CNN Hero of the Year Awards and Inspires Rukmini Scholars

June 26th was already special because we were about to honor the graduating scholars, but were doubly honored to have a very special guest, Ms. Pushpa Basnet on hand to award the certificates to the girls as well as to provide some inspirational words. A woman like Pushpa Didi who has positively affected the lives of many Nepali children through her nonprofit work is the type of role model we are trying to provide for these girls so that they can see just powerful an educated woman can be.

Some beautiful pictures (on Flickr) from this wonderful event

Photos (on Facebook) if you would like to comment and like

Cooking for a Cause: Our Latest Fundraising Event Was a Huge Success

We pride ourselves on holding fundraising events that are creative and fun. The No Menu Monday we held on June 16 was no exception. Thanks to our friends at Bar Marco, we had the restaurant to ourselves to prepare and serve Nepali dishes. The dinner was a huge success thanks to volunteers and the guests.

Read this wonderful post from Foundation Chairperson and one of the chefs for the evening, Laxmi, who writes about what the experience was like.

Rukmini and Children of Shangri-Lost Collaboration

Pittsburgh is now home to thousands of refugees from all over the world, especially a vibrant Bhutanese community. On June 20, as we celebrated World Refugee Day, we wanted to highlight a group of Bhutanese youth who are working on a project to describe their journey from their homes in Bhutan to the refugee camps in Nepal, all the way to Pittsburgh and other cities around the world,

Check out these moving video clips the team has been working on.

A Powerful Story of a Father’s Love and Impact of Education

In June, we celebrate Father’s Day and as we send our gratitude to all of the great fathers out there who protect and nurture their children, we also stress the critical role fathers play in the empowerment of their daughters.

Read this post from Foundation Chairperson Laxmi as she talks about how her father provided her an opportunity for a better life through education.

Summer Volunteering @ DreamCream Ice Cream

Summer and ice cream go hand in hand, and just like we did last year, Rukmini Foundation will be volunteering at DreamCream Ice Cream again. Last year we were able to raise enough money to support 6 girls for an entire year thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. We would love to be able to match that again. If you are over 14 and have a passion for helping girls get an education or just a passion for ice cream, please consider scooping ice cream with us this year. Please fill out this very simple volunteering form if you are interested. Even if somehow ice cream is not your thing, but want to volunteer for something else, you can let us know by filling out this small form.