Ashwini Devare, currently residing in Maryland, USA and working for a software company. Ashwini completed her college degree in Dhule and started professional life in Mumbai.

In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, cooking. Ashiwini has been volunteering for community events, support at senior citizen homes, Alzheimer association and many other philanthropic organizations. In addition, in her spare time, Ashwini loves gardening, teaching, learning ancient history, culture and architecture.

Coming to USA and sitting idle at home was very difficult for Ashwini. As she was very much occupied in my research work and life in Mumbai. After exploring couple of options, Ashwini started volunteering from 1999 with an old age home in Minneapolis, at St Methodist Church. Volunteering there made her realize that there are so many people who need help for their basic daily routine which they were not able to do it on their own. There are so many ways one can help them. Their life was completely dependent on someone's help. That was really heart touching to see them helpless. While volunteering at Methodist Church for elderly people, she realized that “One doesn’t need to be rich or highly educated to be a volunteer… you just need a heart who understand the need of the people”. You can give it back to the community you are living in many ways.

Ashwini’s volunteering work expanded at her daughter’s school in India initially and then in USA where she started helping kids with special needs. Since 2004, she is volunteering for kids with learning disabilities as well as kids with special needs like physically challenged, autism, cerebral palsy. So far, Ashwini have worked closely with 50+ kids to make them independent with their basic needs.

In future Ashwini really want to continue working for the kids in rural part of India where very few resources available. Diagnosis of these unseen disabilities is also very difficult because of many social, financial or other causes.

Ashwini truly believes in the famous quote by John F. Kennedy: “Every person can make a difference, and every person should try.”