Over 50 South Asian professionals packed a lounge in downtown Vancouver on July 3 for the Association of South Asian Professionals of BC’s (ASAP) first networking event.
South Asian professionals from in and around the downtown core made their way to the event to find out how they can help ASAP fulfill its vision. ASAP members explained the vision to the potential members and described the goals of the organization for the future.
A slideshow showcased ASAP’s community work to date and displayed what it hopes to achieve.
“It was an amazing evening to see South Asian professionals from diverse disciplines come together and discuss our common experiences, successes and challenges. It was also very gratifying to see fellow South Asian professionals embrace the vision, goals and voice of ASAP and the need for South Asian professionals to engage in socially responsible activities in the mainstream community,” said Jindy Bhalla, President of ASAP.
ASAP members acted as facilitators to ensure that everyone networked with one another and learned about what other South Asian professionals hope to achieve in the mainstream community.
“I was pleasantly surprised. When I first went I was thinking it might be typical networking event, but to my delight it was very motivating, inclusive and exciting. It was great to see young and experienced professionals come together for a common cause, “ said Anjana Moitra, Human Resources Consultant, The Fifth Option.
ASAP is a recently formed non-profit organization of South Asian professionals from various disciplines including law, engineering, education, sales, marketing, finance, medicine, accounting, media, technology and business. The vision of ASAP is to exhibit social responsibility through positive action in the general community, foster leadership by acting as role models and mentors, and advocate for social issues in British Columbia. In addition, ASAP provides a forum for South Asian professionals in various disciplines to interact, network and learn from each other.
ASAP has become involved in numerous events during its short existence. This past December, ASAP members donated brand new warm blankets to over 300 homeless people during the winter cold spell.
At the end of March, ASAP held a ‘Hotdog Day for the Homeless’ at Oppenheimer Park in East Vancouver where 1,000 homeless were fed.
During the Surrey and Vancouver Nagar Kirtan parades, ASAP members manned booths all day long encouraging people to register for stem cell / marrow donation with OneMatch.
Team ASAP participated in the Sun Run and the World Partnership Walk. Most recently, ASAP continued its awareness campaign with OneMatch at the Deepak Binning Foundation 9th Annual Walkathon and on Radio Red FM.
ASAP is planning more networking events in the near future. If you would like more information on ASAP, or would like to attend one of ASAP meetings which are on the first Tuesday of each month, contact Jindy Bhalla at jbhalla@ekb.com.
(Contributed)
|
