A Babcock Ranch resident stood on the Nasdaq Stock Market platform in New York’s Times Square during the Aug. 15 closing bell ceremony to help announce a Rotary-led effort to give away 20,000 children’s books.
Priya Ahluwalia, public image chair of the SWFL Rotary Club, traveled from Charlotte County with fellow Rotarians to join Chef Vikas Khanna, a Michelin-starred restaurateur and author who is donating his 39th book, Festivals at the Bungalow.
Through outreach to Rotary clubs in the U.S. and India, as well as support from businesses and donors, the group raised $20,000 to cover printing costs. The books will be distributed free of charge through Rotary literacy programs for children.
Ahluwalia previously honored Khanna by presenting him with the Paul Harris Fellow pin, a Rotary International award recognizing $1,000 contributions to the Rotary Foundation. She also named him an honorary member of the SWFL Rotary Club.
Priya Ahluwalia, public image chair of the SWFL Rotary Club, displays the club banner in New York’s Times Square announcing a Rotary-led campaign to donate 20,000 children’s books.
“Until then, Khanna had only heard of Rotary but not experienced its global impact,” Ahluwalia said.
Back from her trip to New York, Ahluwalia called the Nasdaq ceremony unforgettable. “To stand in Times Square while seeing our book cover light up the Nasdaq tower was a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” she said. “What is more powerful is knowing that these books will soon be in the hands of children, sparking imagination and promoting literacy.”
Ahluwalia said the appearance marked a milestone for Rotary, which had never before launched a children’s book at the stock exchange.
Looking ahead, she said the SWFL Rotary Club will partner with clubs across the region, including those in Anna Maria Island, Wellen Park, Fort Myers East, LaBelle, Naples Bay and the SWFL Interact Club, to expand literacy programs.
Ahluwalia and her husband, Mohit Pohani, are known in Charlotte and Lee counties for their work with MoAloo Ventures, an organization they founded to promote business innovation, service and social responsibility. The couple relocated from New York City to Babcock Ranch and remain deeply involved in the community.
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