Our Programs
Annual Academic Scholarship
The NGS foundation awards an annual academic scholarship to graduating seniors from Midland Park High School, Neil’s alma mater (1994). Our goal is to honor Neil’s memory and continue his legacy by providing a scholarship to a student who best embodies Neil’s outstanding character. Among the qualities, we look for in a student are a passion for life, a caring attitude for others, commitment to community service, and strong family values. Through the scholarship, we hope to promote higher education for high school students while easing the financial burden of college.
Education Rural Children in India
In the interest of advocating educational causes, the Neil G. Shastri Foundation for Education has decided to broaden its scope to the international level. Our newest endeavor is a project that is sponsored by GlobalGiving to help support rural children in India obtain an education. These children live in abject poverty, lacking the means to acquire more formal education. Because of this “poverty trap” and lack of government funding, these children do not have a structured environment to learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Additionally, many of them do not have access to clean drinking water and basic health care, including common vaccines. The lack of developed infrastructure compounds the problem, leaving many without the proper tools to obtain an education.
Tour of the Masters Program
The NGS Foundation sponsored one student from the Jersey City Arts High School to take part in “A Tour of the Masters”, an intensive 8-day tour of the theater and fine arts in London.
The Jersey City Arts High School (JCAHS) is a unique program consisting of a small group of professional teachers and artists who offer advanced training and instruction in the arts for select Jersey City high school students. The students spend one-third of their school day on the campus of New Jersey City University to learn, rehearse and create. These students provide numerous productions, concerts, and exhibitions for the entire Jersey City community and beyond.
The Doe Fund
Over the last 6 years, The NGS Foundation has contributed over $4000 to "The Doe Fund" (http://www.doe.org). This is a New York based organization that provides opportunities for homeless people to restore their lives through work and the principles of personal responsibility. If you have visited New York City or Jersey City recently, you may have seen these "Men in Blue" cleaning the streets. The Doe Fund's Ready, Willing & Able (RWA) Program offers these individuals a second chance to rebuild their lives through paid work opportunities and supportive services, as well as educational and vocational training programs.
Foundation for the Blind
For many years, people who are blind or visually impaired have had few options for accessing computers. Windows-based personal computers with very expensive screen reading or screen magnification software are still considered by most to be the only option. Recently, Apple developed a full-fledged screen reader and screen magnification package that they include as part of their Operating System on all of their computers. This is especially attractive to adults who are blind or visually impaired, over 70% of whom are unemployed/under-employed.
