• Earth Day, April 22, 2022
    Earth has always been a generous mother, by providing us with food, shelter, and happiness.  Let us return the favor by preserving and protecting her!  It is our responsibility to take care of Planet Earth, and it is our responsibility to handover mother earth to our future generations in a healthier place.  We all need to work together to make it a better place. 

    I am proud to inform you that the Gujarati Samaj of St Louis has been actively trying to go green over the last few years. One perfect example is our Culture Show’s program guide.  By making it available electronically, we are no longer printing hundreds of copies of the program guide.  As a teenager myself, I am very happy to see that we have recycle bins and water bottle filling stations at our GSSTL CENTER.  Let’s join hands on Earth Day, to make our Earth a better place to live in.
    Donate For Disaster Relief - Tornado Devastation in the U.S.
     
    A monstrous tornado outbreak tore across 220 miles last Friday evening, creating devastation in parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The storms spawned at least 50 tornadoes, destroying countless buildings, factories, roads, bridges and a nursing home.

    We have started a donation drive to help those most affected by the storms, to help support the families that are affected by the disaster, to provide them a safe place to stay, providing medical supplies, etc. in the face of one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in years.
     
    It is the season of giving. Let us all stretch our giving and donate towards this urgent need. 
    Date: Sept 18th, 2021 Health Fair
    The Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis organized a Health Fair, that was open to public, at the GSSTL Center.

    The event hosted 40+ heath care service providers across 15+ services like Primary Care, Cardiologist, Blood Tests & Typing, COVID Booster Shot, Shingles Vaccines, Diabetes Specialist,  Tetanus Vaccine, Pneumonia Vaccine, Urologist, Kidney Specialist, Nutrition & Diet, Flu Shots, Vision blood drive and others.

    The event, supported by over 50 volunteers, was participated by 175+ attendees who availed of the various health services offered. Special thanks to all Doctors for donating their valuable time and expertise along with our valued partners - Walmart, Affinia HealthCare, ImpactLife, Prairie Farms, and Parties & Props. 

    ImpactLife collected 27 units of blood, against their goal of 12, impacting over 76 lives.
    ​Date: July 19th, 2021 Blood Drive with ImpactLife
    We participated in the 20th Annual Hazelwood Police Benevolent Assoc Golf Tournament, that was held at Whitmoor Country-Club, to support fund raising. The organization provides benefits and financial relief to officers of this department that become ill, injured or disabled.
    Date: June 12th, 2021 Blood Drive with ImpactLife
    A message from our partners @ ImpactLife 
    "    Thanks for hosting another successful Gujarati Samaj blood drive at Park 370!  We registered 18  donors, had 4 deferrals, resulting in 14 units on a goal of 12.  And, since each whole blood donation can be broken into multiple components, 42 lives or more can be impacted based on the donations at this drive alone!  Thanks again to all involved on behalf of the donor recipients!"​

    A sincere thank you to all our donors, with gratitude.
    Date: May 22nd, 2021 COVID Relief Fund Raising
    We organized a fund raising drive to help COVID relief, raising and distributing $8,500, globally. We sincerely appreciate everyone involved in making an impact on this global unprecedented crisis.
    Date: Nov 7th, 2020 Canstruction
    The Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis organized a collaborative community project event, “Canstruction” drive, partnering with Bal Vihar of St Louis. A mural from 2000+ cans was created by the youth of the community. They also  worked on team building skills along with participating in other activities like debate, and discussions. Projects like this can help put emphasis on team building for our youth; in unison, this cause can make a difference in our continued effort on beating hunger.  The uniquely designed and created mural wall of canned goods will be on display for a couple of weeks at the GSSTL Center. Afterwards, the cans will be donated to the Hazelwood TEAM Food Pantry.
    Date: Sept 26th, 2020 Health Fair

    We are very happy to inform you that we will have blood screening and flu vaccinations available at the FREE and open to ALL Health fair. 

    Please see the flyer for more details on the health fair and the services available. 

