The KCS Women’s forum is a group that connects, educates, and supports women of all ages in our community. We value friendship, individuality, education, and fostering a sense of cohesiveness among the community members. We provide opportunities and experiences that will empower our members and also inspire them to give back to our community through mentorship, volunteering, and charity work.
2023 Women's Forum Chairpersons
2023 Activities
March 2022
Celebrate International Women's Day & World Health Day with us on Saturday, March 18th.
- Save a life with CPR training from 1:00-3:00 PM
- Register for CPR Training - Panel discussion on this year's IWD theme #EmbraceEquality - 3:30-4:30 PM
𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠.
February 2023
31-Day Burpee Challenge - due March 6, 2023
Tagline Contest Winner Announcement at Hridayaragam event
Tagline: Together...We can shine!
Winner: Reshma Suraj
January 2022
Tagline Contest for this year's Women's Forum theme: Health & Friendship
ONGOING
Yoga for All - with Satishji - Every Saturday at 8:00 AM EST
Contact womensforum@kcsmw.org for link to join this free yoga class.
Snehalayam 2022
The second Snehalayam home for 2022 is completed and the key handover took place on February 26, 2023. Thank you all for your support and patience to ensure Rekha and her family have a safe home. Special thanks to 2022 Women's Forum chairs for raising funds to build two homes in 2022 and a big shoutout to Team Darshana for their leadership in completing their second project with KCSMW.
2013-2021 Activities
November 2022
Charity Night - Fundraising event for Snehalayam
October 2022
Winter Drive: KCS Women's Forum is hosting a drive through Sunday, October 23rd to donate to Women Giving Back and Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia. We will be collecting Winter clothing (for women and children), household items, and cleaning supplies.
September 2022
Pothichoru Drive - All proceeds go to the Snehalayam Project
July 2022
Pothichoru Drive - All proceeds go to the Snehalayam Project
April 2022
Parental Guidance Webinar: Practical Parenting Information
March 2022
Panel discussion on IWD theme #BreakTheBias
February 2022
Financial Planning: Learn about the importance to creating a Will and/or Trust
January 2022
Career Guidance Webinar
- Virtual Meet & Greet with fun topics - Get gardening tips from pro gardener, Vidya Nair, and learn about Handlooms and Weaves from an expert, Biji Shaji. (Feb 28th)
- Valentine Couple Photo Contest (Feb14th)
- Seed Sharing Program - Novice initiative to share seeds and seedlings to encourage our own home garden. (April through June 2021)
- Snehalayam 2021 - Recurring initiative to build a home for the selected beneficiary (In progress) / Beneficiary selection completed
- Pothichoru Drive 2021- Fundraiser event where KCS women's forum volunteers prepared and packaged the pothichoru based on pre-orders. Raised $4287 towards Snehalayam project (Sept 19th) https://youtu.be/hAVPgK0FISQ
- October Info Session (Oct 17th)
- Mindfulness in a stressful environment - By Dr. Reena Gopinathan
- US school systems - Parents need to know - By Mrs. Kirthi Thampuran
- Breast cancer awareness video - By Dr. Asha Potti
Event Details
Snehalayam 2021
2021 Beneficiary is Amrita Raj and family from Kollam district.
- See the കട്ടിള സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്ന ചടങ്ങ് - Brick laying ceremony photos from February 11, 2022.
- ശിലാസ്ഥാപനം ceremony was held on India's Republic Day on January 26, 2022.
October Info Session
- Mindfulness in a stressful environment - By Dr. Reena Gopinathan
- US school systems - Parents need to know - By Mrs. Kirthi Thampuran https://youtu.be/WuujG86CHbQ
- Breast cancer awareness video - By Dr. Asha Potti. https://youtu.be/pqzaYLEjRkg
Pothichoru Drive
Homemade meals were prepared and packaged by KCS women's forum volunteers based on the pre-orders that came in. View the highlights here - > https://youtu.be/hAVPgK0FISQ
Seed Sharing Program - This novice program was formed with 28 people who inspired each other to exchange seeds, seedlings, and cuttings. We began the process around mid-April with seeds and went into early June (saplings and seedlings exchange)
. 
Valentine Couple Photo Contest - Prize sponsors for the top two most liked pics - Sarees from J2M Styles and Parul's Fashions
(1st Prize - Susan and Jayan AND 2nd Prize - Sreenaja and Sanjay)
Virtual Meet & Greet - First coffee of the year with some fun topics
Snehalayam 2020 - home for Amina and her family has been completed.
Collected over $7300 at our Annual Fundraiser and Charity Dinner for Snehalayam Project to help build a house for a widow and her daughter from Palakkad district.
Collected $8,935 for Snehalayam Project to build a house for the needy family in Kozhikode.
Volunteered at the Maryland Food Bank.
Kerala Flood Relief Fundraiser – collected and donated $35,476 to various organizations to support the flood victims in Kerala.
Collected and Donated $11,821
- Snehalayam, a new project to build a house for the needy family in Kerala.
- Snehalayam 2017 we built a house for a family in Alappuzha.
- PRATHEEKSHA – to provide education for the under privileged children for a full year.
- Hope for Henry Foundation for Cancer Research - care for seriously ill children and their families
- Dhisha Kerala’s Oppam Project – to provide education materials.
Volunteered:
- The Grassroots Crisis Intervention by providing home-made dinner every month.
- NVFS Serve Campus – Provided home-made food every quarter.
Collected and Donated $5325
Donated to:
- PRATHEEKSHA – to provide education for the under privileged children for a full year.
- Hope for Henry Foundation for Cancer Research - care for seriously ill children and their families
- Ellicott City Flood Relief
- My Life Learning Inc
Volunteered at:
- The Grassroots Crisis Intervention by providing dinner every month
- Cloth drive in June
Collected and Donated $5,000
Donated to:
- Hope for Henry Foundation for Cancer Research - care for seriously ill children and their families
- Thanal Balashramam - to help provide education for the under-privileged children of ages 10 and below.
- Radha Krishna Public Trust – a home that provides a HOME for the mothers.
Volunteered at:
- The Grassroots Crisis Intervention by providing dinner every month.
- LAWS – Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter in Leesburg, VA
- NVFS’ Serve Campus – Provided home-made food every month.
Collected and Donated $6,400
Donated to:
- Little Flower Mercy Home
- Dr. Ambedkar Memorial Orphanage and Rehabilitation Center
- Emmanuel Snehasramam Children’s Center
- Montgomery Women’s shelter
Volunteered at:
- Women’s Center in Rockville, MD - A shelter for homeless women.
Activities
- Stitch-n-style workshop (3)
- Mind, body & soul workshop
Collected and Donated $6,100
Donated to:
- PRATHEEKSHA – to provide education for the under privileged children for a full year.
- Regional Cancer Center in Trivandrum (RCC) – to the Poor Patient Welfare Fund for supporting women cancer patients.