Press Release

Upakar Foundation

May 12, 2004 For more information:

Shekar Narasimhan 703-405-7655

Dr. P.C. Kumar 301-384-2491

2004 AMBASSADOR AND SERVICE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Foundation awards 2004 Upakar Community Ambassador Award to Vanita Gupta

Washington DC, May 12, 2004 – Upakar, one of the only community-based organizations supporting Indian-American higher education and excellence, has awarded the 2004 Upakar Community Ambassador Award to Vanita Gupta, a lawyer from New York for her significant contributions to minority and disenfranchised communities. Vanita, who is Assistant Counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, was responsible for a major civil rights victory that enabled the freedom of 35 wrongfully convicted African-Americans in Tulia, Texas. In addition, Upakar is recognizing Priti Desai, a professor of child development in East Carolina University, by awarding her a special Upakar Community Service Award for her contributions to child wellness in the US and worldwide. Finally, to inspire the younger generation, Upakar is recognizing Anisha Gupta, a high school junior from Cupertino, California for her dedicated volunteer service for the homeless. These exceptional individuals will be speaking at the Upakar banquet on Sunday, June 13^th in Potomac, Maryland.

Shekar Narasimhan, Chair of Upakar Foundation stated:"The first year of the Upakar Community Ambassador Awards has exceeded our expectations. We expected to find several candidates who toil in community service but we are pleased and overwhelmed at the number who do and the magnitude of their accomplishments. This year, Upakar has chosen to recognize three of the nominees. Vanita Gupta from New York City as Upakar's 2004 Community Ambassador for being a source of inspiration to the next generation and for embarking on a career that has the potential to fundamentally change how the justice system treats racial bias. Priti Desai from Winterville, North Carolina with a special Community Service Award for embodying selfless service through all the children in rural areas that she has touched and helped heal, both in the US and around the world. Anisha Gupta of Cupertino, California deserves a Special Mention for starting young and dedicating part of her teenage years to helping those in need. We believe the three of them personify what is good about America and how we, as the Indo-American Community, are making a difference in the lives of the less-fortunate and are helping those that do not have a voice."

Vanita Gupta:

Ms. Gupta works as a lawyer in New York City serving minority and disenfranchised populations. As Assistant Counsel for NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, she spearheaded a legal campaign to release 35 African Americans wrongly convicted of drug related crimes. She has worked in the Juvenile Rights Division of Legal Aid and in the DC Public Defender’s office. Ms. Gupta has used her degrees from Yale and NYU to focus attention on neglected and disenfranchised segments of the population. She earned the Open Society Institute Soros Justice Fellowship and is Recipient of the 2004 Reebok Human Rights Award. Tulia residents thanked her with a plaque for "doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly in Tulia, Texas."

The Ambassador panel in its final selection stated: "There is already a new case in LA so the impact of Tulia will spread to many communities of color. Vanita will serve as an inspiration to young Indo-Americans- it’s not only okay to be a social entrepreneur, you can be recognized for it and your community supports you!"

Priti Desai:

Ms. Desai is a professor at East Carolina University in North Carolina. Her expertise is in child development and public health. She has raised money extensively for Camp Braveheart, and Camp Second Chance which both serve children with serious illnesses. She works with these children and those that have received organ transplants and their families tending to their psycho-social needs through organizations like Sibley Heart Center and Kids-at-Heart. She serves on the board of The Learning Playhouse, and the Child Life Council. She has traveled with Operation Smile to Nicaragua, Columbia, and Kenya. Her ambition is now to create a child wellness center in Ahmedabad. Priti epitomizes many first-generation Indian Americans who are doing well by doing good.

Anisha Gupta:

Anisha is a high School junior from Cupertino, California. She has worked since the age of 14 as a volunteer tutor at the Sobrato Family Living Center. She encouraged donations at her Bharatanatyam arangetram for the Emergency Housing Consortium, which oversees the Sobrato homeless shelter where she volunteers. Dedicated and supported by her family in this community service, Anisha is a role model for other teenagers.

ABOUT UPAKAR:

Upakar Foundation was created in 1997 to assist Indian Americans who require additional financial assistance to pursue educational, artistic or athletic goals at a post-secondary institution. It is further dedicated to the promotion and recognition of excellence through the support of the Indian community.

The Indian community in the US is one of the fastest growing immigrant communities, with many of its members being affluent professional and business owners. However, there is a segment of the population that needs assistance to afford a college education. In the past five years, over 345 applications have been received from across the country and 60 scholarships have been awarded in 17 states for students to attend a variety of private and public colleges and universities.

Often ignored and left unrecognized are the enormous contributions being made in community service and in improving the lot of minority and disadvantaged groups in the US. Upakar’s Community Ambassador Award seeks to recognize and highlight those individuals so that they may inspire others.

Please visit www.upakar.org to learn more about this worthy cause.

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