    In partnership with the MRVBC, there will also be a blood drive, which will run in parallel with the Health Fair.
    Date: July 25th, 2020
    Blood Donation Drive - on July 25th, we successfully organized a blood donation drive with our partner organization Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC). Here's a message from them "This units are especially helpful in the summer, and even more so in our current COVID environment.  And, since each whole blood donation can be broken into multiple components, 17 lives or more could be impacted based on the donations at this drive alone.  Thanks again to all involved on behalf of the donor recipients!"
    Date: June 13th, 2020
    ​Food Donation Drive
    Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis collected over 1000 food cans, during the Open House of our GSSTL CENTER, benefiting Team Food Pantry in Hazelwood.  

    Thanks to the generosity and selflessness to help feed the hungry families in our community.  With your help we made a big impact in the community of our new home.
    ​
    "On behalf of TEAMs volunteers, clients and the board we wish to say thank you to, the GSSTL CENTER, a non-profit organization (Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis). As president of the board I wish to thank ou for choosing our North County community and thank you for what you have done for TEAM." Mark Behlmann.
    Blood donation is important because maintaining an adequate blood supply in our community secures blood transfusions for patients. And IT SAVES LIVES.  The Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis organizes regular blood donation drives in tandem with local blood banks like Mississippi Regional Blood Center, America Red Cross and others. ​
    Dozens of member volunteers traveled to Moore, Oklahoma to help the tornado ravaged communities with the storm recovery and cleanup.

    Food Bank - our community youth stepped up to support fighting hunger and feeding hope in our community, by participating at the     St. Louis Area Foodbank, spending time sorting, packing or stacking food and making an enormous difference for the food banks and the families they serve.

    Engaging senior residents in meaningful activities. Studies show that seniors who stay socially active and engaged experience a variety of benefits including an improved mental, emotional and physical well-being. Monthly, senior citizen events are hosted and facilitated by the members of our organization.
     
  • Date: April 23rd, Culture Show @ GSSTL Center
    Program Details
    6:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Culture Show
    Refreshments will be available for purchase from 4 pm onwards.

    Note: this is a member only event and you must be a 2022 PAID member. Please click on this link to renew your membership, immediately - https://www.gujaratisamajstl.org/store/c2/Membership.html
    Date: Dec 11th, Fund Raiser & Trivia Night @ GSSTL Center
    Program Details
    Here are the details of the event: 
    •            5:00 pm to 10:00 pm – Social gathering, Trivia Night & Banquet Dinner
    Date: October 2021
    Certificate of Recognition of October as a Hindu Heritage month.
    Date: Oct 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th, Navratri @ GSSTL Center
    Program Details
    1. 2021 dues paid members will be (free) and non-members ($15 per guest). Tickets will be available at the venue, on the date of the events. You can still pay your dues here https://www.gujaratisamajstl.org/pay-membership.html
    2. All guests aged 12 and above MUST be fully COVID-19 vaccinated with all doses at least two weeks prior to attending.
    3. All guests (no exceptions) aged 12 and above WILL BE REQUIRED to provide a photo, electronic, or physical copy of their vaccination card with a legible name as provided by your local jurisdiction, at the entrance.
    4. Venue: GSSTL Center at 210 Fee Fee Hills Dr, Hazelwood, MO 63042
    5. Dates: Oct 1st & 2nd, 8th & 9th and 15th & 16th
    6. Timing: 7:30 pm onwards
    7. Please contact the following people for sponsoring Aarti and/or Prasad:
      1. For Oct 1st & 2nd - Dharmendra (DiDi) Patel @ (618) 581-3096 or Prashant Patel @ (314) 495-8686
      2. For Oct 8th & 9th - Mahendra Patel @ (314) 255-8609 or Samir Bhakta @ (636) 734-7812
      3. For Oct 15th & 16th - Gaurang Bhavsar @ (314) 799-7287 or Hemal Sanghvi @ (314) 662-4049
    Please note: Samaj will provide Prasad, however, members can choose to sponsor / donate towards the same. Absolutely NO outside food or Prasad will be allowed!  
    1. Liquor (of any kind) will NOT BE PERMITTED in the entire facility including the parking lots.  This will be monitored by the security guards.
    2. To ensure safety of all guests, we will have security monitoring and facilitating the event, all days.
    The Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis is organizing a Health Fair (Sept 18th, 8:30 am to 1 pm) at the GSSTL Center, 210 Fee Fee Hills Dr, Hazelwood, MO 63042.

