 |
|
Vision & Mission
To foster and preserve Indian cultural values amongst children.
General Information & HistoryBal Vihar of St. Louis, a non-profit organization, since its inception in 1993 has been serving the metro St. Louis southeast Asian/Indian community of about 10,000 families. The primary focus of this organization is to provide Indian cultural and historical education for children. Bal Vihar is a school to educate, foster and preserve Asian Cultural values. Bal Vihar has 200+ students and over 35 volunteer teachers and teaching assistants. Bal Vihar, is an all-volunteer organization with a well-defined bylaws and a mature organizational structure. There is an established process of election of its office bearers. Our volunteers are the best in their fields of business, education, science, medicine and engineering. Bal Vihar has a board of advisors, who are prominent members of the community. Bal Vihar is a not-for profit status 501(c)(3) under the name of "Center for Indian Cultural Education - Bal Vihar of St. Louis". The organization has seen tremendous growth through the years with a current registration of over 200 students ranging from 5-16 years old. The students are organized into several classrooms based on their age. There is a designated curriculum. There are several interfaith and community outreach activities which are included as part of the curriculum. Bal Vihar helps students to learn Indian culture and its application to global multicultural and multifaceted society. With value based teaching, the students learn respect, honesty and good citizenship. They are also taught discipline, tolerance and devotion in their daily routine. Bal Vihar’s main goal is to integrate Indian cultural values with the mainstream. This organization prepares the future achievers of the United States to be well rounded and apply the learned values for the best of the communities. The ultimate goal is "to throw the light of cultural knowledge on every child, to make every child an outstanding citizen and to spread the song of peace and harmony around the world" Currently Bal Vihar rents a public school for its classes on weekends. The organization is able to mange its routine operations through nominal registration fees. In an effort to better serve the community and to provide a conducive environment for future learning and growth, Bal Vihar school is relocating from its current leased facility. The new location is in a multi-million dollar proposed building being constructed by the Hindu Temple. The funding of the school building relocation effort is planned through a fundraising gala event fundraising. We are soliciting private, corporate and public donations. We anticipate that this facility can eventually be used as a learning facility for anyone eager to learn about Indian culture and heritage.The cultural school is designed to promote, instill, and foster Indian culture in children of ages 5 and above. The children ages 5 though 12 are involved in activities such as prayers, yogasan, teachings of Indian culture, studies of values from the Indian epics Mahabharat, Ramayan and exposure to Hitopadesh, Panchtantra etc. The children also participate in local community activities. For the youth group (ages 12 years and above), Bal Vihar encourages children to participate in different activities that promote respect and understanding of different cultures. Students have provided practical help to the communities in need. Our children continue participating in services provided by national and local organizations such as: Community Events
Various in-house community events such as Grand Parents program, Youth Lunch Program and helping at the Blood and Bone Marrow Drives have been a good success in the past few years. The school provides Community Service Hours Certificate to students to use for high school graduation. Bal Vihar is not only teaching Indian culture but also exposing the students to other cultures and religions by having our classes visit other places of worship. The school year for Bal Vihar begins in September and ends in May. The classes are held twice a month between 10am and 12:30pm at Ballwin Elementary School, 400 Jefferson, Ballwin, MO 63021. This activity is promoted by many local organizations such as The Hindu Temple of St. Louis, Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis and Mahatma Gandhi Center and other organizations. To find out more about this school, you can contact any member of the administrative staff. |
|
©2010 Balvihar, St. Louis
|