The College of Public Health is thrilled to announce a $5,000 gift to the School of Nursing Scholarship Fund from the REACH IN US, co-founded by Chanda and Ravi Athale who are members of the Mason Nation as an alum and a former instructor, respectively.
Now, they are active contributors to the future of the College and the School of Nursing.
“We have been in the Commonwealth area for almost 40 years, and we saw where Mason started and continue to see where it is going now,” said Chanda. “Since we have such a close relationship with Mason, we want to see it continue to grow, providing quality education to the community.”
“Mason has grown tremendously over the years, evolving and expanding, creating its own unique identity, evident even more so now by becoming the first College of Public Health in Virginia. It is not only the College’s growth, but its growth in the right direction that has inspired us to donate,” said Ravi.
Chanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (‘92) and Master of Science in Nursing (‘96). Their daughter also earned her BSN from Mason in 2008. Ravi served as a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing for 11 years (1990-2001).
REACH IN US was founded on the mission to improve the lives of those in their communities through health care and education. The Foundation began as an informal organization named Friends of Anandwan, dedicated to supporting health care and education initiatives in India. After becoming an established non-profit, REACH IN US now undertakes projects both in India and the United States.
This year, REACH IN US celebrated its 17th annual Heart & Soul Walk, an event dedicated to bringing together supporters.
The Foundation has been a long-standing partner with Northern Virginia Community College, providing funding to students through two-year fellowships. In alignment with the College’s values, Chanda and Ravi are motivated to provide more opportunities to students who may not have them otherwise with donations to the College’s School of Nursing.
“We want to provide individuals who are at a critical stage in life where a little bit of financial help could change the trajectory of their lives. Our donations to scholarships will not only make a difference for the individual who can go on to earn degrees and certification, because they can then go out and contribute to society as a whole for years to come,” said Ravi. “That is what we feel makes donating to the College worthwhile.”
Through their donation to the College, they are looking forward to seeing their gift expand opportunities to more students.
“Mason has a degree program like no other so it will be special to witness the difference the Foundation is making,” Chanda said.
“To see the concrete impact of our giving is priceless,” said Ravi.
We encourage you to support the School of Nursing program as well. Please consider donating by clicking on this link: https://nursing.gmu.edu/give.
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