FIA–New England Champions Community Health with Free Health and Vision Camps

The Foundation of Indian Americans (FIA)–New England continued to promote community health by organizing several free Vision Camps at multiple locations across New England region, including JCC Center in Worcester, Crossroads Rhode Island in Providence, Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and Amrit Sabha Adult Day Care Center in Northborough, Massachusetts. More such camps are planned in the region to bring much-needed eye care services to individuals and families who may not otherwise have access to essential vision health resources. These camps provide free eye screenings and free dispensing of reading glasses, thus helping improve productive quality of life of New Englanders in need.

In partnership with RestoringVision and the Jatan Foundation—two exceptional nonprofit allies—these camps benefit from their steadfast support and strategic guidance, which have been vital to the success and growth of FIA’s outreach efforts.

Emphasizing the commitment of FIA -NE towards the public health, its President – Mr. Abhishek Singh said that “the association  will continue to make community healthcare a regular part of FIA’s initiatives. Our goal is to improve public health, spread positivity, and ensure no one is left behind when it comes to basic healthcare needs,”

Vice Presidents Rakesh Kavsari and Amol Penshanwar explained that more than 500+ families have already benefited from the vision camps. “With continued community support, this number will grow significantly in the coming weeks,” they added. They also thanked Dr. Ram Yadav, DMD and Dr. Snehal Lakhkar, DMD for providing dental hygiene products to the attendees at various health camps at no cost.

Highlighting FIA’s values, Executive Vice President Sanjay Gokhale stated that FIA has adopted a culture of celebrating festivals and important occasions through service. “Our recent celebrations of the 77th Republic Day of India and the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were marked by meaningful community service initiatives like a medical camp and these vision camps,” he said.

Adding strong endorsement from the medical community, renowned physician Dr. Dinesh Patel, M.D., Emeritus Chief of Arthroscopic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School, also shared his appreciation for FIA–New England’s efforts. After an illustrious 58-year medical career, Dr. Patel praised the spirit of service demonstrated by the organization with his strong endorsement saying, “I love the passionate volunteer work - the art of giving back through “Sewa”, the heritage of service to the broader society. My commendations and deep sense of gratitude go to the FIA–New England team, professional healthcare providers, and partner organizations who made Martin Luther King Day - 2026 very special. Dr. King would be very happy to see his dreams coming true. Thank you, and I wish you the very best in your journey of volunteer community service.”

Dr. Anahita Dua, Director of the Vascular Laboratory and Associate Leader of Advanced Vascular Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital said “Healthcare shouldn’t depend on geography or circumstance. What FIA-NE is doing here is meeting patients where they are, identifying serious vascular disease early, and changing the trajectory of their health. Screening and early intervention are some of the most powerful tools we have in vascular disease. Camps like this don’t just treat patients in the moment—they prevent future amputations, strokes, and hospitalizations. It was an honor and pleasure to serve as a vascular surgeon in this camp”

Long-term FIA executives Santhosh Thawani, Girish Soni, Kameswari Kavsari, Divya Prakash, and Hardik Patel expressed heartfelt gratitude to community partners and venue hosts for opening their doors and supporting the cause. Special thanks were extended to Alissan Briggs (JCC – Member Director), Pankaj and Sunita Adaval (Founders of Amrit Sabha Adult Day Care Center), Community Care Alliance, Pete Major (Director at Crossroads Rhode Island), for facilitating the medical, dental and vision camps. They also greatly appreciated the support and guidance from T.J. Martineau (Deputy Vice President, Division of Social Health Services), Eleonora Kinnicutt, MPH (Senior Program Manager at RestoringVision), and Ravindra Zende (Founder of Jatan Foundation).

Most concise and powerful FIA–New England is dedicated to advancing community healthcare through compassion and collaboration, delivering clearer vision and healthier futures for individuals and families throughout New England.

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