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Campaign for JAINA Jaina Needs You
Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) is nearly 28 years old. It is the premier umbrella organization of all Jains representing more than 100,000 Jains without any sectarianism and regionalism. It unites Jains of all traditions and facilitates the practice of Jainism and its rich philosophy and culture. In addition, thru the activities of many of its sub-committees, JAINA actively promotes not only the study of Jainism within the Jain community; but also in the world outside the Jain community. JAINA is in a financial crisis now. It is at a cross road where it needs the finacial CPR at this very moment. JAINA general fund is near historically lowest ever. For all these years, JAINA has published and mailed to all Jain families a quarterly magazine "Jain Digest" free of charge. Similarly, for the last 8 years, all of us have been enjoying the beautiful JAINA Calendar free of charge. Recently, in reorganization for our world wide humanitarian activities, we were awarded NGO status with the Social and Economic council of the United Nations. Various committees of JAINA have been providing valuable service to many segments of our community. Imagine North American Jain community without: • The uniform Pathshala curriculum and wonderful
series of books to go with it • Pilgrimage committee that has organized numerous
yatras to Shri Shikharji or Palitana JNF, Jain Milan and Matrimonial ads in JAIN DIGEST World wide humanitarian activities during natural or man made crisis Campus Outreach program providing valuable links to Jain students with the community and the local jain centers Biennial JAINA and YJA conventions VRG scholarship programs for higher studies in Jainism in India MANGALAM - weekly TV program on Sahara1 channel Participation in national and international Interfaith
events Within the entire Jain world, JAINA commands respect and recognition. In fact JAINA is the envy of many
Jain organizations outside the North America. I all of you have been touched directly or indirectly in some way by the volunteer activities of JAINA. For all of these services and for the operation of our new head quarter at Jain Center of America in New York with a part time Executive Director, JAINA has extremely limited assured source of income - yearly membership dues from all the member societies totaling just under $10,000 per year. Without the wider community support, JAINA can not continue to function. It may no longer be able to publish and mail JAIN DIGEST without funds. Myriads of other activities will come to screeching halt. We Jains are highly educated, dynamic, visionary and affluent community. JAINA is your organization. You are JAINA and JAINA is you. Now, it needs financial CPR and you can provide that. We cannot and should not let it disappear from North America. It will be a shame. There is much at stake here. I, as the past Secretary (1985-89) and past President of JAINA (1989-1993), am making the following appeal to the entire Jain community. 1. I request each Jain family to write a chek of at
least $50 to JAINA. Your contribution is fully tax deductible. After the tax, the net cost to you will be less than the cost of a family dinner in a restaurant in North America. There are more than 40,000 Jain families in North America. If we all do this, JAINA will be on a sound financial footing. Wow. JAINA will not only receive a CPR and survive but will not be prone to another heart attack. I am mailing my check to JAINA right now. You please do the same. We all celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, sweet sixteen birthdays for our kids and 50th, 75th and other milestones in our lives. Normally, most of us do this with great pomp and show with big dinners and so on. I know several people whose children celebrated their parents' 75th birthday. In the invitation card, they clearly mentioned "No boxed gift please. Please make your gift check in the name of their favorite charity/project and the host family will match (double) the cash donations 100% (dollar for dollar)". What a great idea? The guests got a tax deduction and the entire amount doubled and a charitable cause was benefitted tremendously. More over, the host family got more appreciation and name recognition which they would not have gotten otherwise with a traditional
Jain Digest Winter 2009 Jain Education International
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