Applauded: Pam Kwatra receives the prestigious ‘The Ellis Island Medal of Honour Award’, America’s singular honour for immigrants.
Kripari Marketing founder-president Pam Kwatra received America’s singular honour for immigrants, “The Ellis Island Medal of Honour Award”, earlier this month.
Awarded to men and women who have made significant contributions to enriching the lives of Americans, the honour was accorded to Pam by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organisations in Ellis Island, New York.
The medals symbolise the spirit of America and recognise those outstanding citizens of diverse origins in recognition of their humanitarian work and for building bridges between communities.
One of the seven Indians and the only Indian woman recipient of the award, Pam is a member of the boards of several organisations such as India Vision Foundation, Just A Minute Of Peace Organisation and the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce. She has personally supported many Indian women in the US who were victims of domestic violence for years and provided them assistance and counselling during the crucial rehabilitation period. Her Kripari Marketing has represented and organised several high-profile entertainment events featuring stars like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar at the Carnegie Hall and book releases of Raj Kapoor and Kathleen Kennedy.
Past recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honour include six US Presidents including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Nobel laureates, athletes, political leaders, Fortune-500 Chief Executive Officers, artistes and musicians.
Staff Reporter
TECHWHACK
Pam Kwatra – one of the seven Indians and the only Indian woman recipient of this Award
Chennai 16th May 2008: Pam Kwatra – a respected community leader and Founder/President of Kripari Marketing received America’s singular honor for immigrants on Sunday May 10th. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award is given to men and women who have significant contributions to enriching the lives of all in America. This was presented by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), at glittering award ceremony held at the great hall in Ellis Island, New York.
The Award – Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award recognizes outstanding citizens of diverse origins in recognition of their humanitarian work and for building the bridge between the two communities – the community of their homeland and the community of their new home-USA. The Ellis Island sits near the Statue of Liberty and represents the first entry point for all immigrants to the USA in early part of the 18th and 19th century.
Pam Kwatra, one of the seven Indians and only Indian woman recipient of this Award received this Honor for all the selfless work she has performed for many years in her personal and professional capacity. She has personally supported many Indian women in the USA who were victims of domestic violence for years and provided them assistance and counseling during their crucial rehabilitation period.
Pam Kwatra Founder & President of Kripari Marketing said, �This award comes at a time when I had completed 30 years of dedicated community service. America has been very good to my family and me. I owe this award to the Indian-American community who have welcomed and nurtured all my ideas. India is a global superpower today – a real superstar. To see the confidence of Indians all over the world and the growing respect they command in every walk of life makes me feel incredibly proud. My activities have grown alongside the community that has earned every inch of its success and respect in the USA. To be an Indian today is a proud statement of civilisations that has come of age. I am proud of being an Indian and an American.
Today, race and origin play and increasing role in defining who we are. This moment of receiving the ELLIS ISLAND MEDAL OF HONOUR is symbolic of an immigrant woman’s achievement in a land that recognizes hard work and opportunity.�
The other six Indians who received the award are Sampat S. Shivangi, obstetrician-gynecologist; Dhiraj H. Shah, retired radiologist; Bhupendra Patel, ophthalmic plastic and facial cosmetic surgeon; Mukesh Patel, entrepreneur; Nadadur Vardhan, entrepreneurs and Samir Chaudhuri, director of the Child in Need Institute.
Past recipients of this Ellis Island Medal of Honor include six Presidents of the United States including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Nobel Prize Winners, Famous Athletes, Political Leaders, FORTUNE 500 CEOs, in addition to artistes and musicians whose work has made a lasting impact on humanity at large. Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Phil have also been the proud recipients of the same. Ellis Island is a living tribute to the courage and hope of all immigrants, who have built America.
About Pam Kwatra
Ms. Kwatra sits on the Boards of Several Organizations like India Vision Foundation, Just a Minute of Peace Organization (affiliated with the United Nations), Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce. She is on the Board and Chairs South Asian Business Alliance Network in the East Coast.
Pam Kwatra, a native on New Delhi, was nominated for this honor by Kathleen Kennedy, the eldest daughter of Senator Robert Kennedy. Kathleen Kennedy was the Lt Governor of the State of Maryland for 12 years
For further details please contact:
Email:[email protected]
Phone 001-201-788-1105.
Kwatra runs Kripari Marketing and PR, a small media and marketing agency in New Jersey. Associated with many community organisations, she has initiated or participated in numerous social and community service projects, some not confined to the South Asian community.
