CRY America’s 2026 Gala Series brought together communities across five major U.S. cities, featuring award-winning actor Vikrant Massey, whose advocacy for children’s rights inspired attendees at the events.
The galas were hosted in New York, Houston, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego, attracting members of the Indian diaspora who came together in strong support of CRY America’s mission.
“Guests contributed generously toward initiatives focused on ensuring underprivileged children have access to education, healthcare, and protection from child labor and child marriage,” organizers said in a press release.
Each evening offered a cocktail hour, hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, dinner, donor appreciation segments, and a pledge session. Bollywood music and dancing added to the celebratory spirit. An online auction featuring paintings by Indian artists, designer outfits, and fine jewelry generated additional support.
ADVERTISEMENT
Guest speakers who shared their perspectives on giving back and community responsibility, emphasized that the Indian diaspora holds both the means and the opportunity to drive meaningful change by supporting organizations like CRY America.
Speakers included Sree Sreenivasan, CEO of Digimentors, co-founder of SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association and co-host of the annual Nobel Prize Peace Conference spoke in New York.
Executive Director of Children’s Inc., Sandy Santana, spoke in Houston. Corporate Vice President, HR from Microsoft Priya Priyadarshini, addressed the room in Seattle.
Venky Harinarayan, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and co-founder of the cricket team San Francisco Unicorns spoke in the Bay Area, and in San Diego, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, Consul General of India, LA spoke along with Kranti Ponnam, an accomplished business leader in Business, Technology, and Real Estate sectors.
K V Ramana, a pioneering social worker, told moving stories from the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. He detailed his work with the Yanadi tribal community, explaining that securing land rights was the essential first step in building the trust necessary to eliminate child labor, halt child marriages, and establish pioneering mini-child centers (Anganwadis).
Executive Director of CRY America Sandeep Bathala, thanked the community for continuing to empower sustainable change in children’s lives. She highlighted that every contribution helps expand access to essential services and strengthens long-term impact across underserved regions.
Organizers thanked the sponsors and supporters including House of Spices, Dallas Venture Capital and Allstate Foundation among others as well as our Gala Committees, generous donors, project partners, media houses, volunteers & staff for their ongoing commitment.
CRY, Child Rights and You America Inc (CRY America) is a 501c3 non-profit, has since its inception, received support from more than 35,000 donors and 2,000 volunteers, and estimates it has impacted the lives of 825,000 children living across 5,000 villages and slums through support to 111 Projects in India and the USA. For more information: contact Renuka Ramachandran at 617-981-2826; visit http://cryamerica.org or write to support@cryamerica.org