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Dear Friend,

Sat Sri Akal. I hope this finds you and your family in Chardi Kala.
It is with deep gratitude for your continued support that I share five important updates about our work at SHDF.

Final Count of 2022 Scholarships  

We have completed the process of awarding scholarships for the 2022 academic year. Thanks to your enormous generosity, 1,256 students have been granted SHDF Scholarships. The majority of these students are women from rural areas. As in previous years, the scholarships were awarded to students in North India, predominantly from Punjab, but also from neighboring states including Delhi, Haryana, and UP. The recipients are pursuing a wide range of disciplines including technology, computer science, medicine, nursing, education, agriculture, biotechnology, law, and business studies.

   
Scholarships for 2023  

We have received 2,657 applications by our August 31 deadline for scholarships to be granted in 2023. It is especially notable that applications from rural areas, where opportunities are severely limited, have swelled. We hope to respond to this surging need by increasing the number of scholarships to around 1400.Your contribution is crucial for achieving this enhanced goal, and we appeal to your generosity for its life- changing impact.

   
Pilot Initiative – USA Scholarships  

At the request of several donors, SHDF has initiated a small pilot USA Scholarships initiative for 2022-23 to support youth from our community enrolled in a university, community college or vocational training institution in USA. SHDF seeks to help motivated youth from economically disadvantaged families with scholarships of up to $3000 per year (up to $5,000 in exceptional circumstances). For the small pilot, focusing primarily on the DC area. applications were invited; and we have recently made three awards to deserving candidates with funds raised from donors specifically for this initiative.

   
Appointment of Executive Director  

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Harsharan G. Singh of Maryland as our SHDF Executive Director. She has been closely associated with SHDF for several years, both as a donor and as a very active volunteer—she has also been a Master of Ceremonies for our annual fundraising gala events. She is highly experienced in non-profit organizations and management, effective communication, and youth leadership initiatives. She has been an advocate on behalf of Sikh students for inclusivity in school curricula in the US, and has been successful in obtaining grants and charitable donations, building dedicated volunteer teams, and public speaking. We are confident that she will excel in this role and will contribute significantly to SHDF’s continued growth.

   
Annual Fundraising Event – (Online)      

The Annual SHDF Fundraiser will be held in early November 2022. In light of the great success of last year’s virtual fundraiser, we will gather online this year as well. We hope this will enable supporters from far and wide to join us virtually as we endeavor to fulfill the dreams of our deserving applicants to lead lives of dignity, gainful employment, and opportunity. We will share further details soon. With Guru Ji’s blessings, and your invaluable Sewa, let us together reach for new heights in transforming lives through higher education.

With warm regards,
Manmohan Singh Kumar, Ph. D. (Cantab)
Chairman, SHDF

Dr. Manmohan Singh Kumar will now head the Board of Directors for SHDF as the new Chairman. He has served on the Board since 2014, most recently serving as the Director of the new initiatives and was a strong supporter of SHDF for many years prior to that. He has been instrumental in helping push the foundation forward during his tenure and brings a strong passion for working with the community.

Pinning hope in this letter, Dr. Kumar appealed to the donors to open their heart and wallet in these most challenging and times of testing.

Here is the full text of his letter.

“Dear esteemed SHDF donor and well-wisher, Sat Sri Akal,

Hope you and your loved ones are well and in good spirits in these challenging times. 

I would like to first express my deep gratitude for the immense support you have provided to SHDF in the past. Your generous donations have made an invaluable contribution in providing scholarships to the neediest and most vulnerable but bright students in Punjab and neighboring areas. During the past twenty years, SHDF has awarded over seven thousand three hundred scholarships, allowing these students — around seventy percent of women — to pursue university studies. The students have gone on to obtain a wide range of well-paying professional jobs. Your donations have transformed the lives of not only the scholarship recipients themselves but their families and often even their whole communities.

As you know, the pandemic has hit India extremely hard. Many families, already amongst the poorest and most vulnerable, have lost whatever meager sources of income they had. The dreams of the students and often their entire families are being crushed due to this health and economic crisis. In this situation, the demand for SHDF scholarships is high and rising. The students need your help more than ever.

Of course, the crisis has affected many of us here in the US also, with our jobs, businesses, and incomes being impacted. Many of us have been facing hardships too. The pandemic has in addition prevented us from holding our traditional fundraising events. These factors in turn have meant that, despite our ongoing virtual fundraising efforts, our funding has suffered. We are thus facing a severe shortage of funds, at the very time when the demand for scholarships is the most pronounced.