    The event is open to anyone & everyone with most offered at no cost.

    The Health Fair will host Primary Care Physicians, Cardiologists, Blood Pressure Screening, Vision Screening, Urologist, Pain Management, Height, Weight and BMO, Blood Testing/Screening, Diabetes Screening, Flu Shot, COVID vaccines, Nutrition & Diet and Blood Typing.

    We also want to assure you that the event will be held in accordance with local and state COVID guidelines and with a safety-first mindset. All attendees will be required to wear a mask at all times and will also be required to submit a COVID questionnaire before entering the event. 
    Date: Aug 23rd, Updated and Executed Bylaws
    Attached are the updated and executed bylaws.
    Date: Aug 14th, Gala Event @ GSSTL Center
    Program Details    ​
    5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Appetizers
    6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Entry & Seating in the Hall
    7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Speeches & presentations
           a. Welcome by President Mr. DiDi Patel
           b. Presentation and update by Board-of-Trustee Chairman Dr. Sharad Parikh
           c. Keynote Speech by guest speaker Mr. Rick Stevens, CEO Christian Hospital
           d. Journey of GSSTL Center by Board-of-Trustee Vice Chairman Mr. Samir Bhakta
    8:00 pm Dinner & Live Entertainment
    Date: July 24th, Cultural Show @ GSSTL Center
    One of our most enjoyable events, the Culture Show, is coming up soon,  Saturday July 24th. Participants will perform live from our GSSTL CENTER, 7pm.  Deadline to register is Saturday July 10th.  To sign up and/or to get additional information, please contact Ishita Sanghvi 314 494 5594 or Kaushik Bhatt 314 443 8425. 
    Date: Jun 12th, Picnic & Blood Drive
    Thanks to all those who attended our picnic, in large numbers (approximately 300) people, and providing a great start to 2021.

    And thank you to all members who supporting the blood drive and impacting 42+ lives.
    Date: Apr 7th, Gujarati Samaj renews public non-profit status
    We are proud to inform our members that the Gujarati Samaj is now a public charity organization under sections IRC section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). We continues to be exempt from federal income tax under IRS Section 501(c)(3).
    Date: Mar 13th, 7 pm, Sangeet Sandhya / Geetmala
    ​​Link for watching tomorrow's event - https://fb.watch/49NZ4z1Cvz/
    ​
    For those of you who have signed up, you will be required to attend a rehearsal at the GSSTL Center on Sunday March 7th between 2 and 4.   This will help eliminate technical difficulties and ensure your fabulous talents will be displayed.  We strongly encourage those of you watching online to leave comments while our performers are singing.   Please contact  Didi Patel 618-581-3096, Ishita Sanghvi 314 494 5594, or Gaurang Bhavsar 314 799 7287 if you have any questions regarding rehearsal.  

    GSSTL is proud to bring you our Geetmala event Saturday March 13th,  starting at 7pm.  This event is open for Gujarati Samaj members, with no age restrictions.  This is the opportunity to showcase your singing talents and share them with our community.  To ensure the best sound, lighting, and quality, the participants will do this live from our GSSTL CENTER.  The rest of the public will be able to watch live via the internet from the comforts of your home.  As with our past events this year when entering our GSSTL CENTER, we will continue to follow the COVID guidelines of temperature check, social distancing and masks.
    Date: Feb 6th, 7 pm, Sangeet Sandhya
    ​ You can watch this by going to our FACEBOOK page,  Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis.  Or click on this link  https://www.facebook.com/events/183038790240452/ OR http://tiny.cc/MusicFeb6
    If you have any questions, please contact either Didi Patel 619-581-3096 or Manharbhai 314-229-7979.
    ​Covid - 19 Vaccines in St. Louis County and St. Charles County

