by kfi | Oct 23, 2018 | Archives |
KFI welcomed three new members to the KFI Board of Directors: Jane Cummings (Class of ’57), Martin Messick (Class of ’83) and Jagat Sheth (Class of ’87). Other board members present for the video conference meeting were Bill Martin (President), Vijay Naidu (VP), Mary Coleman Lowry (Treasurer), Akshay Birla, Daryl Miller and David Piet, as well as ex officio members Corey Stixrud (KIS Principal) and Sylvia Rogers (KFI Administrator). KIS Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Cauvet and KIS Alumni Coordinator Manjusha Ninan also participated as Invitees.
Highlights of the board meeting:
- The board passed a budget with a goal of raising $50.000 in the July 2018 through June 2019 fiscal year.
- The KIS Alumni Office’s current focus is to update its alumni records. Many alumni email addresses are not longer valid and many alumni have no contact information at all. Facebook and class reps are being used to reach out to those alumni.
- The donated hospital equipment to Van Allen Hospital arrived safely. KIS generously funded the in-country shipment and customs clearance expense to bring the donated equipment to Kodai.
- The formation of several committees took place. A Development Office Committee was formed to establishe a Development Office at KIS responsible for fundraising worldwide. Other committees include Finance, Nominating and Fundraising/Communications.
Please contact Sylvia Rogers, KFI Administrator, at admin@kfi-us.org, or any of the board members, click Board, for further information and clarification of the issues discussed.
by kfi | Sep 25, 2018 | Archives, Projects - completed |
We thank you very much for the $8,000 KFI sent last fall to promote environment issues, enabling hiring Dr. Rajamanikam and his wife Lekshmi R. during the Spring Semester this year. They were given an office, worked with the Maintenance Deparment, participated in recycling and other activities, and presented in some classes and assemblies, etc., a big contribution to our functioning as a “Green School.”
As regards extension activities in Kodaikanal community, we had listed some expected quantifiable achievements, and we hereby report on them. Dr Rajamanikam spent full-time as follows:
1) Number of schools, hotels, others, that installed recycle bins and conducted good use training
We have installed sustainable solid waste management systems in 18 schools, 11 hotels, and 3 gated communities in and around Kodaikanal, by June 2018, which are functioning OK.
2) Number of schools, hotels, others, which invited presentations about recycling, showing interest
22 schools, 3 higher education institutes, 13 hotels, 4 NGOs, and 8 gated communities invited our presentations and outreach demonstrations, which were done. These have to be followed up
3) Number of wards or household areas in town that have begun recycling waste
We have been working informally with several individual households; 3 wards of Kodaikanal town are interested in working with us. This should be done through proper channel so Kodaikanal Municipality has to give government order for working with these wards; but as elections have been long delayed (because of death of the previous Chief Minister), there is still no elected Municipal Council Chairman nor ward members.
4) Quantity of recyclables collected and processed, and its estimated percentage of all town waste
Around 27 tonnes of dry-waste has been recovered through KIS initiative from these schools and hotels in Kodaikanal, which is only some 2% annual waste generation rate. But the Municipality still has no policy or budget for separating recyclables from trash. We are awaiting elections for the Municipal Council to be elected, and meanwhile we deal with the state-appointed Commissioner. Fortunately, he has assigned an old building and location where recyclables are now sorted by an agreed agent working with us.
5) List of environment-related projects undertaken by KIS students with advice of these experts
– Composting bins on the campuses now where they can bring home and dorm organic trash
– Sorting of recyclables in the 2 Recycle Centers—many students do this for their service hours
– Cleaning up around different parts of Kodaikanal
– Distribution and sale of cloth shopping bags to replace plastic
– Asking tourists in vehicles to give over their throw-away plastic junk
– At school student functions, use of drinking fountains or good bottles instead of disposable cups
– All students now have good water bottles, and throw-away plastic bottles are banned on campus
6) Number of KIS classes or groups in which the 2 experts made presentations and advised
Frequently worked with Grade 5 to 12 students on solid waste management and biodiversity conservation.
7) NGOs and other civic organizations in which KIS and the experts made substantial contribution
Worked frequently with Kodaikanal Rotary Club, Kodaikanal United Christian Youth Federation, PCK Women’s group, Kodai Smile Group, and Palani Hills Conservation Council
Ms Lekshmi R. was assigned by the Principal to write environment curricula for grades 6 through 10, which has taken considerable research and consultation. This now has to be integrated into the already busy Middle Years IB program and other activities. Also, Ms Lekshmi has been working to generate overall ideas about Environment for KIS, as requested. And lately she has worked on identifying laboratories, greenhouse, landscaping, etc for the proposed Environment Education Center.
This school year Dr Rajamanikam and Lekshi are regular KIS salaried staff, and the new KFI funds requested and sent are for helping to set up educational aspects of the new Environment Education Center.
