American Telugu Association, ATA, one of the oldest Telugu organizations serving the interests of Telugu people across North America, celebrated Women’s day weekend with much enthusiasm & gusto.
International Women's Day Celebrations were held on a grander scale with events across Washington DC, New Jersey, Delaware, Detroit, Nashville, Austin, Dallas, and Raleigh areas.
ATA is proud to be the first national Telugu organization to celebrate International Women's day, nine years ago, and one year shy of a decade. Through the celebration of International Women's day, ATA has provided a platform for women to be recognized on a national platform.
It has served as a platform for professionals, business owners as well as new immigrant women to connect with the community.
Besides celebrating IWD in over 15 cities across the nation, ATA has given preferential treatment to women in its organizational positions. ATA is the first national Telugu organization to have a woman President.
ATA is proud to say that in the course of the next two weeks; the International Women’s Day event will be organized in another ten cities and in total more than 20 cities with the participation of thousands of women all over the USA.
Women's day theme concept of #BetterforBalance , the topics of discussion focused primarily on addressing the immediate needs and challenges of modern day Indian women and how to strike a balance between eastern and western cultures. Scores of saree clad Indian women enjoyed the festivities across various cities. Fashion shows and thought-provoking discussions enthralled the audiences.
In Delaware, ATA President Parmesh Bheemreddy along with, Chief guest of the evening, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware Bethany Hall-Long, inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. ATA executive team recognized the sponsors, appreciated the local organizations & volunteers for their continuous support. Various programs including song and dance sequences, competitions, quizzes, and fashion show were organized.
Greater Nashville area: Prominent Teachers of Regional Indian languages were felicitated. Free for Life’ international organization shared about worldwide Human Trafficking and funds were raised via silent auction for helping Women victims. Four hundred women attended the event had a great time visiting shopping mela, dance to the tunes of DJ beats.
In Washington DC, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton was the chief guest for the event & Loudoun County Chair Randall graced the event which was attended by over 1000 people. The event included Panel discussions with elite panelists from legal, medical, social, civic engagement and business areas to ignite a sense of awareness amongst women regarding Work-Life Balance, legal women’s rights, financial knowledge, and Health & Family. ASHA for Women organization explained the audience on how women are going through domestic violence, could get help. On this occasion, ATA leadership honored Kavita Challa, Indira Kumar and Avanthika Nakshtram who have significantly contributed to the community.
In New Jersey, International Women's Day celebrations were held at Royal Albert Palace in Fords, New Jersey. The Program started with lighting of the lamp by ATA leadership. The event focused on seminars on homeopathy, yoga & business entrepreneurship. Around 400 women from all walks of life attended the event actively participating in the fun-filled programs. ATA leadership felicitated attorney Prashanthi Reddy for her contribution to the community especially in matters related to the immigration issues. ATA President Parmesh Bheemreddy addressed the gathering and spoke eloquently about the organization, its values, and services to the community.
In Dallas, the women’s day event kick-started with crowd offering their prayers to the fallen and wounded Indian soldiers of Pulwama attack. Panel discussions were held on the causes of depression, addiction in kids and precautionary measures to be taken to avoid such situations. Participation of kids in Volunteer activities and the impact on their overall development was also discussed. Health-related topics like immunity disorders, causes, prevention, handling were discussed. Session on financial planning & awareness was also conducted.
In Raleigh: A panel of speakers from various fields of expertise provided valuable information from preventive health to financial protection for women. Guest speakers educated women about mammography, breast cancer menace with statistics. Discussions on nutrition, preventive care, and financial security were held. Organizers dedicated time to honor pioneering women and to discuss several serious issues women face daily.
Following the example set by other cities, Austin Team celebrated women’s day for the first time and felicitated women in Community services.
Speaking on occasion, ATA President Parmesh Bheemreddy said, International Women’s day should be the day for celebrating the success of women, support and encourage women in their endeavors. He congratulated women for their outstanding contributions to society and quoted that ATA has always been a front runner in protecting women’s rights and believes in Women Empowerment.
Mr. Bheemreddy further added that ATA is proud to have 25 women in its Organizational Positions, in various capacities. He emphasized that ATA is the first national Telugu community organization to have a woman president, 20 years ago, soon after ATA was formed.
ATA President has called upon the women for more participation in leadership and community-related activities.