    St. Louis County and St. Charles County have launched online portals for residents to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.  Both counties say they are unsure when the vaccine will be made available to residents outside of Phase 1A,  but the portals allow for anyone to pre-register.  We recommend all members who reside in each of these counties to please register.  It is very simple, quick, and easy to complete.  Unfortunately, we do not have any additional information on the other neighboring counties in our St Louis Metro area.  PLEASE note, this is ONLY one option on how to get your vaccine shot, and you should not solely rely on the below links, as this is not a guarantee.  You should always continuously be checking other resources to see if you can get one quicker.

    St Louis County Residents ¬- please click on the link below to register for the COVID vaccine.  
    https://stlcorona.com/covid19-vaccines/
    St Charles County Residents - please click on the link below to register for the COVID vaccine.
    https://www.sccmo.org/2162/COVID-19-Vaccine-Information
    COVID Vaccination 
    ​
    “Some of us may not be in rush or may not be comfortable to get COVID-19 vaccine due to lot of political news surrounding it. People may not realize that the only way to eradicate this pandemic is get vaccinated and it is safe. Our Chairman for Board of Trustee, Sharad Parikh, has set an example to be amongst the first members to be vaccinated and set an example for all of us. Let’s all collectively join the effort to defeat COVID-19 by taking the vaccine when available to us.”
    CANCELLED Date: Nov 14th, 5:30 PM Onwards, Diwali Celebrations

    For those of you who have purchased tickets online, your refund will be applied to the same credit card that was used to purchase your tickets.  

    With the increase in COVID cases and destabilizing situation, along with the lack of ticket purchases, we have unfortunately decided to cancel this year’s Diwali Dinner.  We recognize this event to be our most popular, but we feel as our members and community are simply not ready or comfortable to return to our events at this time.  For those of you who have purchased tickets online, thank you again for your continued support.  Your refund will be applied to the same credit card that was used to purchase your tickets.  

    If you have any questions regarding your refund, please contact Jignesh Patel 314 616 2066
    Thank you again for your continued patience and prayers for the community.  Your relentless support to the Gujarati Samaj of St Louis is greatly appreciated.  
    Date: Nov 7th, 10 AM to 4 PM, Canstruction
    ​The Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis has organized a collaborative community project event, “Canstruction” drive, partnering with Bal Vihar of St Louis and the Hazelwood School District. As we navigate through the pandemic together, it is very imperative that we continue to give back to our community. We want to teach our youth the value of community service and to create a sense of oneness within our community. Projects like this can help put emphasis on team building for our youth; in unison, this cause can make a difference in our continued effort on beating hunger. As the youth construct a wall with the food cans, they will work on team building skills along with participating in other activities like debate, discussions, etc. The uniquely designed and created mural wall of canned goods will be on display for a couple of weeks at the GSSTL Center. Afterwards, the cans will be donated to the Hazelwood TEAM Food Pantry. 

    All Youth members will get credit for the number of volunteer hours contributed towards this project by Gujarati Samaj of St Louis. Any youth members, between the ages of 13 and 17 who are interested, please contact Ishita Sanghvi by email at ishi4709@yahoo.com or by phone / text at 314-494-5594. You must sign up by no later than 10/18/2020.

