistance is promised. Ms Rehman's radio shows in
Houston and in Dallas were a big hit with fans calling in
to ask questions. Ms Rehman, after answering some questions
about her films skillfully made her fans move towards questions
and answers about Pratham.
Aug 30 in Boston Mass saw a group
of about 50 people assemble. The group was relatively small
due to the fact that it was the first day the Labor Day weekend.
However, those present recalled that some of them had helped
raise $ 10,000 last year and decided to do another fundraiser
a bit later in the year.
Sep 1 and 2 were busy days for
the Pratham team in the New York- New Joursey area. On Sep
2 over 150 people gathered at the Liberty House banquet hall
across from the Southern tip of Manhattan. The great view
of the NY skyline was also a reminder of the Sep 11 attack
last year. The event, which included question and answer sessions
and short presentations started with a commitment of $ 30,000
already made. During the event the young Pratham supporters
auctioned DVDs of Ms. Rehman's movies and other articles.
Each article was signed by Ms. Rehman and the donor was photographed
with the guest. By the end of the evening, the donations-
including matching funds from AIF had reached $ 50,000. This
is the first major fundraiser in NY/NJ and the group is sure
that the next year will be better.
Now the tour moves to the West
Coast with events lined up at San Jose on Sep 6 and in LA
on Sep 7, and 8.
Congratulations to the PrathamUSA
teams in all cities and a special thank you to Ms Waheeda
Rehman who has proven to be a true Pratham volunteer and more!
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