Musings for 2021 – A lookback at 2020 and what is in store for 2021
Happy New Year LOTUS O’hana. I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and productive 2021. Even as I share thoughts on 2021, I would like to share some of the highlights for our organization for this past year. I know that as individuals we all have unique and probably unforgettable memories of 2020, the LOTUS leadership feels that organizational highlights for 2020 are worth revisiting both for restatement and to be a foundational guidance for us in 2021.
| Jan/Feb: Inaugurated a website and also a presence on Social Media. Although we have not reached the full potential of the web-presence, these beginnings have allowed us to broaden the reach of our wings. We also established a Community Advisor Board which has guided us in many of our activities during the year. We also organized our first public campaign to establish a pathway for donations on the web to the organization. More about it a little down the page. |  |
| Apr/May: With the declaration of the Pandemic, we could not sit back quietly. Our commitment to community service was on two fronts. We gave a monetary donation of $1,500 to Hawaii FoodBank to support their efforts to feed the neediest in the community. Secondly, LOTUS volunteers made over 100 face masks with materials obtained with generous donation and the finished product was provided to the Institute of Human Services to help their clients with this needed personal protective gear. |  |
| Oct/Nov: In recognition of the need for community engagement in the time of ongoing pandemic challenges, we embarked on a plan to have Diwali celebrations virtually. With the help of a generous donation from the Watumull family in memory of Gulab Watumull, we also organized a Diwali dinner at home for over 300 people. For the countless volunteers who put in so much time and effort in making this program a success, the accolades received as feedback was priceless and worth all the effort. |  |
| Dec: With ongoing Pandemic, the Board embarked on a bold targeted fundraising to provide food to the needy. A target of $10,000 dollars to be raised as year end fundraising was successfully achieved and the first installment of over 150 family packs of food distributed to families through Aloha Harvest. Please do see our volunteers at work in the photos and videos posted on the website. In the next few weeks, we will continue our goals of other community donations through various non-profits. |  |
| Jan-Dec: Rain or shine, through the challenges of the Pandemic, LOTUS Board has continued to have the Monthly Pooja at the Wahiawa Shiva temple. We have been prudent and followed all City mandates during these times but believe that this monthly commitment which is now over 30 years old is sacred and needs to be maintained as long as it is practical. Just as a reminder, this is the CORE of establishment and existence of our organization. Additionally the community has raised to the occasion and we had donations of over $14,000 which we have used effectively for Community support both in the form of LOTUS sponsored activities and donations to other non-profits serving our state. Even as we close out the year, let us keep in memory the lives lost in 2020, many within our LOTUS community but also all around the world. We should continue to do what we can to support the families and loved ones left behind and be there in their times of need. |  |
My priorities for this year in conjunction with my fellow Board leaders and the members of the Community Advisory Committee are multiple. We will work in the first six months for a clear plan on repairs and maintenance to the temple area in Wahiawa. This will be a major undertaking but is a sorely needed effort to be done soon. In the first half of the year, we will plan on having a virtual cultural function. We will also safely plan for events in March and April in alignment with the actual situation with respect to the Pandemic in Hawaii. Although I anticipate we will have this new virus amongst us for decades to come, we are still going to be learning to live with its virulent effects at least for the next several years. So we have to venture forward every so gingerly to support our Ohana and community in the best possible way. With the new year, LOTUS welcomes your donations to support our ongoing work. You can donate through PayPal link on our website or if you prefer can mail in a check to LOTUS, PO Box 89-4052, Mililani, HI 96789.
Warm Aloha
V. Balaraman, President on behalf of the LOTUS Board