She told IANS: “When you are bestowed the highest honour like the Ellis Island medal, the bar is raised. So I expect more from myself, need more time to volunteer at different projects.”
Past recipients of the Ellis Island medal, which is recognised by the US Congress, include six former US presidents, Nobel laureates and leaders in industry, education, arts, and sports.
Ellis Island, situated in New York Harbour, was once the main entry point for immigrants to the US.
New York, May 8 (IANS)
Six Indian Americans, including three doctors and three entrepreneurs, have been chosen for the Ellis Island Medal of Honour for 2008, given to US citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups, their countries of origin and to the US.
Conferred by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organisations (NECO), the annual awards this year will honour over 100 people at a ceremony May 10 at Ellis Island here.
One Indian national, Samir Chaudhuri, is also among the two to get the medal in a special category for contribution internationally. Chaudhuri is the director of the Child in Need Institute, founded in 1974 to achieve sustainable development among poor communities in Kolkata.
The six Indian Americans to receive the medal are Sampat S. Shivangi, obstetrician-gynaecologist; Dhiraj H. Shah, retired radiologist; Bhupendra Patel, ophthalmic plastic and facial cosmetic surgeon; and entrepreneurs Mukesh Patel, Nadadur Vardhan and Pamela Kwatra.
Shivangi is being commended for his contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations and philanthropic work in India and the US. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he was appointed adviser to the US secretary of health and human services by the Bush administration.
Active in the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Shivangi was instrumental in obtaining the first ever large US congressional grant for the study of diabetes among the ethnic Indian community, which suffers a high incidence of the disease.
Shah is being recognised for humanitarian service. A past president of Jaina (Federation of Jain Organisations in North America), he has been chairman of Jaina’s World Community Service programme since 1990. The group provided relief to victims of the Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
A resident of upstate New York, Shah told IANS: ‘My life’s motto is what Lord Mahavir said: One who serves the needy, sick and poor really serves me.’
Bhupendra Patel is associated with the University of Utah School of Medicine. His expertise is in the management of disorders involving eyelids, periorbital tissues, lacrimal system and facial bones including fractures.
Mukesh ‘Mike’ Patel is president of Diplomat Hotel Company in Atlanta that operates many hotels and related businesses in travel, insurance and real estate. He was instrumental in founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 1989 and has served as its chairman in 1998-99. In 2000, he was appointed by the Clinton administration to serve as a commissioner on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Vardhan is president of Nadadur Vardhan Inc, an entertainment consulting firm in Los Angeles. A financial consultant, he has been building bridges between the film industries in the US and India.
Kwatra runs Kripari Marketing and PR, a small media and marketing agency in New Jersey. Associated with many community organisations, she has initiated or participated in numerous social and community service projects, some not confined to the South Asian community.
She told IANS: ‘When you are bestowed the highest honour like the Ellis Island medal, the bar is raised. So I expect more from myself, need more time to volunteer at different projects.’
Past recipients of the Ellis Island medal, which is recognised by the US Congress, include six former US presidents, Nobel laureates and leaders in industry, education, arts, and sports.
Ellis Island, situated in New York Harbour, was once the main entry point for immigrants to the US.
US News Pam Kwatra among 7 Indians honored with Ellis Award
Tuesday, 05.20.2008, 12:25am (GMT-7) Signposts
By Parveen Chopra. New York, United States, 11:31 AM IST
Six Indian Americans, including three doctors and three entrepreneurs, have been chosen for the Ellis Island Medal of Honour for 2008, given to US citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups, their countries of origin and to the US.
Conferred by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organisations (NECO), the annual awards this year will honour over 100 people at a ceremony May 10 at Ellis Island here.
One Indian national, Samir Chaudhuri, is also among the two to get the medal in a special category for contribution internationally. Chaudhuri is the director of the Child in Need Institute, founded in 1974 to achieve sustainable development among poor communities in Kolkata.
The six Indian Americans to receive the medal are Sampat S. Shivangi, obstetrician-gynaecologist; Dhiraj H. Shah, retired radiologist; Bhupendra Patel, ophthalmic plastic and facial cosmetic surgeon; and entrepreneurs Mukesh Patel, Nadadur Vardhan and Pamela Kwatra.
Shivangi is being commended for his contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations and philanthropic work in India and the US. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he was appointed adviser to the US secretary of health and human services by the Bush administration.
Active in the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Shivangi was instrumental in obtaining the first ever large US congressional grant for the study of diabetes among the ethnic Indian community, which suffers a high incidence of the disease.
