American India Foundation to honor IBM’s Arvind Krishna at New York gala

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On Thurs., June 2, 2022, American India Foundation supporters will gather after nearly 3 years for AIF’s Annual New York Gala. As the organization concludes its 20th anniversary celebration, they will honor the philanthropic accomplishments of Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM.

Ali Velshi, host of ‘Velshi’ on MSNBC, will return as host for the AIF event.

“The great thing about AIF is that it sticks to its mission….It is fundamentally about people who are missing opportunities or missing chances being given those opportunities to succeed, to go out and realize their potential in life,” Ali is quoted saying in the press release. “I just love that focus….I think that it’s important for India, but it’s [also] important for the whole world. That there are operations out there in the world says: ‘hey, we know you can reach a greater potential then you have reached so far, but something has failed you. We are going to help fix that.’” says Ali.

While guests enjoy dinner at the American Museum of Natural History, AIF will spotlight their Digital Equalizer (DE) program, a program generously supported by IBM and other partners for many years.

The government schools engaged in the DE program show improved learning outcomes especially in STEM subjects alongside a marked increase in the utilization of technology for teachers and students, AIF said. IBM’s partnership with AIF focuses particularly on STEM education for girls to narrow the digital divide and increase the number of girls in STEM careers over time.

The DE program is a cornerstone of AIF’s mid and long-term COVID-19 relief work.

During the prolonged lockdowns related to the pandemic, AIF said it has seen widespread learning regression, increasing dropout rates, and widening of the already sizable digital divide, especially for girls.

The organization plans to work on these issues to get students back in school and work on their grade level competencies, AIF said. Proceeds from the Gala will once again further AIF’s overall mission by highlighting their vital DE program, it said.

“Our supporters help us change lives everyday and were fervently with AIF during India’s greatest time of need last year. We couldn’t be happier to greet them and thank them in-person again after such a long hiatus.” said AIF CEO Nishant Pandey.

The AIF urged people to sponsor the event, buy tickets, or make a donation, visit: https://aif.org/fl_events/annual-new-york-gala-2022/

Founded in 2001 at the initiative of President Bill Clinton following a request from then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, AIF says it has impacted the lives of 9.6 million of India’s poor in 30 states and union territories.