Dear Friend: What an amazing year this has been for NIAM ! Thanks to your support, NIAM is establishing itself as a truly national institution — one that documents and shares the diverse, colorful stories of all Indian Americans and fulfills a dire need in our society for building bridges and connecting cultures.  Here are some of the ways in which your generosity helped us serve the community in 2019: •     Education and celebration started off NIAM’s 2019. We collaborated with Spurlock Museum (University of Illinois, Champaign) to present a semester-long exhibition From the Subcontinent to the Prairie: Stories of Immigration and Identity and participated with the Navy Pier Hol i Gala for a joyful spring festival.

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•    At our summertime Taste of India Food Walk  journeys our wonderful NIAM volunteers introduced scores of visitors to the diversity of the Indian American community. Samplings of Indian regional foods along Devon Avenue made food a gateway to exploring the old Chicago neighborhood as well as understanding Indian American culture and heritage. In the words of a group leader, “The program was so outstanding. They’ve all been texting and calling with glowing reports. You’re the best!”

•    This fall we marked the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth with our new initiative, the Gandhi Peace Program , launched to help Chicago schoolchildren deal with violence and bullying through the teachings of Gandhi. Your support helped bring Gandhi to life through role playing, art, meditation and a discussion on his teachings. In feedback from one classroom teacher, “The skills my students took away from the meditation activity will help them control their emotions and actions… I’m grateful that this program cares about teaching students positive coping mechanisms that are an essential part of life skills.”

•    At our 2019 Gala we inducted Indra Nooyi into our Hall of Fame. More than 350 friends of NIAM gathered to hear the former PepsiCo CEO whose remarks about the course of her life resonated with the sell-out crowd and provided inspiration to young and old alike to realize their own dreams.

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•    With help from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, we launched our Digital Oral History Project to ensure that voices and stories of pioneers in the Indian American community are not lost to future generations. These stories connect Indian Americans with their heritage, and will be invaluable to scholars who study the impact of Indian Americans on the fabric of American life. We need your support to make these stories accessible to the wider public, and feature them in an interactive display in our new home in Lombard, Illinois.   So much needs to be done to tell the exciting story of Indian Americans and their contributions to the building of America. NIAM is the only institution dedicated to sharing that story nationwide through exhibitions, programs, digital archives, and public celebrations of culture and heritage. We cannot do it without your help. Won’t you make a special year-end contribution of $25, $50 or $100 or more towards this effort? With your support, we can impact lives here and now and for generations to come. Please join us by making your gift on our on-line donation form here or contacting us at NIAM Thank you!  Padma Rangaswamy, President On behalf of the Board of Trustees National Indo-American Museum (NIAM)

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Did you know that you can help preserve the Indian-American story while you shop online? When shopping online for your friends and loved ones this holiday season, please consider supporting the National Indo-American Museum by purchasing your gifts through AmazonSmile. Just follow a few easy steps: Step 1 . In your internet browser go to  smile.amazon.com  and log in using your Amazon credentials. Step 2 . Under the heading “Or pick your own charitable organization” enter “National Indo-American Museum” then click “Search.”  Step 3 . You will be redirected to a new page where you can check the box next to “Yes” and then click “Start Shopping!”

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