As the echoes of joy and laughter from our Diwali Celebration still linger, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to each one of you who contributed to making this event an extraordinary success. Your support, enthusiasm, and presence were truly the pillars of our celebration.
Here are some heartfelt thank-yous to our remarkable contributors:
- Guests: A special thank you to all our guests who took the time on Saturday to celebrate Diwali with us. Your presence added immeasurable joy to the event, and we are grateful for your participation.
- Venue Partners: Broward County Convention Center, Specifically Alphonse, Edlin-Krystal, Everlast-Howard, Vista South Convention Services-Jason – your collaboration and dedication played a pivotal role in the seamless execution of the event.
- Vendors & Non-Profit Organizations: A big thanks to our food vendors, non-food vendors, and non-profit organizations for their invaluable contributions and support in distributing flyers. Special thanks to Harish Patel from Fedex for delivering the water pallets, and to BAPS for their continued support.
- Performers: Heartfelt gratitude to all the choreographers, parents, and participants in the various cultural show items. Your talent and dedication shone through, with about 700 performers and 60 entries.A special thank you for your amazing performances, contributing to the vibrant spirit of Diwali. Congratulations to the winners!
- Competition Winners:
- Adult Dance Competition: Team Dancerholics
- High School Pataka: Rhythms Warriors
- Diwali Dhamaka:
- Fusion – NSU Maasti
- Bhangra 2nd place – Gator Bhangra
- Bhangra 1st place – NSU Bhangra
- Competition Winners:
- Sponsors: A sincere thank you to our platinum sponsor, the Reddy Family; our gold sponsors American Heritage, Patel Brothers; our silver sponsors Jalaram Produce, and Bank United; and our juice and snack sponsor House of Spices – for their generous support.
- Advertisers: We appreciate the advertisers who placed advertisements in our Diwali Program Book.
- Community Proclamations: Thanks to various cities and municipalities, including City of Plantation, City of Coral Springs, City of Southwest Ranches, City of Wilton Manors, for proclaiming Hindu Heritage Month and recognizing Diwali as a holiday. This helps spread awareness of Diwali and Indian culture in our local communities.
- Acknowledgments: Gratitude to Broward Sheriff Office, NASA Space Program, City of Aventura, Tamarac North Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce, City of Weston, and even the San Francisco 49ers for acknowledging Diwali and spreading happiness on this beautiful holiday.
- School Board: Thank you to Broward County School Board and its members Brenda Fam, Jeff Hollness, Tony Albano for spearheading the effort to make Diwali a holiday for our school kids.
- Competition Hosts: A warm thank you to Eric Yutzy and the Yutzy family for hosting the competition segment in the evening and to Channel 10 for the news coverage. Click here to watch the video.
- Media Partners: Gratitude to the Sun Sentinel for their extensive coverage of the event through photos. Click here to view their gallery.
- Volunteers: A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers and youth club members who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the event.
- Our Families: To our spouses and families, we extend our deepest thanks for the unwavering support throughout the year. Your contributions do not go unnoticed.
If we have accidentally missed mentioning you here, please trust us when we say that the omission was definitely not intentional.
Finally, to the entire IRCC community, we are a 100% volunteer organization, and your continued support is what propels us forward. We welcome new faces into the IRCC Board and organizing committees. Join us, and together, let’s take our organization to new heights!
Once again, thank you for making our Diwali Celebration truly special. We look forward to seeing you at our next event, Anand Bazaar (with kite flying) on Sunday, January 28, 2024!
As the glow of Diwali gently gives way, we transition into the season of gratitude, wishing you all a joyful and Happy Thanksgiving!
Writing assistance provided by ChatGPT.
