New Delhi, October 27, 2020: Recently, hundreds of American India Foundation supporters were virtually in attendance for the first-ever Virtual New York Gala. Despite the fundraising challenges of virtual events, AIF successfully exceeded their goal, raising over $2.1M. These funds allow AIF to continue their work by bridging the digital divide in education, decreasing maternal and infant mortality rates, reskilling and upskilling vulnerable populations to ensure economic security, and so much more!
This year’s Gala celebrated honouree, Citi CEO Michael Corbat, the hard work AIF has done in the face of COVID-19, and AIF’s Market Aligned Skills Training (MAST) programme. Large scale livelihoods destruction due to the pandemic has made AIF’s MAST programme even more vital.
Gala highlights include:
- MSNBC’s Ali Velshi as Master of Ceremonies
- 2 specially curated concert segments by Grammy Award-winning Ricky Kej
- Fantastic cocktail and dessert demonstrations by Food Networks’ “Chopped” judge Chef Maneet Chauhan
- An anonymous donor offering to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000
“I am blown away by the dedication that the AIF supporter base has shown during a year when the health and economic crises have made many folks very insular. Many thanks to our sponsors, Board of Directors, NY Tri-State Board, honouree Michael Corbat, Citi, and special Gala guests (Ajay Banga, Maneet Chauhan, and Ricky Kej). Their laser focus and passion for helping those that need AIF most in India, especially during this critical time, is inspiring. All of us working together delivered a very successful Gala, the proceeds of which will help thousands,” says AIF’s CEO, Nishant Pandey.