For 2020, we have committed to providing 888 scholarships compared to 688 in 2019, which requires a marked increase in funds. We look to your continuing spirit of Seva to contribute generously for the scholarships — your donation will be invaluable at this extraordinary juncture. We will also be organizing a virtual get together soon and which I hope very much you will be able to participate in (we will share with you the details of the webinar shortly).

Now, more than ever, our students need you. Your help in this crisis will be immensely beneficial and will continue the process of transforming lives that you have been so kindly part of over many years.

Look forward to speaking with you soon. Please take care.”

With warmest regards,
Manmohan Singh Kumar, Ph.D. (Cantab)
Chairman, SHDF

Following advertisement was widely published on Aug 30, 2020 in leading newspaper in the region, including but not limited to Ajit Newspaper (Punjabi and Hindi editions) and Tribune Newspaper (Punjabi, Hindi and English editions). Regional centers also notified prospective students via WhatsApp and social media postings.

SHDF Scholarships – 2020 For Students pursuing Professional Courses

Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council (Regd.), New Delhi in association with Sikh Human Development Foundation, U.S.A. (SHDF) invites Applications for Scholarships from regular students studying in recognized Colleges and Universities for Professional Degree/Diploma Courses. Students who have appeared in Class X & XII Examination in March 2020 and want to pursue Diploma/Degree Courses during 2020-21 can also apply for this scholarship. Duly filled-in Application Form along-with attachment must reach at Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council (Regd.), Nishkam Bhawan, B-Block, Tilak Vihar, New Delhi – 110018 by post or scanned copy through email latest by 30/09/2020*.

For detailed instructions, eligibility criteria, Application Form and its attachment, please visit our web site www.nishkam.org

Eligible students will be required to maintain a workable email-ID. They are also required to appear in a written test in Punjabi and General Knowledge (Details to be notified on website). Students who qualify the written test will be required to appear in Interview.

For any other query, please contact at 011- 28333842/28334477 or send e-mail to [email protected]

* The date to submit new and renewal applications has been extended to Oct 31, 2020

Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council along with Sikh Human Development Foundation, USA (SHDF) organized a webinar for scholarship recipients on August 22, 2020. The theme of the webinar was soft skills and interview techniques.

Speakers imparted their wisdom on personality development, interview skills and career development and spirituality & success. Amidst the global threat of COVD-19 institutions are adapting to virtual events rather than the traditional in-person events to connect and carry forward the learning process. This was the first time for many institutions to employ zoom meeting as the virtual communication platform. SHDF and Nishkam are delighted to address the challenge where more than 200 university level students benefited through the webinar.

S. Narinder Singh, Nishkam President welcomed the participants and S. GS Bindra, Convener of Scholarship Program anchored throughout the session. Dr. HS Sethi, Treasurer- SHDF from Washington, USA also welcomed the audience and thanked for their participation in the virtual workshop.

Sikh Human Development Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new Ambassador Program across the nation aimed at expanding the outreach, driving further awareness, and engaging motivated individuals who are passionate about the mission of the SHDF. As a part of the role, they will spread the foundation’s message to more people across the city, whilst remaining true to their mission of transforming lives of the bright but financially disadvantaged students in Punjab and nearby states.

This is just the start of the new program. With ambitious goals and widespread support, more ambassadors are set to be joining next year and thereafter. The goal of SHDF is to have many inspiring and committed Ambassadors spanning across the globe.

“We are all extremely excited to be involved with the noble work and are looking forward to supporting the mission of the SHDF”, Bhavdeep Singh echoed thoughts of many participants present on the launch day. Inspiring ambassadors joined the conference call for a program overview from geographically diverse places for example Richmond (VA), Washington D.C., Cleveland (OH), Chicago (IL), and Boston (MA).

Your generosity makes it all possible! Thank you for supporting the SHDF scholarship program and transforming lives through higher education. This year we were able to award 888 scholarships compared to 688 in 2019; a 29% increase from the last year! Scholarship checks were distributed in ceremonies organized by our partner organization, Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council, in cities of Amritsar, Faridkot, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and New Delhi. Majority of the scholarship recipients were female students (77%) and that too, mostly from rural areas. These children are studying in disciplines like medicine, engineering, agriculture, nursing, information technology, business administration, law, and several other subjects.

In the last 20 years, more than 7,300 students have been helped and many have graduated with professional degrees and found jobs of their choice. You can also sponsor a student in Punjab who needs financial help! Sponsor a student today by donating $540 for one year.