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| "All of us do not have equal talents, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents" John F. Kennedy |
Our board: Vaidehi Ganesan Herbert - President Linda Skibinsksi - Secretary and Board Member Linda Sanders - Board Member Bill Chase - Board Member Susan Dierker - Board Member Trudy Comba - Board Member Jim Bray - Board Member Cyndee Fehring - Board Member Richard Czebatol - Board Member |
| The Kolam Charitable Foundation, Inc. is involved in doing charitable work to benefit the needy and poor women, men and children in southern India - by helping them achieve economic independence. Our goal is to expand this charitable work to other third world nations. Also, United States dollars are able to accomplish a lot in those poor countries. We named our organization Kolam Charitable Foundation because Kolam art, which is done with dots, curves and lines, symbolizes charity to the meek and poor. Traditionally, rice flour is used to do kolam, because kolam was an artistic way to feed the ants and insects. Today, some homes use limestone powder to make kolams since it's easier to create clean lines with it. The meaning of the word Kolam is beauty in the Tamil language, and we think charity is very beautiful. This is an ancient art of the Tamils and continues to this day, and is created at the threshold of each house. It is referred to in old Tamil literature from 200 A.D. |
Please join us in this effort. We give 100% of the donations to the deserving poor. All the administrative and operating costs are borne by the board members. 27 out of 28 children who took up the 10th grade public exam in Imayam School in India, got A grades. One student got B grade average. This is the first group that took up the public exams and their papers went to a central location - much like SAT. These children come from huts with no running water or electricity, and this is a great achievement. Saraswathi and Ponrathi, the founders of Imayam High School teaches the children duty, responsibility, commitment in addition to classroom education. |
| Do you know? In rural India, it costs only: 100 dollars a year to put a kid through high school - for tuition, books, 2 sets of uniform, lunch and a pair of sandals. 100 dollars to buy a sewing machine for a poor woman. 15 dollars to buy prescription eyeglasses. Only 500 dollars to give a woman a milk cow with which she can totally support her family. |
Anna Myers and Vi Herbert spent a few days at Imayam High School in 2006 and were very impressed with the good work that Miss. Saraswathi and Miss. Ponrathi do. Roselle Bailey's halau visited the school in Januray 2007 and spent 3 days with the children. The group went to Tamil Nadu on a cultural exchange tour. They also met with our volunteers there. Carol Conley from Kauai volunteered in May 2007, and Leslie Blankenship and Jim Bray volunteered for almost a month in July 2007. If anybody is interested in travelling to Tamil Nadu in southern India, please contact Vi and she can assist you with the trip, and will help you find host families with whom you can stay for a few days. You will enjoy their hospitality and warmth, and get to know their culture. These families do this for the opportunity to learn the American culture, and to be able to share their culture. |
| We have an inexpensive volunteer program in Tamil Nadu India: Do you want to volunteer in a rural free school in an inexpensive volunteer program? Also, do you want to learn hatha yoga, kolam making, bharatha natyam, Tamil folk dances, karnatic music, tabla, Tamil herbal medicines, Tamil vegetarian cooking and much more? Do you want to stay in a beautiful cottage in a village setting and teach conversational English, and learn Tamil, Hindi or Sanskrit? Do you want to have Ayurvedic treatment and Ayurvedic massages? Do you want to see the old Hindu temples (8th - 10th century A.D.), tiger and elephant sanctuary, and more, and combine this with a volunteer program? Check the Volunteer Progam page, and please contact us. |
| Kolam Charitable Foundation, Inc. 6213-A Kahiliholo Road Kilauea, HI. 96754 |
| A Kauai based IRS approved 501 (C) (3) charitable organization A uniquely 100 % charity agency. No overhead, no admin. costs Helps women and children achieve economic independence Provides a very satisfying Tamil Nadu Village Volunteer program in an Ashram like setting and a travel vacation |
| Please use the DONATE button above to make donations. You can use your credit card and Paypal will do the processing. |