Sponsor Dinner 2019One Kind Act hosted the annual dinner for Sponsors at Chairman, Shamit Malhotra's home on 22 March 2019.  Over 50 guests enjoyed a drink's reception and a 3-course meal while mingling and chatting.  Taz from The Real Junk Food Project, a cause supported by OKA spoke eloquently and movingly about the shocking waste of supermarkets on one hand and the hunger of deprived families, children and the elderly on the other. With the help of OKA, TRJFP has saved 250 tonnes of food that would have been thrown away and instead employed chefs to cook warm nourishing meals for the poor.  Ritu Soni, OKA Associate, gave a snapshot of where sponsors' money had been used to immeasurably improve and save lives. Ajay Khindria, OKA Trustee, spoke about exactly how much money had been raised, given away and the transparency and due diligence employed by OKA to ensure the most effective use of money.  The speeches were deeply appreciated by all present who undertook to continue supporting the noble work done.

There were many very tempting Auction prizes up for grabs at One Kind Acts’s Step A-Head ball held in January 2018 in aid of sufferers of brain injury.One such prize was a fine-dining experience - to be enjoyed in the comfort of one’s own home but at the hands of hospitality of One Kind Act and Vazzas Green Cuisine. Sanjay and Noreen Sumra came forward to very generously bid for this indulgence. The day, Saturday 1st September, was eagerly anticipated. Much exchange of conversations and emails regarding the format, menu and drinks were to be had, with no leaf unturned to guarantee an evening to remember.  And what a delightful evening it turned out to be!On a beautiful balmy warm night, against a backdrop of crisp green lawns and tall coniferous trees, an ambience of peace and serenity filled the space. There followed the delights of the evening….§  Mouth watering spread of canapes accompanied by pink bubbly§  Stunningly presented main dishes using the best of Vazzas fresh and wholesome ingredients, together with copious amounts of carefully selected high quality wines§  On call butler service provided by the OKA team to ensure that the quests were wined and dined to their hearts’ desireThe evening was a happy success, with both the hosts and guests truly appreciative, as were One Kind Act for having the kind and generous support of Sanjay and Noreen.One Kind Act would like to thank the chef, Varun Thapar, and his sous-chef Esha Thapar, of Vazzas Green Cuisine for their enormous contribution of providing all the food for free and for their very professional delivery on the night.  Please check out their website www.vazzasgreencuisine.co.uk.   

Lahore Kebab restaurant in Harrow was the venue for the third annual sponsors dinner hosted by One Kind Act.  A drinks reception followed by a three-course meal was a resounding success attended by almost seventy guests.  Around twenty sponsors mingled with half a dozen causes that had benefitted from their donations.  Feedback indicated it was deeply satisfying for donors to hear first hand how their money was being used effectively to improve lives of the impoverished in UK and around the world.Speeches from some of the causes highlighted the scale of the suffering in some areas but also the huge difference in bringing happiness and relief the money through One Kind Act had achieved. Amar, committee member of One Kind Act spoke comprehensively about the due diligence, the safeguards and the processes in place to raise money and ensure its use to bring maximum, long term impact with no wasteful costs to some of the most destitute.There was deep appreciation for the transparency of One Kind Act and pledges by all sponsors present to continue their support.

"I couldn't ask for more of a miracle" Mattie Lacey-Davidson speaks to charity founder and father of womanwho survived a brain haemorrhage about their efforts to give back..Read the original article in Asian Inspired Magazine. Also available in gallery below.In January 2016 a 26-year-old from Harrow had an unexpected brain haemorrhage and after a “miracle” recovery she is planning a charity event to raise awareness and funds for brain injuries around the world.Alisha Malhotra, now 27, is working with her father's charity One Kind Act to arrange the Step A-Head Charity Ball, taking place in January 2018, two years after she was hospitalised.Her father, Shamit Malhotra, explains: “She was very critical and we didn't think she would survive, She was in hospital for five months, we didn't know if she would survive or how she would be. When she woke up she couldn't speak, read, write or move.“She had to learn everything from the beginning and spent months in rehab, both physical and psychological. I couldn't ask for more of a miracle, I'm glad she's alive.Despite a recovery her father lovingly hails a miracle, Alisha is unable to return to work as a teacher because she has aphasia.It is a condition that affects the brain and leads to problems using language correctly. People with aphasia make mistakes with the words they use, sometimes using the wrong sounds in a word, choosing the wrong word, or putting words together incorrectly.Considering that she had forgotten how to speak when she awoke from a four-week coma and had to learn every single word all over again, Alisha has come a long way.Her father adds “We wanted to do something with brain injury because I know we are so lucky, the only reason she survived is because we live in this country. She had to be operated on immediately, and then the care that came, anywhere ’ I know we are so lucky, the onlyreason she survived is because we live in this country else and she wouldn't be alive. many other countries just don't have the facilities. “She has been an inspiration, she's fought so hard despite losing everything and she‘s come a long way, so we wanted to do something to help people around the world."Her noteworthy efforts don't stop there, Unable to work she is currently looking for voluntary positions and hopes to be able to mentor others.It is clear that she inherits her charitable attitude from her father, He founded the charity One Kind Act in January 2015. He explains why: “I have always tried to put money aside to help people, my father used to do that so I did it and I wanted to teach the same to my children."Visit onekindact.org for charity and event details.

Just Living? Having a Strong Moral Compass helps!Is your moral compass active?Today’s interconnected, mass social media society is quick to praise or condone actions. Witness the speed with which individual comments or visual images transform into collective opinion or video footage going viral. In one sense this poses an interesting dilemma for the individual – are you ‘with’ or ‘against’ the so-called popular ‘instant wisdom’. Do you stand up for what’s right when unpopular, show commitment to ethical standards and integrity through words and actions. In whose interests do you act and do you take personal accountability and expect the same of others? Is your moral compass active?In recent months, populism seems to have taken root - there is anger, sadness, frustration, mistrust, loss of confidence, etc – over a range of different issues, especially against the ‘the establishment’. This provides fertile ground for politics, business and ‘alternative facts’ to exploit. Images play a powerful role, they ferment passions when you see strife and turmoil in the Middle East or hunger and starvation in Africa or environmental damage from illegal deforestation and burning in Asia or, nearer home, abuse and exploitation of the young and vulnerable. Reputational damage is caused when you see mistreatment of an airline passenger, bloodied and being dragged off an aircraft or car emissions data misused to circumnavigate regulations or when cybercrime results in financial loss or personal information and data hacked into. And add to this continued bribery and corruption across the world between business and politicians. Mixed into this heady cocktail is ‘the media’ – print, sound and visual. Then there is social media, created for and by itself, the consumer digests its own news. Boundaries are weak between what is perception and reality, fact and fiction and news and fake news. Our sensory perceptions are under constant exposure to news, views, e-mails, texts, twitters and whatapps’ - the compass in your mind just whizzing around in no particular direction or purpose!The Third Sector – needs to watch its compass deviation?Back to the individual – he/she enjoys life and works hard (private sector), must pop-in to see his/her local GP (public sector) and is lucky to have an affordable place to stay (for example, housing provided by the third sector). This scenario in unlikely to be rare and is a simplistic illustration of our mixed-use economy. The role played by this third sector, the charitable and voluntary sector, is important. It provides another vital layer of a safety net and contributes to our cohesiveness. This includes a diverse range of organisations from social enterprises, community workshops and clubs/societies to think-tanks, private research initiatives and cooperatives. The notion of community spirit still thrives and in practice, individuals engage with each other in a multitude of ways to commit time and money in giving.From time to time the charity sector comes under the microscope – a well-known and powerful on-line fund platform that facilitates the raising of hundreds of millions of pounds has come in for much criticism over the quantum of fees it generates on donations plus related gift-aid and the transparency over its charges. Its defence might be persuasive – there is no reason why a ‘for-profit’ charity cannot operate as a ‘for-good’, highly professional, reliable and trusted organisation that has a proven track record in enabling a vast range of causes from raising funds. There is mutual dependency at work here – the technology and innovation provided by the talented people who run the platform acts as the ‘generator’ for fund raising that is scalable. But in turn, the platform becomes a ‘taker’, the bigger the volume of funds raised, the greater its fees. The danger for the platform is the perception of greed, arrogance and a sort of monopolistic behaviour arising from its success. If the public believes it is getting a value add service, the relationship will survive but its needs to be wary of the risk of moral hazard, of being seen as ‘taking but not giving’.Transparency is about doing the right thing, being open, accountable and trustworthy. However, it is possible for charities to be smart and business-like whilst retaining core values at the same time.Similarly, certain charities have been fined recently by the regulator responsible for data protection. Breaches have occurred in the buying, selling and sharing of personal information of donors, between charities and third parties. The aim was to exploit (‘data mine’) the valuable information that data analysis can provide of donors’ wealth, preferences and lifestyles, with a view to targeting alternative avenues for further donations. The involvement of third parties is to use technological capabilities that charities do not possess and in return, they are able to further data process the core personal information. The use and abuse of data, be it at work, in cars, on your mobile, tablet or television and the advent of the internet of things, poses interesting challenges. Who or what data really controls your personal moral compass?One Kind Act – a place to rebalance the compass?Well, if you embrace ‘compassion’ and play around with the word, then you can quickly reset your compass! Today it sees everyone is a staff member, an associate, customer, client, buyer, follower, a crowd funder, a whatsapp group member, etc. We are identified by mobile numbers, e-mail addresses, passwords, user ID’s, etc. Somewhere in there is a person, a living being capable of detaching from the omni-channel existence of handhelds and headphones and wanting a connection that makes a difference.OKA is that channel – a conduit to be part of life that makes sense of living, where through your own actions and interactions with fellow like-minded people, you get to build something worthwhile. Your personal compass will guide you to your destination – a cause you want to pursue, an event you want to contribute to, your expertise and time you want to volunteer or simply to give something that makes a difference with someone else’s life compass.Kaushik ShahSupporter of One Kind Act

Drumroll Please.....We are proud winners as Charity Startup of The Year at the Asian Voice Charity Awards powered by Charity ClarityPlease find below the link to the Charity Clarity webpage which has the article featuring One Kind Act.  Read the full update here: http://www.charityclarity.org.uk/2017/07/one-kind-act-joyful-giving/To see Previous Winners, click here p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Arial; color: #232323; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Charities all around Britain do great work every day. The Asian Voice Charity Awards powered by Charity Clarity are not only about charities which seek to solve the most pressing social issues of our time both in Britain and globally, but also for those that seek to innovate and strive for excellence and whose success is judged by their end results. These Awards offer a priceless leg-up to organisations that are delivering practical solutions to present-day problems.The ceremony will be held at Hilton on Park Lane, 19th May 2017 and the award we have been nominated for is Charity Startup of The Year and is similar to Charity of the Year, but specifically for charities that have been operational for three years or less.See our nomination here: http://asianvoicecharityawards.com/2017-winners-shortlist/This would not have been possible without the hard work and support from the One Kind Act community of volunteers. We'll keep you posted on all the latest news and updates....Watch this space...

In March 2017, OKA committee member and Associate, Mona Bhogal, hosted a dinner at the excellent Connoisseur restaurant in Harrow to express appreciation to Sponsors whose support has been invaluable. Representatives of Causes OKA support were also invited to speak about where the money donated was being used.  Sponsors hence discovered, through first-hand accounts, exactly where their money was going and what it was being used for.The evening was deeply appreciated by all in attendance with feedback being overwhelmingly positive:"Many were very much interested in knowing about our charity. It was nice. We really enjoyed the food.Thank you all again for inviting us and for agreeing to help us again.""It was really great to meet more of the OKA team as well as sponsors and charity representatives - a room full of very inspiring people. And of course the food was delicious too!""It was really great to meet some of OKA's sponsors and supporters- as ever, I was touched by everyone's warmth and kindness and inspired by the strides OKA is making and great causes you're supporting.""You made us feel so welcome and so valued. That is a gift in itself and, may I say, One Kind Act. We're so honoured to be working with you."The Sponsors loved the informal evening which gave a chance to mingle. They felt meeting the representatives of Causes supported made their donations alive and real. It really hit home how OKA puts money to use helping a wide variety of needy Causes and bringing tangible improvements in the level of happiness around the world.  In addition, our patron Mark Ramprakash being in attendance, led to much light hearted banter about cricket and dancing!This was the first dinner to thank our Sponsors and OKA aims to make it a regular annual event.   

On a rainy afternoon in March, OKA hosted the local OAPs tea party at the home of chairman Shamit and his wife Rena . A group of ladies, aged 80 to almost 100, arrived with gleeful anticipation and healthy enthusiasm. Enjoying the ambience of a warm inviting home, they began to relax, eat, drink and entertain us.Most of these ladies live alone and have isolated lives. These monthly tea parties are often the only outings they have which they look forward to so much, just the anticipation of the next one brings a reason to live. So many stories and experiences from the past were told. These held us spellbound and they loved having an avid audience.It was sad to hear their stories of the loneliness of elderly at Christmas. Having nobody to share the festivities with was hard and even though food was provided for the day , they missed human company. Accessing groups that the elderly could contact at these times is difficult in an age of social media where the elderly rely on more conventional methods. Well done to Roshan and her team for coordinating this tea party group and organising drivers, who are unpaid volunteers, to bring these lovely ladies to the hosts house. Can't wait to see these lovely ladies again. 

Dear friends and family.It has been 1 year since my near fatal illness and I now realise how lucky I am to be here and be able to tell you my story. I won’t lie.....it has been a very tough year. I also know I still have many hurdles to cross and don´t know what my future holds, but I am being positive.What I do know is that I am fortunate to have had the excellent care from professionals, family and friends. I was told I had less than 50% chance of surviving. However I am here and fighting to get better.I also now know that there are other people around the word who would not have the means to get any support or care. They may not have the opportunity to tell their story.I want to do something to help those who have no help, no family, and no roof over their heads, no access to medical help and perhaps very little chance of survival at time of real crisis.So today, I am requesting you to help me with my appeal to donate monthly to One Kind Act, a charity which I am involved in, our objective is to raise funds and provide help and support, ensuring it all reaches the people and places it needs to, without any unnecessary waste, red tape or delays.Together we can make a difference, give that person a rightful chance to live, to get better, to smile and to have hope.Please become a monthly donor today - as little as £5 or £10 per month can make that big difference to someone not as fortunate as us. So please go and donate on the One Kind Act website at https://onekindact.org/donateAlisha Malhotra