Inclusion, Service and Outreach – A Message from the President, TANA

I thank you and your family from the depth of my heart for giving me the great opportunity and responsibility to serve as the President of the oldest and largest ethnic organization in North America and thereby represent the social, cultural and educational needs of the diverse Telugu Community in the United States and Canada. It is an immense honor and I will do my best in safeguarding the core strengths of the organization while striving to take it to greater heights in terms of visibility, membership, inclusion and stature.

Firstly, let me congratulate Dr. Chowdary Jampala and Dr. Kurmanadha Rao Chadalawada and all the Chairpersons and members of the various conference committees of the 21st TANA Conference, St. Louis for presenting a spectacular and successful event.  The food, ambiance and well-coordinated programs over the three days was the result of the hardwork and dedication of over 300 selfless volunteers and it has definitely enhanced the goodwill and outreach of TANA.

I have started to work closely with all the regional coordinators to ensure that the legacy community outreach programs such as TEAM SQUARE, TANA CARES, TANA CURIE, TANA 5K Run and the annual BACKPACK program transition seamlessly without delay or interruption. I am also actively and aggressively soliciting input on new ideas that will allow us to penetrate the smaller cities with an inclusive approach to broaden the base and provide services inline with our mission. I have sought recommendations from local leadership to appoint city coordinators and ad-hoc committees that will work in implementing the ideas of the Executive Committee, BOD and the Foundation at the ground level. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer or a committee member please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

It has always been my strong belief that in order to perpetuate the mission of TANA and assimilate the cultural heritage of the Telugu-speaking people into the mainstream of North America, it is imperative that the organization exhibit consistency and permanency in both action and perception. As an indicator of effective long-term existence and commitment to productive and actionable service, I truly believe we should:

a)      hold multiple regional conference in various parts of North America as a lead-up to the main biennial conference in 2019.

b)      invest in physical infrastructure – by committing to raising money for the Building Fund as defined in Article XII, Section 3 of the TANA bylaws and fulfill our long cherished dream of building a self-sufficient TANA Bhavan.

I intend to be in constant touch with our membership through newsletters, social media and our website. I once again thank you for this opportunity and look forward to hearing from you about innovative ideas that will enable us to conduct mission centric activities that will enhance our capabilities and allow us to continue as the flagship organization representing the Telugu Community in North America.

Satish Vemana
President, TANA