Shah is being recognised for humanitarian service. A past president of Jaina (Federation of Jain Organisations in North America), he has been chairman of Jaina’s World Community Service programme since 1990. The group provided relief to victims of the Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
A resident of upstate New York, Shah told IANS: ‘My life’s motto is what Lord Mahavir said: One who serves the needy, sick and poor really serves me.’
Bhupendra Patel is associated with the University of Utah School of Medicine. His expertise is in the management of disorders involving eyelids, periorbital tissues, lacrimal system and facial bones including fractures.
Mukesh ‘Mike’ Patel is president of Diplomat Hotel Company in Atlanta that operates many hotels and related businesses in travel, insurance and real estate. He was instrumental in founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 1989 and has served as its chairman in 1998-99. In 2000, he was appointed by the Clinton administration to serve as a commissioner on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Vardhan is president of Nadadur Vardhan Inc, an entertainment consulting firm in Los Angeles. A financial consultant, he has been building bridges between the film industries in the US and India.
Kwatra runs Kripari Marketing and PR, a small media and marketing agency in New Jersey. Associated with many community organisations, she has initiated or participated in numerous social and community service projects, some not confined to the South Asian community.
She told IANS: ‘When you are bestowed the highest honour like the Ellis Island medal, the bar is raised. So I expect more from myself, need more time to volunteer at different projects.’
Past recipients of the Ellis Island medal, which is recognised by the US Congress, include six former US presidents, Nobel laureates and leaders in industry, education, arts, and sports.
Ellis Island, situated in New York Harbour, was once the main entry point for immigrants to the US.
Thu, May 8 10:09 AM
New York, May 8 (IANS) Six Indian Americans, including three doctors and three entrepreneurs, have been chosen for the Ellis Island Medal of Honour for 2008, given to US citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups, their countries of origin and to the US.
Conferred by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organisations (NECO), the annual awards this year will honour over 100 people at a ceremony May 10 at Ellis Island here.
One Indian national, Samir Chaudhuri, is also among the two to get the medal in a special category for contribution internationally. Chaudhuri is the director of the Child in Need Institute, founded in 1974 to achieve sustainable development among poor communities in Kolkata.
The six Indian Americans to receive the medal are Sampat S. Shivangi, obstetrician-gynaecologist; Dhiraj H. Shah, retired radiologist; Bhupendra Patel, ophthalmic plastic and facial cosmetic surgeon; and entrepreneurs Mukesh Patel, Nadadur Vardhan and Pamela Kwatra.
Shivangi is being commended for his contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations and philanthropic work in India and the US. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he was appointed adviser to the US secretary of health and human services by the Bush administration.
Active in the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Shivangi was instrumental in obtaining the first ever large US congressional grant for the study of diabetes among the ethnic Indian community, which suffers a high incidence of the disease.
Shah is being recognised for humanitarian service. A past president of Jaina (Federation of Jain Organisations in North America), he has been chairman of Jaina’s World Community Service programme since 1990. The group provided relief to victims of the Gujarat earthquake, the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
A resident of upstate New York, Shah told IANS: ‘My life’s motto is what Lord Mahavir said: One who serves the needy, sick and poor really serves me.’
Bhupendra Patel is associated with the University of Utah School of Medicine. His expertise is in the management of disorders involving eyelids, periorbital tissues, lacrimal system and facial bones including fractures.
Mukesh ‘Mike’ Patel is president of Diplomat Hotel Company in Atlanta that operates many hotels and related businesses in travel, insurance and real estate. He was instrumental in founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 1989 and has served as its chairman in 1998-99. In 2000, he was appointed by the Clinton administration to serve as a commissioner on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Vardhan is president of Nadadur Vardhan Inc, an entertainment consulting firm in Los Angeles. A financial consultant, he has been building bridges between the film industries in the US and India.
Kwatra runs Kripari Marketing and PR, a small media and marketing agency in New Jersey. Associated with many community organisations, she has initiated or participated in numerous social and community service projects, some not confined to the South Asian community.
She told IANS: ‘When you are bestowed the highest honour like the Ellis Island medal, the bar is raised. So I expect more from myself, need more time to volunteer at different projects.’
Past recipients of the Ellis Island medal, which is recognised by the US Congress, include six former US presidents, Nobel laureates and leaders in industry, education, arts, and sports.
Ellis Island, situated in New York Harbour, was once the main entry point for immigrants to the US.