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The South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) celebrated its 14th anniversary with a reception on Oct. 11 at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center in Queens.
The first in the series leading to the gala next year, the reception was attended by elected officials, SACSS Board members, supporters and well-wishers. Packed to full capacity, the event had more than 100 people networking and getting to know the organization and each other to the accompaniment of fusion music by the band Grey Scale, a SACSS press release said.
Lauding SACSS’s work in the area of healthcare enrollment, chief guest Dr. Ram Raju, president and CEO of New York Health and Hospitals Corporation, in his address talked about the work the organization is doing in helping people get healthcare access. Chief guest Nisha Agarwal, commissioner of Mayor Bill De Blasio’s Office of Immigrant Affairs mentioned that access for the new immigrants to services was critically important.
Speaking about the new municipal ID cards program in the city, Agarwal explained how it would help immigrants in the city. She said that the new ID cards will ensure that newcomers to the city are able – regardless of immigration status – to participate in all facets of the city – to sign leases, to open bank accounts, and to live their lives in the open.
The highlight of the evening was honoree Husam Ahmad recalling his humble beginnings before achieving the American dream.
Ahmad is co-founder and chairman of HAKS, a consultant firm providing engineering, architectural, and construction management services.
Involved in two organizations promoting education and economic well-being of South Asians, Ahmad said he would now include SACSS in his list of organizations that he would support and work closely with. Presenting the award to him, Congresswoman Grace Meng commended Ahmad’s service to the community and the educational and economic opportunities he was providing the deserving and needy individuals.
A tribute was paid to late Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, a founding Board member of SACSS by President Runi Mukherji-Ratnam when she raised a toast to her energy, kindness, friendliness and generosity.
Executive Director of SACSS, Sudha Acharya, recaptured the achievements of SACSS and acknowledged the support the group has been receiving from various sources.
She also spoke of the support that SACSS has come to rely on from Council Members Peter Koo, Daniel Dromm, Rory Lanchman, Paul Vallone, and Mark Weprin, and also Borough President Melinda Katz and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic.
SACSS assists immigrant South Asians to become confident and self-reliant in their adopted country, and connects them to vital services including healthcare, offers English and computer classes for securing employment, and provide counseling services to vulnerable individuals and families.
SACSS staff and volunteers speak Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu and its services are free.
