Silicon Valley Bank Management team’s visit to Annapoorna Trust Headquarters, 4th May 2024
On 4th May 2024, the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) Management team visited the Annapoorna Trust Office headquarters. A formal event was organised for their visit. Mr. Jeff Strawn – Credit Risk Manager at Silicon Valley Bank USA, was the Chief Guest at the event.
Mr. Rupessh Goel – Managing Director: Head of Credit – India, and Mr. Himanshu Purohit – Director: Head of Credit Analysis Unit – India, and corporate team members from SVB were part of the team who visited. Sri Sathya Sai Annapoorna Trust was represented by Mr. Anand Kadali – Trustee and Executive Secretary, Mr. Ashish Bhardwaj – National Manager: CSR, Operations, and Govt. Alliances, Mr. Vivek Kumar – National Manager: Marketing and Social Media, along with the Operations team and Volunteers. The team was taken on a campus tour and shown the SaiSure Nutraceutical Facility, and Sarla Memorial Hospital. They interacted with the residents of the Ashram and the staff.
Under their CSR arm, for Empowering Women and Rural Upliftment, the SVB team donated 27 Sewing Machines to rural women during the event. Mrs. Kalpana Heblekar, a volunteer of Annapoorna Trust, will be conducting stitching tutorials for these women. She has been instrumental in skill development of nearly 65,000 women to date. She was accompanied by Mr. Hariprasad and Mr. Arun Pathi who are active volunteers of Annapoorna Trust, at the event.
At the event, Mr. Rupessh Goel expressed that the event was a humbling experience for him. “Sometimes, when we look at our corporate life and our life, we think we are making a big contribution. But this is nothing in comparison to combating malnutrition and serving 9 million children every single day. This not only helps the children but makes a difference to their family as well,” he said. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to add value to the Trust’s work by contributing 27 sewing machines. Expressing that the team is highly impressed with Annapoorna’s work, he said the team would like to continue working with the Trust in the coming days.
Mr. Jeff Strawn’s visit to India from the USA was for 2 weeks and he said this visit was the highlight of his trip so far. He shared his happiness for having met the Annapoorna team, and said he was super impressed and humbled with the experience of this visit. Mentioning that issues and problems are not limited to one part but throughout the world, he said similar kinds of work happen in the United States as well. Thanking the Annapoorna team for what is being done, he said the team is making a difference and is giving back to society in a huge way.
Mr. Anand Kadali – Trustee and Executive Secretary of Annapoorna Trust spoke at the event about how people recognize the representatives of Annapoorna through the logo on the shirts they wear. Speaking about his corporate career, he said he continues to apply his skill sets learned during his corporate days to his interactions with people from various walks of life and thereby, work towards benefitting the rural folk. He pointed out that people in corporates usually are preoccupied with their official work thereby unable to give time to society. That is where Annapoorna Trust serves as the channel through which societal welfare is taken care of through support from corporate partners like SVB. He added that most of the employees in Annapoorna are from corporate backgrounds and are now rendering their service to society. He assured the SVB Management team that Annapoorna would give their utmost dedication and hard work for the support provided.
Mrs. Nagaveni, one of the beneficiaries from Doddabele village, Kengeri in Bangalore said most of the parents in Doddabele village go to work early in the morning. Thus, the village folks consider themselves fortunate to receive services from Annapoorna Trust. Appreciating the efforts of the volunteers, she said they not only provide nutritious food every single morning but also help develop good character and gain knowledge, besides teaching prayers to the children. In effect, the children go to school with good, fresh minds and study well with interest, who otherwise would have been lazy. She also added that Mrs. Kalpana Heblekar had been teaching various skills like making paper bags, toys, etc to the womenfolk helping all to be independent and earn their livelihood, thus giving confidence and happiness to everyone. She finally expressed her thanks to everybody.
Testimonials received on LinkedIn:
– Mr. Rupessh Goel
Managing Director,
Head of Credit – India, SVB
A few of us from SVB had the privilege of visiting Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust, an incredible organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and communities. We were deeply moved by their mission and the positive impact they have on society. As a company committed to social responsibility, we were honoured to donate 27 sewing machines. These machines will empower women in the community to develop valuable skills, earn an income, and improve their families’ well-being.
Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust provides comprehensive support to children and communities, including child nutrition, education, healthcare, community development, water, and sanitation. Their holistic approach empowers individuals and transforms entire communities. The Annapoorna Morning Nutrition Program has provided 250 million meals to date. Currently, the program feeds 9 million children at school, across 106,000+ Govt Schools in 25 States and 4 Union Territories. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with such a dedicated organization and contribute to its mission. Together, we can create a better future for all.
– Mr. Himanshu Purohit
Director,
Head of Credit Analysis Unit – India Center, SVB
It was truly a humbling experience visiting Annapoorna Trust! I was so glad to be part of the team that visited their campus. Their dedication to the community, especially the children, is inspiring. Donating those sewing machines will make a real difference in empowering women, improving their lives, and strengthening communities.
We at SVB are proud to partner with such a dedicated organization and contribute to their mission of creating a better future for all. Mr. Kadali Anand Kumar & Mr. Ashish Bhardwaj, thank you for the opportunity and for inviting us to your campus. I encourage everyone to learn more about Annapoorna Trust’s incredible work for society.
