Greetings from VPA…

Here we are, finally COVID is behind us for the most part and life is getting back to normalcy. For sure, the pandemic has disrupted our lifestyle and displaced many routine processes that we were accustomed to personally or professionally.

Despite downtime during the COVID, VPA undertook a fundraising initiative to help the hungry situation as many Americans lost job due to closed businesses & downsizing. VPA is very proud to be part of addressing the food insecurity situation in the community that we live in. I am very proud to say that we raised $25,000 through the generosity of the Vokkaligas in the USA. We donated the collected funds to Feeding America, the largest food bank in the country. Thanks for your generosity, each of the $1 you donated fed 10 meals. So, VPA’s contribution has helped to provide 250,000 meals for the people who were going hungry. After all, the word Vokkaliga is derived from ಒಕ್ಕಲುತನ (farming), as such Vokkaligas have been growing and providing food for centuries.

In addition to National VPA charity initiative, VPA Chapters were involved in various charitable work such as One School At a Time (OSAAT), Sankara Cancer Foundation (SCF), helping food banks for senior citizens like Meals on Wheels, University of Austin’s Cancer Research Foundation and many other charitable projects.

Thanks to the vision of Dr. Kempaiah Ashwathnarayana Gowda (Michigan) and late Dr. Raje Gowda (Illinois), who founded the VPA Organization 3 decades ago, we are now reaping its benefits which has enabled to build a network of Vokkaligas across the USA to share our common interests.

After a tremendous success of 16^th VPA Convention in 2019 held in New Jersey, hosted by the East Chapter, we the Midwest Chapter, are excited to host the 17^th VPA Convention in Detroit.  After all, the very first VPA Convention was held in Detroit in 1992.

I know many VPA members are eager to meet and mingle with other Vokkaligas after a break of 4 years. On behalf of the VPA Midwest Chapter and Michigan Vokkaligas, I invite each one of you with your family and friends to attend the 17^th VPA Convention. Variety of educational, entertainment & sports programs have been planned for both young and adult members of VPA. Our Convention tag line is Vibrant Vokkaligas and as such, we want to showcase our members’ accolades in various fields academics, science, arts, technology, health, entrepreneurship, charity, community service and others.

Our Convention will be blessed with the presence of Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Dr. Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji, the Pontiff of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math.

Please browse through the website regularly to get the latest updates on the planned events.

If in case, if you can’t attend the Convention due to prior commitments, I urge you to support VPA organization by donating the amount that’s comfortable for you by clicking here.

Please send an e-mail to contact@myvpa.org if you want to actively participate in any of the Convention Committees.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the VPA Convention.

With Thanks & Regards,
Ramesh Gowda
President, VPA