Dear Fellow BANA members,
I am sure you all are waiting eagerly for information on the BANA convention. This biennial event to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in the nation’s capital, from the 1st to 4th of July 2011 is one of the most awaited events in our social calendar. Our Entertainment and Youth committees have come up with a dizzying array of programs that is sure to challenge the community to perform and bring forth hidden talents. So prepare to dazzle -- we need you to participate and let us know how. Events committee is working extremely hard to put together a great package of fun and festivities with the focus on cultivating greater interactions and lasting friendships among our youth and fond memories to all of us to cherish for years to come. It is with great pleasure and pride that I invite our members from across Northern America and well wishers worldwide to BANA 2011 convention at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D. C.!
We have tried to keep the total cost of attending the convention as low as possible. Room rates at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel is only $99 plus tax per night.
As many of you know, each term BANA convention fees are subsidized by the generous donations from our dedicated BANA members nationwide who selflessly donate when asked. These donations allow us to lower the registration fee for all. We are estimating that the registration fees will be around $295. We will be mailing an information kit with the final costs in the near future.
During the fundraising campaign, many members questioned the need for discounting the registration fees. Most members that I spoke to felt that the fundraising should support worthwhile charitable causes sponsored by BANA and as a community of professionals we should each pay the actual cost of our social event. I think all members and future BANA office holders should consider asking the question of whether we need to continue with this practice.
Below is an update on some of our key initiatives that I am proud to share with you:
- Banavani online: In addition to being environmentally friendly and saving money, the publishing process has become much more efficient and simple along with greatly improved user experience. Banavani is now available online 24/7. Please visit http://www.bana.org/banavani/index.html Looking for prior editions? Please visit the archives http://www.bana.org/banavani/archives/index.html
- Charitable fundraising – After reviewing our options, we settled on Saanidhya (www.saanidhya.org) located in Mangalore) as a well run, non-profit organization that could benefit from immediate and continued support from BANA. With a targeted donation drive, we were able to collect and donate $6850 to Saanidhya. We expected a much stronger support from our members, but this is a very good start. This money will be is earmarked for the Differently Abled children at Saanidhya. Thank you for everyone who donated to support this noble cause.
- Bana online: BANA Website has undergone a transformation as it took major steps in making the BANA an online community. Now members can update their profile, search other members' directory information, upload a family photo and soon complete registration online. Our goal is to make the BANA website http://www.bana.org relevant to our community and future conventions by enabling tools that will let members socialize with each other.
The 2011 BANA Convention is only 4 months away--I urge you to first book your hotel for the convention and or take advantage of the super low room rates to extend your stay and explore the city world renowned for its amazing museums and the world famous memorials.
We are looking forward to hosting BANA 2011with your help and support and making it a memorable occasion for all! Important reminder: Please send your nominations via the nomination form to elect the next BANA President ASAP. Please send all nominations via the nomination form to BANA secretary, Shreenath Shetty.
Finally, and most importantly for this last Banavani - I would like to thank my executive team, the hard working committees, regional representatives and Washington, D.C. Host families for all their work so far and for the final months leading towards the convention. All the endeavors that we have completed and are working towards could not have happened without all each and every one of these committed volunteers.
Satish S. Shetty
BANA President, Washington, D. C.