HOME PEOPLE PLACES THINGS SPECIALS BALTIMORE BITES India/Nepal Gala and Fundraiser By Guest Contributor Stephen Szili's food truck By Andrée Rose Catalfamo This Saturday, June 12th at the B & O Railroad Museum, attendees can eat delicious food, bid on silent auction items (including artwork by Baltimore artist Jonas Rider), enjoy wonderful entertainment, and mingle with Baltimore’s elite, all while helping to save lives. The idea for the India/Nepal COVID 19 Gala and Fundraiser was born from a coffee-break conversation between two friends who have worked together for many years to serve the community, both in Baltimore and abroad. Not long ago, Daniel Howard, MD and his friend and colleague, pharmacist Sachin Kaul, RPM were taking a break from their work at the busy medical facility at 405 N. Paca St. in Baltimore. Howard manages a large and thriving primary care practice, while Kaul runs First Call Pharmacy in the same building. Over coffee at the Trinacria Cafe, their conversation turned to the COVID crisis and the latest desperate news from India and Nepal. The magnitude of the tragedy in India is horrifying and inescapable. Over 150,000 new cases of COVID are being reported each day, with a total of 28 million cases since the pandemic began. In some areas of India, the positivity rate has skyrocketed to over 50%, with a number of rural provinces reporting rates as high as 90%. Uttar Pradesh, the poverty-stricken province in which the Taj Mahal is situated, reports infection rates of 94% or more, according to India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Hospitals and medical practices are overwhelmed. Many doctors and nurses, often local practitioners who were the first line of defense against COVID, have themselves become sickened with the virus. Although India’s politicians have been touting their progressive responses to the disease, this week over 2,000 bodies washed up on the shores of the Ganges river, a testimony to the country’s lack of ability to respond to the pandemic. Nepal’s situation is just as tragic, with areas of that country reporting positivity rates of over 50%. Medical facilities in the cities are overflowing with cases, while rural areas have virtually no access to any kind of medical treatment. In one area, for instance, the closest healthcare facility was a three-hour walk away; difficult enough for a symptomatic person and impossible for someone with the full-blown virus. Both countries suffer from a dire shortage of oxygen and ventilators, as well as other medical equipment, personal protective equipment, vaccines, and medication. Dan and Georgia Howard. Photo: Macon Street Books After their initial conversation, Howard and Kaul began emailing colleagues to find supplies that could be shipped directly to India and Nepal. Soon discovering that it would take two weeks or more to get supplies to the neediest areas of both countries, they realized they wanted to do something that would provide more immediate assistance. “Whenever we see a need in the community, we try to find a way to help,” Kaul said. “This tragedy has hit close to home. Close friends have had relatives die. A friend’s brother in law, a doctor, spent the past year helping so many others, and then the disease took him.” Kaul added, “We know that many vaccines and supplies here in the US are going unused. We want to get those supplies to people who need them. And we want to educate the community about the dangers of COVID-19”. Now here’s that great idea. Howard and Kaul decided that co-sponsoring a fundraiser would be the perfect way to raise both awareness and funds that could immediately be deployed to help the disease-stricken countries. The duo, along with Howard’s wife Georgia, and other doctors and staff members, had successfully raised funds for both local and global projects in the past; during the Ebola crisis, the group raised over $150,000 to address that epidemic in the country of Liberia. Georgia, a nurse in her husband’s practice and an experienced fundraiser, was enlisted to spearhead the new effort. A gala event sounded perfect, and so she immediately set to work recruiting a legion of volunteers and contacting local businesses to donate food, auction items, and more. “Georgia is the cornerstone of all our efforts,” said Kaul. Georgia also contacted Lutheran World Relief, a non-partisan relief organization, with whom she’d partnered for the Ebola fundraiser. She knew that they’d make sure that every dollar raised would go directly to the right people on the ground in India and Nepal. With that partnership solidified and sponsors onboard, the India/Nepal COVID Relief Gala and Fundraiser began to take shape. The event, to be held in the beautiful B & O Railroad Museum, has a unique dress code: participants can either wear black tie or ethnic dress from their countries of origin. “I’m expecting to see all kinds of beautiful outfits, from Scottish kilts to Indian saris,” Georgia said. Georgia added that she hopes the gala will raise $150,000 or more. “We want the entire community to join us and support our efforts in this important cause,” said Georgia. Echoing those hopes for a successful fundraiser, Sachin Kaul said, “While we here in the United States are starting to see the end of the pandemic the rest of the world is seeing the worst. Let us all come together and help generously.” For more information about the India/Nepal COVID-19 Relief Gala and Fundraiser, please call (443) 904-4150 or visit https://relief-response.com/. Guest Contributor PREVIOUS ARTICLE Crabtown Observed No. 19: Grandmom Rose and the Corner of Lombard and Janney 0 comments Leave a Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. About WTBH Contact Terms of Service Privacy Policy © Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved