Meet The Team
United States
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board provides strategic guidance and inspiration to the Executive Board in order to improve operations and maximize efficiency.
Dr. Harkesh Sandhu
Founder
Dr. Harkesh Sandhu has worked as a physician for over 30 years, caring for U.S. veterans and nursing home patients. He owes his every achievement to his humble beginnings, inspired by his grandmother to provide for the sick and elderly regardless of social status, caste, or religion. He founded Sahaita in 2005, with the ultimate goal of bringing a smile to someone’s face. His compassion towards neglected youth motivated him to support 2 orphanages (1 of which is home to disabled children) and multiple schools. With Dr. Sandhu’s guidance and direction, Sahaita’s project portfolio has grown to include a Farmer Support Project, special needs assistance, rebuilding damaged schools, feeding the hungry, mental health seminars, and distribution of PPE for essential workers and the immunocompromised.
Jadwinder (Jadi) Dhaliwal
Advisor
Jadi has been a long-time supporter of Sahaita, with a special interest in education and journalism. He has been at the forefront of launching projects such as the Farmer Support Project, and providing strategic insight into long term sustainability. An entrepreneur by day, Jadi continues to serve as an inspiration to the community and the Sahaita family.
Kashmir Gill
Advisor
Long before Sahaita, Kashmir’s humble beginnings led him to Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. Those experiences shaped his candidacy for leadership roles in his local gurdwara and Commissioner in the city of Milpitas. He now works for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Kashmir has stood by Sahaita since its early days, volunteering at local gurdwaras to spread awareness about projects and speak to the sangat about Sahaita’s mission.
Damanjit (Lovy) Sra
Advisor
Lovy joined Sahaita in 2005 as a volunteer and has had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for several years. She is a Resource Specialist with 30 years of Special Education teaching for Fremont Unified School District. She serves as the Chair for the Special Education Department at her school. Lovy spends her spare time volunteering for many nonprofit organizations including Sahaita due to the tireless spirit of service that all the volunteers exhibit. Every effort is made from volunteers’ personal and professional networks to yield minimal overhead costs. The spirit of service and inclusivity has always kept her on board with Sahaita! The project especially near and dear to her heart is the Farmer Support Project. It is vital that farmer families be supported and their children given educational opportunities in order to lead gainful lives and break cycles of poverty.
Amardeep Chohan
Advisor
Amar started as a volunteer showcasing impact presentations during annual fundraisers. When he first joined Sahaita in 2009, he was blown away by the fact that Sahaita is a fully volunteer run organization with minimal operating expenses. Every single penny collected and raised goes directly towards Sahaita and its supporting projects. Sahaita truly became a part of his life after his wife shared stories of her visit to Sahaita-supported facilities and medical camps. He has visited Bal Ghar and Bal Bhawan several times. The unique story of every child, their struggle, their zeal to succeed and to come out as a winner fuels Amar’s passion of giving back. Amar is a technology professional and management consultant with 20+ years in the industry. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife and 2 kids. Amar enjoys hiking and cycling as hobbies.
Sardool Samra
Advisor
Executive Board
Jagdeep Sahota
President
Jagdeep has been associated with Sahaita since 2014, when he started as an events volunteer. His support started with developing presentations for fundraisers. In 2015, Jagdeep made his visit to Bal Ghar which created a special place in his heart, especially the special needs children. Since then Jagdeep has led the development of Feed the Needy in Stockton and supported in aggregating data of Sahaita’s impact on various projects in India. Professionally, Jagdeep is a product management executive. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Jagdeep is married with 2 kids who are both Sahaita volunteers. Jagdeep’s hobbies involve playing volleyball, soccer and trap in his free time, along with bike riding with his kids.
Pavitar Thiara
Secretary
Pavitar’s passion for giving back and making a difference in her community was instilled by her father. She sought an authentic organization that she could proudly engage her children in. Pavitar has been part of the Sahaita since 2012. Bal Ghar, which rescues orphans, disabled, unwanted children and provides a secure home and future through education and adoption, holds a special place in her heart. Pavitar makes every effort to spend time with them when visiting India. Despite their adversities and challenges they have so much love to give. Their unique stories and bright smiles continue to ignite Pavitar’s passion to support Sahaita. A tech professional with 20+ years of leadership experience in the Silicon Valley, Pavitar also advocates for women in technology and runs several initiatives to encourage, empower, and inspire women in tech. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children.
Ruby Waraich
Treasurer
Since 2005, Ruby has had the opportunity to serve as a Board member and a volunteer. Both roles have been equally fulfilling, humbling, and rewarding. Sahaita’s impact on her is emotional, even heart-wrenching, but it conveys her gratitude when a child or elder is helped. The educational projects are of utmost importance to her, as it was heavily emphasized in her own family when growing up. Ruby has established herself as a businesswoman, a mother, and wife. Though they all keep her busy, Sahaita has given her a special purpose. The transparency and minimal overhead cost are what maintain her trust and faith. When she isn’t managing Sahaita’s finances or volunteering with other organizations, Ruby is a Broker Owner at Realty ONE Group American and American United Mortgage Corp. Her hobbies include reading, hiking, folk dancing, knitting, and spending time with her family.
Daljit Khehra
India Projects Manager
Daljit first learned about Sahaita at a fundraiser and was immediately hooked. Since then he has volunteered his time at Feed the Hungry events as well as fundraisers in the Central Valley, Seattle, and Calgary. As a Board member Daljit is responsible for coordinating project operations in India. Professionally, his background is in IT but in 2004 he joined the insurance industry as a broker. Balancing his career and seva has helped Daljit create a meaningful life with his wife and 2 children who now also volunteer with Sahaita.
Amrit Dhaliwal
US Projects Manager
Amrit has known about Sahaita’s work since 2006 but didn't get involved until 2012 when he had the opportunity to visit some of the projects Sahaita funds in Punjab. He was impressed with the compassion and dedication of this organization. Since then he has been part of various Sahaita activities including Feed the Hungry events and PPE distribution in California as well as coordinating an eye camp in his village back home in Punjab.There are countless projects Sahaita is involved with, but the few that are really close to his heart are the Farmer Support Project and the education of Sikligar Sikh families who were displaced after the 1984 riots. He appreciates that Sahaita is 100% volunteer run and strives for full transparency with its supporters. He feels privileged to work with a team of compassionate, dedicated, and selfless individuals.
Samreen Sandhu
Marketing Director
Samreen has been a part of Sahaita since its inception in 2005. Her first fundraising campaign was selling $2 silicone bracelets in 8th grade to raise funds for tsunami relief, the natural disaster that inspired Dr. Sandhu to officially pursue nonprofit work. She has volunteered on stage as well as behind the scenes and wants to see what new heights Sahaita will reach in the coming years. Samreen was able to visit most project sites in 2016 and will never forget the stories of loss and humility, especially from farmer families and the Bal Ghar nursery, that will forever fuel her seva with Sahaita. As Marketing Director, Samreen utilized social media to galvanize awareness of Sahaita projects among younger generations in the diaspora and explore local projects that they can feel connected to.
Working Committee
Sarup Jhajj
Working Committee
Sarup Singh has spent his life giving back to the villages that raised him and to the diaspora who needed immigration help. He understands that tragedy and misery can befall on anyone, and it is up to individuals to help those in need. This passion for helping others is what led him to Sahaita in 2005. He diligently devoted his time to his career in Materials at Sun Microsystems for 18 years and Accounts Receivable for Shoker Dental, reserving evenings and weekends for Sahaita campaigning. It is due to Sarup’s tenacity that Sahaita has come this far. Taking on the role of Treasurer, he worked closely with Dr. Sandhu to transform Sahaita into an international organization. He assisted in medical camps, feed-the-hungry events, fundraising, and visiting orphanages. Wherever he goes he is a beacon of hope and optimism. In his spare time, Sarup enjoys watching sports, traveling, and spending time with his family and community.
Hardeep Garewal
CRM Implementation
Hardeep works as a Salesforce consultant for various nonprofit organizations. He helped Sahaita build transparency with a reliable CRM system to track details of projects and beneficiaries, allowing the team to build reports, dashboards, and communication strategies. He helped set goals such as drip campaigns, 3rd party-integrations, donation management, volunteer management etc. Witnessing growing pains of implementation in the backend, Hardeep set up a ticketing system to establish a proper workflow and much-needed structure.
Sharan Kaur
Farmer Support Project
In 2014 Sharan was looking to get involved with an authentic cause that makes a genuine difference in people’s lives. It is the stories and the hope in the eyes and hearts of those being served by Sahaita that attracted her most and keeps her connected. Sharan coordinates the Farmer Support Project, which directly connects donors to farmer families in need of a helping hand. Sharan and her husband Amrinder are strong pillars of the community they live in and serve. They are both great role models for their young daughter, instilling the practice of seva and standing up against injustices. They love to travel and enjoy time with family, friends, and their German Shepherd dog.
Rani Dhillon
Volunteer Manager
Rani first learned about Sahaita at a fundraising event over 10 years ago and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since. She was instantly moved by Sahaita’s goal of helping people globally through selfless service. A public health educator, Rani holds a passion for public health and Seva, and knew that Sahaita would be the right fit for her. Her time as a volunteer has been one of the most important experiences of her life. She learned more about herself and gained a greater connection to humanity through the kindness and compassion of Sahaita.
Raman Sanghera
Working Committee
In 2010 Raman was seeking a nonprofit to serve as a home for her soul. She wanted a selfless opportunity to balance with the corporate world. With honesty, integrity, and transparency at every level, Sahaita was exactly what she was looking for. The founder, Board, and Working Committee have now become her extended family. Raman completed a Computer Engineering degree from Texas A&M University and later joined the tech world in California. She has worked for Fortune 500 companies for 20+ years. Spirituality and love, regardless of religion, gender, or caste, are guiding factors in her life. She practices gratitude for all that she has been privileged with and channels those blessings through charitable causes. Raman loves to sing, dance, and bike ride. She hopes to participate in a 25K marathon and a 100K bike-a-thon! Sahaita volunteers will be there to cheer her on.
Parwaz Virk
Working Committee
Parwaz has volunteered with Sahaita since 2010 and loves working on projects with such a selfless, hardworking, and sincere group of individuals. Outside of Sahaita, Parwaz works as a Director at Paytm, helping build world class products and technology.
Taneesh Sra
Reports & Dashboards
Taneesh’s journey with Sahaita began in 2009 when she visited Bal Bhawan for the first time. She was a young girl herself at the time, about to begin high school, and visiting Bal Bhawan was truly an eye opening experience. She has been a volunteer ever since. Professionally, Taneesh works in Enterprise Risk Management. In her spare time, she likes to serve the community, play golf, and find ways to continue to stay in touch with her culture. Taneesh looks forward to being a more active volunteer and advocate for Sahaita’s current and future projects.
Harpreet Dhillon
Website Team
Newsletter
Sahaita is a registered 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. Tax ID 42-1659410
Copyright (c) 2021 Sahaita Inc. All rights reserved.
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