More than 550 supporters and guests filled the hall at the Share & Care annual gala November 2, 2025, held at the Jo Ann Magistro Performing Arts Center (JMPAC) in East Brunswick, NJ. The theme of the Gala was “United in Purpose: Boundless in Impact.”
Sharad Shah, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Share and Care told Desi Talk, “What was great was that many of them who came are long-time supporters. The Gala raised $600,000.”
Chairman of Fund Raising & Gala Committee Chairman of Share and Care Dr. Manoj Desai, welcomed the gathering.
Saumil Parikh, president of Share and Care, gave an account of the activities of the non-profit organization.
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Dr. Amar Shah, who was responsible for leading the event organizing effort, along with Dr. Manoj Desai, announced the honorees at the event, including Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold and Dr. Sudha Parikh; And Dr. Bharat Mody and Dr. Bharati Mody; as well as Jaydev and Purnima Patel.
“It has been a privilege and honor to join the Share and Care Foundation and work with the Share and Care Foundation since its inception for 42 years. It is a privilege to be a Grand Sponsor of this organization for the last 43 years,” said Dr. Parikh in his speech.
He emphasized that people successful in their fields must remember those who helped them get where they are today, and must help others the same way. “Philanthropy is the most important way to do this. And education is the most important philanthropy by which – when you lift a student, you lift a family and a country.” He urged donors to open their hearts and wallets to give to Share and Care. Dr. Sudhir and Sudha Parikh were presented flowers and a plaque.
Dr. Bharat Mody and Bharati Mody, both doctors by profession, were also recognized the same way. “Dr. Mody’s goal has been to always help organizations in India and US,” Desai said introducing them. As part of Share and Care, Mody has helped build 7 digital centers.
Among the Platinum Sponsors, Sharad Shah noted that Tanvi and Chintan Parikh, founders of the digital consultancy company, PRI, later named Proven, were a young couple who gave $25,000 for Share and Care projects.
Share and Care’s mission “is to create a world that gives women and youth in India the opportunity to rise out of poverty and improve their quality of life in an ever-changing world of new and improved technologies and innovation,” the organization says in its publicity materials.
The highlight of the first half of the evening featured a Kathak performance led by actress, dancer, choreographer and acclaimed guru of the classical dance form, Archana Joglekar and her troupe of some 20 dancers. Entitled “Rainbow Colors of Women” which was billed as a tribute to ‘Nari Shakti’ or Women’s Power, the performance told the story of women’s roles as mothers, sisters, daughters, partners, wives, and friends, accompanied by music genres ranging from classical to folk to Bollywood.
The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Sindhu Mittadoddi, a a specialist in geriatric medicine and internal medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Einstein, in Bronx, NY. At Share and Care, Dr. Mittadoddi is co-chair of Women’s Empowerment where she works with Dr. Ketki Shah who built the program along with Dr. Sudha Parikh. “Dr. Sudha Parikh has been the “quiet” person working with Ketki to create the Women’s Empowerment program,” Sharad Shah told Desi Talk.
During the Gala, Dr. Mittadoddi presented a video showing four examples of Share and Care’s work.
Sharad Shah in his speech compared the case of India’s star in women’s cricket, Deepti Sharma, whose brother provided all the support to train her to become a leader in the sport, to the work that Share and Care does with its beneficiaries. Sharma and her team just won the crown at the Women’s World Cup defeating South Africa.
Organizers also honored the artists who performed at the event in a special ceremony.
Jayu Parikh, trustee of Share and Care, gave the vote of thanks.