Spring colors, a riot of tulips and chilled margaritas greeted over 200 women who attended Children’s Hope India’s Cinco de Mayo Luncheon at the Swan Club in Long Island on May 5, 2010. The whole afternoon had a Latin beat with many dressed in white, orange and black and a special presentation of Latino dancing by Carmen and Lucian of the Arthur Murray Franchised Dance Studio in Ridgewood.

 

The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the Woman of Distinction Award, given annually to a woman who has managed to balance the challenges of a career, home and social awareness. Last year’s honoree was media personality Tinku Jain who personifies these qualities, and was there to felicitate this year’s awardee, Rohini Dey.

 

Dey, who is the entrepreneur behind the popular Vermilion Restaurants in Chicago and New York, holds a Ph.D in International Management, has worked at the World Bank and McKinsey and is the mother of two young daughters. She is supportive of social causes and mentors young women entrepreneurs. Dey was presented the Woman of Distinction Award by the Chief Guest, Mrs. Prabhu Dayal, wife of the Consul General of India.

 

Rohini Dey gave an inspiring talk about the way she balances her diverse roles and how she built up her business in a challenging environment. Also present was Vermilion’s celebrity chef, Maneet Chauhan, who is one of the first Indian women chefs in New York, and she has participated in the popular Food Network show,The Iron Chef.

 

This year’s luncheon program was all about woman power, and was organized by a dynamic benefit committee consisting of CH’s young supporters – Babita Advani, Milan Devjani, Aarti Kamat, Moneesha Sani and Madhulika Shroff. A popular segment of the afternoon was a fabulous Chinese auction, and several lucky ladies got to carry home fabulous prizes from this event. Moneesha Sani was the eloquent master of ceremonies for the luncheon.

 

No women’s luncheon is complete without some shopping and guests got a chance to buy jewels from the Jewel Joy Collection by Priyal Kothari, haute couture from noted designer Rohini Bedi, and accessories from Annu Gyani’s Shawlux.

 

The Spring Celebration raised close to $15,000 and all proceeds go toward CH’s scholarships and education projects for the girl child.  Enjoy yourself and do good - what could be a better deal?

 

For more details contact 516-625-0754 or info@childrenshopeindia.org

www.childrenshopeindia.org