GINA celebrates Nurses Week and Mother’s Day
Lighting of lamp: Fr. Mathew Elayadathamadam, Mary Zellinger, and Dr. Sudha Tata (GINA president Lilly Anickat not pictured). (Photo: Joseph Anickat)
Georgia Indian Nurses Association (GINA) celebrated Nurses’ Week with a dinner and fun-filled entertainment on May 9, 2015 at St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Lilburn. The well attended program began with a prayer and greetings from Father Mathew Elayadathamadam. He emphasized that nursing is a calling and thanked nurses for their contributions to individuals and community. Young and vibrant nurses Jennie Mathen and Deepthy Varghese emceed the program with great verve and enthusiasm and kept the crowd engaged and entertained.
A golden oil lamp was lit by Fr. Mathew; chief guests Mary Zellinger, Director of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and Dr. Sudha Tata, president of GAPI (Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage); GINA president Lilly Anickat; and GINA executive committee members. Sini Anoop and Seena Kudilil sang the Indian National Anthem and Jasmine Anickat sang the US National Anthem. Lilly Anickat spoke on teamwork for advancing GINA to the next level. She thanked the founder and former president Mary Jose and her team for their outstanding achievements during the past two years. She recognized nurses for their contributions, and expressed her gratitude for being part of the “most trusted profession.”
Mary Zellinger’s compelling presentation on the theme of this year’s Nurses Week, “Ethical Practice: Quality Care,” was very informative not only for nurses but also family and friends in the audience, as she emphasized the importance of effective communication for patient safety. She also talked about the importance of continuing education and encouraged nurses to stay updated in their knowledge and skills to achieve high quality patient outcomes.
Nurses were individually recognized for their services and presented with roses. Those who had made professional advancements and achievements were presented with certificates. Mary Jose was bestowed with the “GINA Nurse of the Year” award for her excellent contributions to her patients and their families, community, and the nursing profession. Everyone enjoyed the slide show with GINA nurses’ old and new nursing pictures and the funny video presentation prepared by Shirley Parayil.
Mother’s Day was also celebrated during this event by honoring all mothers present. Everyone enjoyed the scintillating mother-daughter dances performed by Mrs. Seena Kudilil and her daughter Abigail Kudilil and Mrs. Seema Jijo and her daughter Simlin. Miss Jasmine Anickat sang a beautiful song dedicating it to all mothers and nurses. Justin and Suja Moonjeli surprised everyone by entertaining the audience with a Malayalam song. The crowd also much enjoyed Meena Joseph’s Hindi song.
SAI Health Fair's well-known founder Dr. Sujatha Reddy congratulated all the nurses for their dedication and hard work. She quoted, “no doctor without nurses” and stated that doctors highly value the work of nurses. Mr. Augusty Abraham, GINA’s Advisory Board member, congratulated GINA for its remarkable achievements in such a short period, and encouraged more nurses to join GINA. Grand Canyon University (GCU) representative Mr. Ricardo Contreras recognized nurses who had achieved their degrees, presented gifts from GCU, and promised its support for nurses who pursue higher education. The celebration ended with a delicious dinner.
GINA was founded in 2013, to empower Indian nurses to reach their highest potential in their professional practice. GINA is for all Georgia nurses and nursing students of Indian origin/heritage. It has about 150 members.
[Photos will be added later today.]
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