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Thank You for a Great Year
We Couldn't Do It Without You!
Often, in the end-of-the-year fundraising push that all nonprofit organizations get pulled into, it can be too easy to focus on the distance between the reality and the goal. Maybe that translates to time, money, progress on certain projects, staff members. There is always work to be done.
We at SikhRI would like to start 2011 by stepping back from that gap and saying THANK YOU to everyone who donated time or money to SikhRI this year, who sent us a kind e-mail or made a thoughtful comment on a feedback sheet, who attended an event for the first time, or brought a friend or family member along!
We couldn't do that work we love without the support of you- the people who read this newsletter every month, check in with our web site, and make our Facebook page an online community of awesome, thoughtful Sikhs! So as we continue to aspire to new successes and a stronger SikhRI in 2011, please accept our humble thanks for all you have done since SikhRI was founded in 2003, to get it where it is today.
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Facebook Update
You may have noticed that SikhRI has multiple accounts on Facebook. Due to changes over the years in the volunteer handling our social media, we had created two Facebook groups, as well as a main page. That means, at this point, you may be either a part of one of these group or a friend of SikhRI. This has led to complications in maintaining all of the accounts, and not everyone getting notifications, updates and invites to SikhRI events. Well, it's time that we got everyone on the same page!
We have created a FAN page, which you can find at http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Sikh-Research-Institute/ 183608415000255. We are going to be consolidating all of our Facebook activity into this ONE page. That means all updates, events, and information about Sikh Research Institute will be posted here going forward! So simple! Please follow the link to the fan page ASAP and get yourself connected with us, as all other SikhRI profiles will likely be inactivated by end of February! We will be adding new, exciting features in the new Page so stay tuned for that!!
We have also created a Fan page on Facebook for Sikh Educators Network! It's another way to connect with more people, and spread the word about the great community of educators and innovators and get hooked up with the lessons, planning materials and other invaluable resources all available through SEN.
Can you help us spread the word? Tell your friends, post the new page to your own Facebook and let your Twitter followers know! Thank you so much for helping us and look forward to a more streamlined SikhRI on Facebook in 2011!
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Sevadar
Mandhir Singh
This month, we would like to introduce our newsletter readers to another member of SikhRI's Board of Advisors.
Mandhir Singh has over 15 years of experience in Asset Management in the US. He is currently working at IronBridge Capital Management, a $9 billion asset management company. Before that, he worked at HHR Asset Management, J. & W. Seligman & Co., and McKinley Capital Partners. Mandhir has an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from St. Stephens College, Delhi University, India.
Mandhir is quite active on the social services front, both through providing funding as well as contributing his own time. He was the Principal of Bridgewater Khalsa School, and he also helped plan and implement a number of successful programs in the school, such as setting up of a website, implementing Sojhi coursework, starting a Gurmat Sangeet program at School, and starting a soup kitchen effort.
He lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife, Achint, and two children, Noor Kaur and Dayaal Singh. Mandhir Singh is also the Tri-State Area Coordinator for SikhRI.
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Trips Abroad- India & Australia
SikhRI ended 2010 and kicked off 2011 with two busy international tours. From 14-18 December, Surender Pal Singh and Inderpreet Singh presented on behalf of SikhRI in Mumbai. The speaking tour, which featured 3 engagements and was sponsored extensively by Young Sikh Leaders was a great change to engage with the Indian community. The full press release of the week's events can be read here.
Then, early in 2011, from 8-9 January, SikhRI was in Delhi for a weekend of events. Surenderpal Singh and Inderpreet Singh presented a two-part workshop, Leadership: A Sikh Vision. Inderpreet Singh also appeared on an hour-long interview on Zee Panjabi TV on the Ekonkar show.
The first part of the Leadership workshop was held at Gurduara Singh Sabha in Delhi, India, and the second part was held at Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology, also in Delhi. More than 80 people attended both the sessions, which explored leadership the idea of a principle based leadership as found in the Guru Granth Sahib taken in the context of the whole Guru-Prophet inspired Sikh history. The presentations also explored examples of well-rounded Sikh leadership in contemporary situations.
