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15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Ecology - The Jain Way
STUDENT ORGANIZATION FOR rights to others who may not have the same
awareness. Organizing a club can be difficult. ANIMAL RIGHTS (SOAR)
The endless paperwork, as well as choosing Karina Ashish Mehta
competent board members can become kamluvs2ski@gmail.com
challenging. We started this club to spread awareness about animal rights. Our main focus
is expanding the pro-animal community. We Karina Mehta, age 15, is a send out weekly emails with information student at Canyon High School, ranging from becoming vegetarian to exposing Anaheim Hills, California. She the fast food restaurants that mercilessly kill attends Pathshala at Jain Center animals for business. We advertise products of Southern California for the past that are not tested on animals. By raising 9 years. Her compassion and love
awareness and consciousness, we hope that for animal welfare motivated her people are affected enough to make a change. to establish SOAR at her high school. She hopes SOAR movement will spread to other schools In December 2008, we sold bracelets to raise and colleges throughout the nation.
money, which was used to buy doghouses and
blankets for the homeless dogs across America, The greatness of a nation and its moral
especially in the colder states. The program, progress can be judged by the way its animals
called Angels for Animals, raised money to are treated.
assist these homeless animals. We are also in -- Mahatma Gandhi the process of organizing a protest against
various fast-food restaurants who offer products Animals should be equal to us; after all, they that are produced through in human treatment are living beings. Cruel treatment of animals of animals. By raising awareness about animal cannot be justified in any way. I believe that rights and welfare, we can work towards most people are not heartless, but instead, developing a better community. uninformed. By teaching the world about vegetarianism and eradicating animal cruelty, All in all, we started this club to promote we can eliminate the injustice that animals face
awareness about animal rights. I hope that in a today.
couple of years, this club will have grown and
expanded to the point where we can really My friend Kayleigh Soto and I organized SOAR, make a significant positive impact. Student Organization for Animal Rights, at our high school to spread knowledge about animal
RRR 908080 ANEKANT COMMUNITY CENTER (ACC)
Anekant Community Center (ACC) - a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization - has set up a Nalini Shah Cancer Fund for prevention and early detection of cancer. Nalini Shah, Age 61, had breast cancer and passed away in August 2008. Her family has donated $10,000 in her memory to fight the cancer and spread the message of cancer awareness. ACC has initiated a series of lectures at the Jain Center of Southern California (ICSC) on various cancers. Early detection through regular screening tests and life style improvements to minimize the cancer risks is emphasized. With the help of American Cancer Society and Orange County Health Authority, ACC organized train-the-trainers sessions at JCSC to spread the message of cancer awareness and motivate the public to go for regular screening tests.
For more than 15 years, ACC has organized free annual health camps in USA and abroad. ACC can make funds available to organize cancer detection camps in India. Please contact Harkishan Vasa at 714/771-7860 or hvasa@yahoo.com; or Mukund Shah at 949/509-6716 or mgshah@yahoo.com.
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