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COMMITTEE NEWS
North American Jain Family Assistance
Ahimsa Committee
JAINA has established the above named committee to help needy Jain families in North America and gave us a good opportu- nity to be volunteers to the suffering, sick and needy. The Executive Committee of JAINA has given Ila Mehta the responsibility to chair this committee.
The objective for this committee is to help Jain families in time of need. The help will be extended for a period of one year. A maximum and minimum of combined help will reciprocate the available fund resources and families in need. This committee could be requested to help for education and health purposes. Also help can be requested in the time of unexpected financial crisis.
For anyone willing to help or receive help, please contact any members of the above committee. N. A. Jain Family Assistance Committee would like to add very humbly that we sincerely need your help to generate funds for this worthy, noble cause. Please make your check payable to JAINA for 'Jain Family Assistance Program' and mail it to:
Ila Mehta 6128 Wyandotte Road
Maumee, Oh 43537 Committee Members Ila Mehta Maumee, OH
419/855-2726 Hasmukh Shah Richey, FL
813/376-7290 Keerti Shah Bartlett, IL
630/837-8716 Renuka Vora Rochester, NY
716/473-9290 Savitaben Mehta Los Angeles, CA
714/898-3156 Manda Turakhia Syracuse, NY
315/622-3287 Madhuri Shah New Brunswick, NJ 908/432-8302 Jindas Shah Livonia, MI
313/462-2902 Rasik Vagadia Foxboro, MA
508/543-0097 Naresh Shah
Garden City Pk., NJ 516/741-9269 Pratima Shah Buffalo, NY
716/773-1314 Rashmikant Shah P.V. Estates, CA
310/541-8367 Bachubhai Mehta East Syosset, NY 516/935-1347 Dr. Rashila Shah Huntington Valley, NJ 215/322-6448
JAINA has completed six years of Ahimsa Day celebrations, which happens on the first Sunday of October each year. The objective of the celebration is to reemphasize the importance of nonviolence principle of Jainism to Jains and non-Jains. In many centres, this day is celebrated like Nirvana Day and Mahavir Jayanti Day.
Jain Center of Cincinnati-Dayton invited the President of a local Vegetarian Society who spoke to our members on nonviolence and vegetarianism. About 100 persons attended the program on October 5, 1997. To promote nonviolence, the Center will be offering a one hour credit course for the second time on Nonviolence and Jainism at the University of Dayton in January 1998. We request the Regional Vice-Presidents to encourage local Jain Centres to plan this day next year. Numerous Jain Centres celebrated Ahimsa Day such as St. Louis, Memphis, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh & Boston. Regional Jain Centre celebrated this day, also called Kshamapana day at Siddhachalam. For more information contact Surendra Singhvi, Committee Chairman, 937/885-7414.
JAINA Charitable Trust
Senior Citizens Services Committee
JAINA will be involved in organizing activities and support services for Jain Seniors who have been living and working in the United States and Canada for the last two or three decades. Since their children are grown up and are away pursuing their own business and professional careers, this group is now entering into a new phase of their life. An empty nest syndrome may be setting in many cases, needing emotional support from religion and the community. To plan the religious and social activities and offer support services to Jain Seniors. JAINA has formed a committee that will address this emerging need in our community,
Under the banner and umbrella of JAINA, we will encourage seniors to participate in religious activities specifically organized for them by the nearby Jain Centers as well as JAINA. This will include seminars and intellectual discussion sessions on Jainism, Pujas, trips to visit different Jain Centers, overseas pilgrimages, etc.
The social activities will include community housing, presentations about maintaining good health seminars on financial and retirement planning, lectures on obtaining benefits such as social security and pensions, legal assistance on issues such as wills and immigration, travel in groups for sight-seeing, cruises, etc. We hope to create a directory of Jain professionals engaged in health and medicine, legal, finance, recreation and other fields who will be willing to help in providing voluntary consultation and other services to this group throughout North America.
Additional details will be forthcoming in the future issues of JAIN DIGEST. For Information contact Vinay Vakani, Chairman, at 201/967-9344.
JAINA Charitable Trustees met at Siddhachalam on October 6, 1997. Dr. Mahendra Pandya chaired the meeting. The Trust approved $5000.00 grant in response to request from Tulsa Jain Sangh in order to start construction of their nonsectarian temple. Trustees also decided to send a wonderful book on Jain art Peaceful Liberators' to all the Trustees. The Trust now has 77 Trustees.
12/JAIN DIGEST WINTER 1997
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