Inderpreet Singh's appearance on Ekonkar was part of a discussion titled "Guru Gobind Singh's Mission in the 21st Century." During the interview, he put current issues in the Sikh community into the context of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's teachings. His discussion of this topic coincided with world-wide celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh's birth.
Then, from 28 December-9 January, Harinder Singh was in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, presenting a whirlwind schedule of events and facilitating community dialogues. Meeting with audiences at gurduaras and camps, Harinder presented 23 events over those 12 days, thanks to the careful organization and patience of local coordinators. The complete details of the Australia events is available in our press release, "Aussie Sikhs Ring in 2011 with Self-Development."
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Liv
Protecting the Guru-Bestowed Identity
On 8 January, 40 people attended the first Liv webinar of 2011 on the topic: Protecting the Guru-Bestowed Identity. The presenter of the webinar, Amardeep Singh, is a co-founder and Director of Programs at the Sikh Coalition. He spent the morning speaking of the ways that the Sikh identity has been challenged in the US since the 9/11 attacks and the ways in which the Sikh quam has successfully defended itself against this ignorance and prejudice. He also spoke of pressing current challenges and the opportunities to address them which are available today. Gurvinder Singh assisted in coordinating the webinar and Narenderpal Singh moderated the session.
Liv webinars are generally offered once a month, and the topics and presenters vary widely in Sikh Research Institute's efforts to create an online community which is interested, engaged, and informed on an array of topics and ideas relevant to the Sikh community today. Donations in support of Liv webinars are always gratefully accepted. There are no registration fees required to attend a webinar, and past sessions can be heard in our video archives.
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Celebrating Dr. King's Legacy
Bringing the Sikh Sounds to 24th Annual MLK Interfaith Service
On 16 January, SikhRI participated in the 24th Annual Martin Luther King Jr Day Interfaith Service in San Antonio. The afternoon's events, a beloved tradition in a city which makes many efforts to embrace its multiculturalism, featured speeches, prayers and musical performances in the spirit of the legacy of Dr. King.
Representatives of the Sikh community in San Antonio brought the Sikh sound to the afternoon, with the performance of a Sabad by local teenagers and a translation of the message offered by Jasmine Kaur. Food was also contributed by Pritam Singh, which was shared by all in attendance. The event was covered in the San Antonio Express-News, "Service Reflects King's Dream."
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Article on Sikhchic
Jasmine Kaur, SikhRI Director of Education, wrote an article which was published on sikhchic.com on 12 January. The article, "Buttons, Jump Ropes and Chocolate Cake" told the story of her local community's special celebration of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib's Gurpurab, an evening designed especially for the children in attendance! Sara Stroo assisted in editing the piece.
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Thank Yous
Sikh Research Institute exists to serve the community's education needs. As we strive to fulfill our mission of empowerment through education, we cannot be successful without the endless support of volunteers. Thank you to all of our volunteers this month who continue to inspire us with their strength, dedication, and passion!
Akashdeep Singh, Anika Singh, Arshdeep Khurana, Arvinjit Singh, Bawa Singh Jagdev, Bilawal Singh, Charanjeet Singh, Devinder Singh, Devinder Miglani Singh, Dilawal Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Harjeet Singh, Harliv Kaur, Harmeet Kaur, Jagdeep Singh, Manpreet Singh, Mr. Bajwa,Narenderpal Singh, Narinderpal Singh, Pavdeep Kaur, Pritam Singh, Pritan Singh, Ruby Kaur Sandhu, Satwant Singh Calais, Sikh Center of San Antonio, Sukhjit Singh, Sukhvinder Singh, Sunit Kaur, Swaran Singh, Taranjeet Singh, Tavleen Kaur Khurana, and Young Sikh Leaders.
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