It is a pleasure to serve as your FOMAPI Chairperson for the upcoming year.

As many of you know, FOMAPI has a long history of assisting those in need.  Since its founding in 1986, many dedicated individuals have worked to sustain and grow FOMAPI and as a result, countless charitable organizations – both here in Michigan and in India – have benefitted from your hard work and generosity. 

Our MAPI health clinics have provided countless hours of free medical care to the uninsured.  With your help, we can expand our services and reach even larger numbers of the uninsured, both in the Detroit metropolitan area and in the surrounding counties.  Our hospital, government and corporate partners have a stake in this goal as we all benefit from keeping patients out of acute care.   By engaging these partners more directly in our efforts, I know that we can assist even more members of the community.  Whether here in Michigan or across the country, I want to appeal to our hospital partners, corporations, and other organizations and individuals to participate in whatever way possible to make this a year of success for all of us.  With your continued support, we can continue and even expand MAPI’s grassroots efforts to provide free health care to those most in need.

Another way we can promote health and wellness is through the implementation of an educational campaign.  By using the web and community outreach efforts, we can raise awareness of heart attacks, stroke and cancer.  The potential exists to make a real difference in the lives of those in the community and I know you join me in supporting this important mission.

And finally, our rich culture, particularly our Indian music, provides us with unique opportunities to reach out to the greater community and involve them with our FOMAPI fundraising efforts.  It has been our tradition to bring dynamic Indian music to entertain our own community.   This year, however, it is my dream to work with the local hospitals and all ethnic and professional organizations to bring the unique experience of the rich music of India to an even larger audience.  Music is a language onto itself and one that we can use to transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries as we join together to raise funds for our health care initiatives. 

This year, with the help of our board members, we will be exploring ways to connect with area music teachers and their students to raise awareness of Indian music and culture.  The possibilities for cultural exchanges are endless and may include bringing Indian music performances to the classroom or inviting teachers and students to our musical events.  If you have contacts at area schools or if you are motivated to help with this, please let me know so that we can begin discussions on how to broaden FOMAPI’s impact on the surrounding community.

While this may seem like an ambitious agenda, I know that we are a community whose generosity knows no limits.  We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and this year, we are poised to surpass any of our prior successes.  Be assured that we are committed to keeping our overhead costs low – to less than 30% – thereby maximizing the impact that our dollars will have on those most in need.  This can be the year that we take the first step toward creating an endowment fund that will insure that we are able to continue our good work for many years to come.

Regardless of our ethnic group affiliation or from where in India we trace our heritage, we are united by our love for India and the pride we share in our common heritage and ancestry.  I challenge us all – physicians and non-physicians alike – to unite in our affinity for India and the common culture and values that bind us.   Together, much is possible.

I look forward to working with each of you in the year ahead. 

Dinesh Shah, MD
2010 FOMAPI Chairperson