Mahamaya Girls’ College Alumnae Association of North America Annual Report of the 2005/2006 Year MGCAANA, 2417 NE 20 th Street, Renton, Washington 98056, U.S.A. A bout the Association O ur mission is to build, foster, and promote the unique and total growth of each individual alumna and student of Mahamaya Girls’ College by providing a network of social, professional, educational, and cultural opportunities. O ur vision is to create a future where inspired, well-rounded, and successful alumnae, living in North America, and students of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy, Sri Lanka work together to benefit society. T he Beginning The Inaugural Annual General Meeting of MGCAANA was held on the 13 th of August 2005 in Seattle, Washington. At this point, we had a membership of 31, ages ranging from 23 years to 70 years. Board of Directors (2005/2006) Neranjika Dissanayake, Nilmini Dorabawila, Vajeera Dorabawila, Harshi Liyanage, Arushie Nugapitiya, and Sujatha Werake. Officers (2005/2006) President – Sujatha Werake Vice President – Geethanjalie Selvendran Secretary – Deepa Dharshani Nanayakkara Treasurer/Web Manager – Neranjika Dissanayake The Board of Directors and Officers hold monthly meetings. B ecome an Active Member Members of MGCAANA are our strength and support. Membership provides us ways to stay in touch with our school and its alumnae and offers us opportunities to give back to society and our Alma Mater. MGCAANA now comprises more than 50 members and well-wishers of Mahamaya, living in the United States of America and Canada. Membership Survey In January 2006, we surveyed our members to determine the direction that MGCAANA should take in the future. Fundraising Raffle The Fundraising Committee organized a raffle in April U pcoming Events 75 th Anniversary of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy In celebration of the 75 th anniversary, we will be publishing a commemorative volume in January Undergraduate Scholarship Program We are in the process of initiating an undergraduate scholarship program, recognizing alumnae demonstrating outstanding academic achievements, leadership abilities, and participation in extracurricular activities, and requiring a significant level of financial need. Scholarships for Students at Mahamaya Girls’ College We are planning to provide scholarships to needy students at Mahamaya from funds donated by a member of MGCAANA. S upport Our Programs If you would like to: donate new or used computers or give monetary support to the cause, sponsor a disadvantaged student at Mahamaya for $10-15 a month or contribute to our Undergraduate Scholarship Program, and/or make a generous donation to help our organization grow to its fullest potential, please contact us at Written by Deepa Dharshani Nanayakkara, Secretary (2005/2006) M embership Benefits Our Newsletter – Maya Puwath Maya Puwath is published bimonthly, electronically. It not only promotes networking among members, our Alma Mater, and the Mahamaya Old Girls’ Association (Kandy and Colombo branches), but also addresses valuable topics through the Recipe Corner, as well as the Medical and Memorable-Moments-from-School- Days Columns. Four issues of Maya Puwath have already been published and are accessible under “Maya Puwath” on our website. We invite your suggestions and comments for improving the quality of Maya Puwath. Host and Travel Club We are delighted to introduce our new host program through which we seek to provide safe accommodation to students (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral) during short school breaks and longer vacations and also to facilitate acclimation of Mahamaya alumnae on arrival to the United States and Canada. R ecent Events Donations We donated money to Katrina victims by doing a car wash. We also made a donation to the JEENA Foundation in California, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with developmental disorders The Computer Project As an organization committed to increasing educational growth among our students, we sent four used computers to Mahamaya Girls’ College in May 2006.