The Toybank Day!...
The first ever stakeholder meeting of Toybank was held in
Mumbai on the 9th of June. Everyone associated with it from various
cities came together and were felicitated for their contributions at various
levels towards the success of Toybank.
The mood was set by the Toybank band alongside showcasing the journey
of the toy bankers in a video Montage. The pictures brought forth vibrancy in
the atmosphere and everyone eagerly awaited the speeches to be made by those
who had worked sincerely in making Toybank what it is today.
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| Toybank Band: Vishakha, Vikram & Joslyn |
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| Shweta... addressing the audience |
Mr. Purab Kohli (actor/model) said that he first met Shweta at a conference 8 years ago and was happy when she put a toy in his hand and was glad to be a part of this wonderful bank.
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| Purab Kohli: Sharing his Toybanking experience |
Mr. Subramanyam requested everyone seated there to spread
the word about Toybank, stating it to be a wonderful concept of re-using toys
and spreading happiness.
Mr. Nimesh who helped with arranging the venue and dinner
thanked and appreciated Shweta in her efforts and thoughtfulness in spending
money on an organization that has helped put a big smile on the faces of little
children for all these years.
Mrs. Nagpal form Ecole Mondial school, Juhu, said she was
grateful to have been involved with the organization.
Mrs. Thakur, Principal at a Marathi Medium school in
Borivali said, “Thanks to Toybank the students have learnt to love and enjoy
the English language. They can now spell, understand fruits, vegetables and
alphabets and recognize the various international flags, so a special thanks to
Shweta and Farnaza.”
Karmayog that provided and online platform and Toolbox
for helping with the internal logistics of rural Maharashtra were
felicitated. The Deloitte and Stylus
team that contributed heartily by conducting toy collection drives and four young
boys of Ecole Mondial school who sold cookies and bought toys were also felicitated.
Then there was the screening of a movie captured by movie makers from Singapore International Foundation, that showed the audiences the activities conducted by the volunteers and their experiences.
Then there was the screening of a movie captured by movie makers from Singapore International Foundation, that showed the audiences the activities conducted by the volunteers and their experiences.
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| Shweta Chari with Mr.Vinay Somani |
Swetha Dua who helped start Toybank in Bangalore, Pune and
Delhi said that she learnt it step by step and it slowly started to spread to
other cities. In Bangalore she found support through I-Volunteer. “I was so
happy to see so many smiles and there was no pressure of work at Toybank. I want
to give credit to my core team. The best hardworking team and thanks to them I
like going to the same workplace everyday’’.
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| Swetha Dua: Sharing her Toybanking experience |
Ms. Avni, handling
the Toybank in Pune said that this was definitely not an additional social
service that they were doing, it was something they enjoyed and loved doing.
Siddharth, a volunteer in Mumbai said that it urged him to
compromise the beer drinking evenings and do something meaningful. He has worked
for Toybank for the past two and a half years and has found it to be a
fantastic experience.
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| Avni Pattani: Sharing here Toybanking experience |
Shweta Chari said
that the entire event was managed by the volunteers and they all seemed driven
to make this a success. She gave a special thanks to Farnaza (only full time
employee who alongside pursued her MBA). “She sailed through it all. It has been almost 2 years now and thankyou for
everything,’’ she said.
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| Toybankers :) |
The Saturday air was filled with pleasant and excited chatter as faces were recognized and hands were shaken.
Click here to check out more pics of the Toybank Day!
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