Grace Space - August 2021

Friday Mentoring Circles

We launched mentoring circles in the month of June this year. The objective of this program was to build a strong mentor-mentee relationship and to create an environment for the girls to speak freely and seek guidance. In addition to our board members Abida and Para and student mentors, we have active mentors Chelvi Pramanathan and Skanda Easparathasan who offer their valuable time for this cause. These meetings are conducted on Friday every week.

In July, an interactive session on Code of Conduct was conducted by the mentors while the girls discussed their hobbies and showcased their artwork. In the month of August, the girls were introduced to Tirukkural, an ancient Tamil literature that is considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality and is known for its universality and secular nature. Feedback on mentoring circles have been welcoming and encouraging. If you want to get involved, please email marketing@gracegirlshome.org.

Who's Behind Grace Wednesdays

Jeeva Nadarajah

Jeeva Nadarajah is the Director of Digitization for GGH!

Why Grace?

"Being a woman from Sri Lanka, I would like to help young girls in Sri Lanka better their future."

What is your favorite Grace memory?

"In early January 2021, we received photos of a 5 year old girl, next to her dying mother. The picture was heart breaking. Grace arranged for the mother's funeral and the child joined the home on January 17th. A few days later, we received a picture of the child playing in the garden with her doll. Her hair was trimmed and combed with a ribbon on it, she wore shoes and her skin looked moisturized and healthy. Most of all her face and eyes glowed with relief, hope, happiness and her childishness shone through. It's what I will cherish about Grace. "

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Para Ahilan

Para Ahilan serves as the Director of Education and Healthcare for Grace Girls’ Home.

Para has been a practicing cardiologist in Staten Island for over 20 years. He grew up in Sri Lanka where he began his medical education at the University of Jaffna. He obtained his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. His clinical focus is cardiac imaging. He holds board certifications in Nuclear Cardiology and Echocardiography.

Why Grace?

"Empowering girls to provide them financial independence through education and I want to improve their health care"

Rebranding @ Grace

We are engaging with Huck Finch to rebrand Grace Girls' Home. This project was launched on 19th August and the board members have been collaborating with Huckfinch on a miro board. Last week, we identified the look, feel and sound of the brand. This brand personality exercise distilled our vision to sound kind, collaborative and inspirational.