The New Jersey state chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI-NJ) and NJ State AAPI Charity Foundation raised $230,000 for providing humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria which have been affected by deadly earthquakes last month.
The fundraiser, held on Feb 24 in Edison, New Jersey, was led by Dr Hemant Patel, founding member of the chapter and past president of AAPI, Dr Binod Sinha, chair of the board of trustees and Dr Pradip Shah, president AAPI-NJ. Board Member Dr Raj Bhayani and Dr Kishore Ratkalkar.
Speaking to New India Abroad, Patel said the fundraiser was attended by the Turkish Ambassador to the US, Murat Mercan, along with Turkish Consul General in New York Reyhan Özgür, who expressed their gratitude to the Indian community for their generous contributions.
“They (the Turkish officials) were very much moved to see how much Indian culture is helping the Turkish people at this time of need,” Patel said adding that the Ambassador specially interacted with the physicians and assured to convey the Indian American community’s generosity to Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan.
📍Edison, NJ
— Turkish Embassy DC (@TurkishEmbassy) February 25, 2023
Thank you, TASC @ourtasc and NJ State American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, for organizing a fundraising event to help victims of the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria. @HMuratMercan @ReyhanOzgurTR @TRConsulNY pic.twitter.com/hBE8UqfB3E
Highlighting the need to continue the humanitarian efforts to the two countries, Patel said, “The main event is like a beginning it wasn't like the end. It's the beginning of our Indian people helping the Turkish people.”
