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JAINA DIRECTORS MEETING
Saturday Oct 2, 2004 Niagara Falls, Canada
Minutes of JAINA Directors Meeting held on Saturday Oct 2, 2004 at Niagara Falls, Canada.
Executive Committee members present were as follows: Mr. Anop Vora, Mr. Kirit Daftary, Mr. Sushil Jain, Mr. Jit Turakhia, Mrs. Lata Champsee, Mr. Udai Jain, Mr. Sumati Shah, Mr. Pravin Shah, Mr. Keerti Shah and Mr. Bipin Parikh
Directors, Center Presidents, Committee chairs and Cochairs, and guests were as follows: Mr. Dhiraj Shah, Mr. Kamlesh Shah, Mr. Yogesh Kamdar, Mr. Rohit Doshi, Mr. Dilip V. Shah, Mr. Pravin C. Shah, Mrs. Pramoda Chitrabhanu, Mrs. Mamta Shaha, Mr. Tansukh Salgia, Mr. Kamlesh Amin, Gurudev Chitrabhanu, Mr. Kamal Jain, Mrs. Kamlesh Sharma, Mr. Sharma, and Mrs. Kumud Jain
Mrs. Lata Champsee made administrative and logistic announcements regarding events and activities for next two
HEADQUARTERS
days.
President: Anop Vora, JAINA President, called the meeting to order at 9:20AM with the opening prayer led by all. After a brief introduction by each member present, Anop Vora thanked every one for coming and making this meeting a success. He offered many positive accolades in favor of each volunteer. He commented that nearly all committees had filed annual progress reports. It is evident that there are hundreds of volunteers doing excellent work quietly and without fan fare under JAINA umbrella. He further reported that the plan for 2005 JAINA convention is moving full speed ahead due to the efforts of Kirit Daftari, Girish Shah and Bipin Shah. Kirit Daftary met with Achaarya Mahapragyaji and discussed and requested bilateral support and assistance in maintaining unity among Jains. Acharyaji praised the work of JAINA and pledged his support. Thanks to Pravin C. Shah, the Government of India has approved VRG stamp proposal. The Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona was a grand success. Credit goes to Naresh Jain and Pokharna Sisters and many others. (See written report for details).
Secretary: Sushil Jain presented the minutes of Board of Directors meeting held on 4 Oct at Siddhachalam & Board of Directors meeting in March 2004 in Atlanta.
Treasurer's report: Jit Turakhia reported on accounts balance as of 30 Sept 04. We have the following: Gen funds - $85K, Patron Program - $62K, 2005Сony fund -$44K Charitable trust - $135K, Jain Digest fund - $100K.
Convention 2005 presentation: Kirit Daftary reported
that. The convention theme is "Extending Jain Heritage in Western World". It will be held from July 1-4, 2005. The convention board is made up of seven members of which four are national and three are local. There are 10 major committees formed with milestones and guidelines being developed and recorded for future use. He presented details of each committee.. The entertainment will be by a well-known performer. There are varieties of day or over night tours planned for sights around California. We are expecting 5000 individuals to register.
Jiv Daya committee: Mrs. Pramoda Chitrabhanu reported the collection of $16K in support of Jiv Daya (Animal Shelter). She pointed out that there are many centers supporting Animal Shelters in India directly rather than going thru JAINA. Mr. Dhiraj Shah pointed out the potential of duplication and uneven distribution of funds. It was suggested that if Mrs. Chitrabhanu can provide a list and publish it in JAIN Digest, perhaps duplication could be avoided. Mr. Salgia commented that perhaps some money should be spent locally to support animal shelters in US.
Membership committee: Mr. Kamlesh Shah reported that he faces many challenges regarding the retention of existing members especially from small centers. They want to know what benefit they are receiving by joining JAINA! They are also challenged by not having funds to pay their dues. Similar problems are experienced when dealing with affiliate members. In addition, he is having difficulty in sending invoices to some members due to lack of valid mailing addresses. He recommended that we bill every two years rather than annually.
Teerthodar Committee: Mr. Kirit Daftari submitted a written report. In addition, he requested all centers should send their money via JAINA. He has also received a request from Bhuj for 21 lakhs to build an upasra. Mamta Shaha offered to help in this committee, especially in Maharastra.
Education committee: Pravin Shah provided a detailed written report. He reported that they have spent over $48K in printing books and collected $37K. Over 30 centers in USA and around the globe are using these books in their Pathshala. The level four books will go to the publisher by December 2004. At the same time, Middle level books will be ready soon. The committee will need - $40K for publication for these books. Furthermore, he stated that most of the books are on the JAINA web site in PDF format. There is no copyright restriction on any of the material prepared by JAINA.
For list of JAINA Directors log on: www.jaina,orgivate & Personal Use Only
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WINTER 2005.org