Budget:
KFI gave $8,000 for Dr Rajamanikam and Lekshmi for last semester. Lekshmi has been working to finish her PhD in Pondy University so was absent for some time, so there is a balance, which has been added to the new KFI funding for this semester:
New KFI fund for Environment Center etc ($12,050) Rs. 808,675
Balance from KFI fund for last semester 96,558
Total for Environment Center this semester Rs. 905,233
Clarence Maloney
KIS Volunteer for Environment
August, 2018
by kfi | Sep 21, 2018 | Projects - completed |
After two and a half months at sea, a trip across the plains and 7,000 feet up the ghat, the 20’ container of donated medical equipment finally arrived at Van Allen Hospital on Sunday, September 2, 2018.
The jammed-packed container was unloaded with the help of KIS students; and now the hospital staff has the huge-but-enviable task of unpacking and distributing the supplies and equipment. The packing list is beyond extensive – everything from knee braces to medical reference books to orthopedic screwdrivers to infant warmers/oxygen masks to voltage converters. KIS students, staff, and the entire Kodai community will benefit from this project for years and years to come.
Many thanks to all of those whose vision and hard work made this happen, most notably Dr. Jeetu Nanda, past KIS Council Member and past KFI President; Corey Stixrud, KIS Principal and Interim Chair, Van Allen Hospital; Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach; Kodai Friends International; and Mr. Jayachandran, Dr. Senthil Kumar and Mr. Biju Mathews at Van Allen Hospital. This was truly team-work at its best.
The Van Allen has undergone some rough times recently, but a concerted effort is under way to get it back into shape. New doctors have been hired, but the equipment is sadly out of date. Dr. Jeetu Nanda, Past President of KFI, got in contact with a group called Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, a medical surplus recovery organization which collects, repairs, packages, and distributes medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics around the world. The Van Allen Hospital was not able, however, to cover the cost of shipping in order to receive these supplies and equipment.
A grant request to fund the shipping was made to Kodai Friends International, which was accepted by the KFI Board in May of this year. In mid-June a 20’ shipping container filled with donated medical supplies and equipment was shipped to Chennai, from there making its way up the ghat to the gates of the Van Allen Hospital, thanks to the generous donations of many of you throughout the years to KFI. The ship is scheduled to dock in Chennai on August 19, 2018. Hopefully we will receive some pictures when the container arrives in Kodai, which we will happily post.
The Van Allen Hospital Equipment Donation is supported through KFI’s “Fund a Need” Fund.
by kfi | Aug 27, 2018 | Announcements |
KFI Board of Directors meets St. Louis Curry Club meets Bethania Kids Board of Directors
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Ruth Meinzen-Dick ’77, Bob Fletcher ’65
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Ruth Meinzen-Dick ’77, Marie Mayer ’67, Carroll Dick, Kate Hennig Teece, Vicky Mayer ’69, Wendy Oesterling ’67, Betsy Miller Dailey ’77
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Jeetu Nanda ’83, Bill Martin ’70, David Piet ’63, Guest, Mary Coleman Lowry ’64, Akshay Birla WS ’05, Dick Vreeland – Parent
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Betsy Miller Dailey ’77 and her Loch End Housemom, Anita Trautmann
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Kate Hennig Teece (Gene Hennig’s daughter) and Mary Coleman Lowry ’64
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Jagat Sheth ’87 and David Piet ’63
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Betsy Miller Dailey ’77, Marie Mayer ’67, Vicky Mayer ’69
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Claudia Trautmann ’70, Ruth Meinzen-Dick ’77
by kfi | Aug 22, 2018 | Archives |
Dear Members of the DeJong Family,
I would like to thank you for your generous award, which I received last week and am grateful to have been one of the recipients of the award this year. Not only will this greatly impact my future financial investments, but will also be used as a stepping-stone towards my aspirations in music. In regards to my experience in music, I did several ABRSM exams throughout my time here at KIS. I passed the Grade 5 theory exam in 2011 and also passed the Grade 8 piano exam in 2015. As a student here, I was privileged to be given various opportunities that have strengthened my musicianship and passion for music. I was part of several choir groups for the past 6 years, one of which I served as the Choir Vice President, as well as a student section leader and conductor. I also had the honour of being part of a prestigious choir festival in Muscat this semester. Along with these involvements, I’ve also performed at school assemblies, Rock Concerts, in the Chapel praise and worship group, house concerts, springs concerts and winter concerts. During my senior year, I received a distinction in Grade 5 Voice and passed the Trinity Diploma Exam in Piano Performance, which was another solidifying block in the development of my musicianship.
I hope to carry on with my ambitions in music at Moody Bible Institute, where I will be doing a B.A in Music and focusing on piano performance, performing in choirs and writing arrangements. I will use this scholarship as a foundation for my investments for my education abroad and also as a way to help me move forward with my future in music. This award will also significantly benefit certain financial aspects of my college education, which will contribute to my overall expenses for my education abroad.
Once again, I would like to thank you for this award and knowing that this award will greatly help me in my future endeavours in music; it continues to give me hope that my aspirations in music will be achieved. As a recipient of the DeJong award, I will remember to uphold the honours of this award and acknowledge it as a reminder of how far I have come in music and how much more I will learn and grow in the future.
With warm regards,
Jane Jaikumar
