How and why did you create Aram Sei?
“We were a group of friends who met regularly and we thought while we meet, why don’t we also try and do something more. Something that is fun, but also is giving back to our community, which supported most of us growing up. Most of us who started with Aram Sei are immigrants to the United States, and this is now our primary home. We looked at avenues to support education and healthcare. We were all united in our vision to support these causes and we said well, why limit it to India and the U.S? Why not try and do it worldwide? Everybody deserves basic education and healthcare, and that’s how we started Aram Sei.”
What are some of your favorite highlights or initiatives that Aram Sei has done so far?
“The one thing I really like about Aram Sei is how our fundraising is always based on supporting entertainment groups in the Bay Area. I like the synergy and the comradery with an entertainment group, because they’re also fully volunteer driven, and they also don’t do it for the money. That’s very special. We are all doing it for the same reasons so it was amazing to find that comradery between different groups. It’s always fun to come together for those. All of our events have primarily been entertainment events. So you’re coming together and having fun, but incidentally you’re helping someone go to school, or get healthcare. It is a win-win and is extremely fulfilling. The highlight was when we started our own signature event called “Spark- Compete for a Cause” That was our own event we built from scratch. Last year,(2019) was our 5th year of conducting the Spark competition, and we were oversubscribed ten days before the event date. It was just a fantastic feeling. Another important highlight I’d like to point out is how there’s almost 3 generations of Aram Sei in this group. My mom had moved in with me in the U.S, and she used to handle a certain part of the accounting and operations when we had events. And then there’s my generation, and the rest of the volunteers you see today. Then, you see some of the children of the core volunteer group, and they’re so committed it’s like second nature to them. It’s a very enriching feeling.”
What is a way Aram Sei has become a part of your life as an individual?
“It definitely gives me a very good balance because quite frankly with COVID-19, I’ve kind of been stuck to my laptop a lot, and even from a work perspective people realize that you don’t have anywhere to go. Previously, when I was going into the office, we didn’t schedule meetings after 4 in the office. Now, people send me calendar invites for late evenings. The activities and the volunteer effort I put in for Aram Sei keeps me mentally active and gives me a good balance in my life. I also foster dogs so that kind of takes care of my physical activities,and theirs too while I keep their mental stimulation. It’s wonderful to engage with a furry friend.
What do you hope to do for Aram Sei going forward?
“I have decided to focus on partnerships and community engagement. At this point, to put it across quite simply, I want to practice what we preached in the South Asians for Black Lives Webinars. I’m just a little more enlightened about it than I was 3 months ago. So, I’m looking to build partnerships with organizations, extend our helping hands, and talk to certain beneficiary organizations. Primarily, for the African-American community, kind of for a long-lasting partnership.”