    The unique design of the “can” wall will use very specific types of approx. 3000 food cans. 
    Date: Oct 24th, 2020, Navratri
    The decision to have Navratri was one that was not lightheartedly made. The wellbeing and safety of our members and community, family and friends is of paramount importance.  After calling and speaking with our members, we received great positive responses on to have the event.  We will have one night of Navratri on Saturday October 24th from 7 to 10.  Due to COVID-19, this will be a MEMBERS ONLY event.  We will have garba only followed by Arti.  WE WILL NOT DO Dandiya raas, due to COVID-19.  As with our past events this year, we will continue to follow the guidelines of temperature check, social distancing and masks.  You will be required to complete the standard COVID questionnaire form.  To save time and avoid overcrowding, we STRONGLY recommend and ask that you complete the form prior to arriving.
    Date: Oct 7, 2020 from 3 pm to 7 pm
    We would like to cordially invite you to attend the Open House of The Center, St. Louis' newest (and largest) state-of-the-art special event venue.  The event is being hosted by Parties & Props Event Production Group, which is the company the Gujarati Samaj of St Louis has hired to rent out our facility. Tours will take place every hour on the hour.  Guests will also enjoy live music, photo booth, and outstanding food selections from our preferred catering partners.

    CDC guidelines for social distancing will be strictly followed.  All guests will be required to do a temp check and wear a mask while inside the building and not eating or drinking.  

    Reservations ARE REQUIRED in order to attend.  It's very easy and quick to register.  Register today at www.thecenter-stl.com or by calling 314.963.0880.
    Date: Sept 12, 2020
    From Bollywood to the Taj Mahal, The Magic House’s next cultural exhibit will explore the wonders of INDIA! Our Namaste India exhibit will feature the vibrant art, food, festivals and traditions of this timeless culture within immersive environments commonly seen in India today.

    Namaste India will be making its debut in our World Traveler Gallery Spring of 2021 .

    The Magic House is actively fundraising in support of the development and creation of the exhibit. If interested in supporting this effort, donors are invited to contact The Magic House at development@magichouse.org or donate online at https://www.magichouse.org/namasteindia/
    Date: Sep 3rd, 2020
    Members of the committee met with St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page promoting the upcoming Health Fair and other community projects organized by the Gujarati Samaj. This was very well received by Dr. Sam Page and his office with a commitment to work closing with us, in the future.
    Date: Aug 17th, 2020
    GSSTL paid the first note to Bank of Hillsboro towards the GSSTL Center
    Date: June 13th, 2020
    We are proud to announce that the GSSTL CENTER is now OPEN. Continuing to follow state & city guidelines,  the facility is available for use for up to 50%, or 500-person, capacity. The Samaj looks forward to hosting many events, in the future.

    Amidst chants of auspicious mantras (prayers) we performed the Havan for a promising beginning of our newest chapter in our Samaj.  We thank you for your participation, physically or virtually, and giving your blessings and good wishes.  
     
    Thanks to the generosity, of the attendees, we raised $8,000 during this event. 

    The successful event was executed by following all safety guidelines for the safety of all attendees: 
    1. each attendee filled out a simple symptom screening questionnaire. 
    2. Temperature checks were conducted at the entrance of the facility.
    3. Attendees were provided with masks and were required to wear them through the entire event. 
    4. Attendees maintained a safe distance of 6 feet from other attendees, during the entire event.
    5. Hand sanitizers were available at the facility.

    For the foreseeable future, these safety guidelines will be used at our other events at the GSSTL CENTER, so therefore it is especially important that we work together to adhere to the above guidelines. 
  • Membership paid after 16th May 2022 will incur a late charge of $25.00.

    We have heard you and we have made it very easy for you to renew your membership, directly from your mobile device or from your computer, in three easy steps:
    1. Click on this link https://www.gujaratisamajstl.org/pay-membership.html
    2. Select your membership level and
    3. Checkout (or pay)
    We would love to learn about your experience and continue to improve it.
  • Culture Show
    ​April 23rd, starting at 6 pm
    Gujarati Natak
    May 2022 (TBD)
    Time to Renew Your Membership
    (late fees will apply after May 16th)

  • Food Drive

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  • Blood Drive

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Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis is exempt from federal income tax under IRS Section 501(c)(3). And is a public charity under IPC section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). DISCLAIMER: Gujarati Samaj of St. Louis strives to protect the rights of our members. Any material on this site that need reviewed or photos requesting to be removed please Contact Us. 
  
Copyright @ 2019