ING’s 20th Anniversary Gala
ING Supporter Raghib Hussain’s Award Introduction

Good evening and thank you for joining us this evening.

Education and knowledge are the fundamental ingredients for any civilization. If we understand each other better, we can build a better and healthier society. ING’s work is focused on educating fellow Americans about various faiths and promoting cultural understanding. This is why I support ING and I hope you will also.

Behind any successful organization, whether it be a for profit not-for-profit, there is always a committed team. However, the norm is that the credit always goes to the leaders or those with better marketing skills and often those with humility go unnoticed. But we all know that no CEO can make a successful business without a talented and committed team and no commander can win a battle without a skilled and dedicated army of soldiers. Just like any other group, our community of non-profit organizations also has such heroes who go unnoticed. This is why my family foundation has dedicated an award in recognition of individuals who have notably served the community out of the limelight and with humility.

This year’s recipient out of many other deserving candidates among the pools of speakers at ING is Berget Jelane, speaker for ING’s Interfaith Speakers Bureau program. Berget began with the Bureau in 2009 representing Buddhism on dozens of ING interfaith panels in high schools, colleges and universities, health centers, churches and synagogues, and inter-religious conferences. Berget is a valuable member of the IFSB who has tirelessly served the program as a volunteer speaker and creator of content without ever expecting anything in return other than the betterment of the community in which she lives. Professionally, Berget Jelane is a psychotherapist in private practice. She incorporates mindfulness and the understandings of Buddhist practice into her work with clients.