Arizona: Mesa ’s “Dance for Vision” Raises $145,000 for Sankara Nethralaya USA’s MESU Eye-Care Initiative

Mesa, Arizona, November 2, 2025: A youth-led cultural showcase and a stand-up set drew a full house at the Mesa Arts Center — Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater (1 E Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201) on Sunday, helping raise $145,000 for Sankara Nethralaya USA’s MESU “Adopt-A-Village” eye-care initiative. Collectively, contributions from ten MESU “Adopt-A-Village” donors helped the Arizona team reach the $145,000 total.

The afternoon program, “Dance for Vision,” featured about 160 young performers across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi traditions. Youth leads Yogansh, Vyshal, Joshitha, Aditya, Viraj Singh, Sundeep, Aaroosh, Samik, Vanshika, Adithi, and Aneesh kept the flow brisk, supported by the Arizona Women’s Committee—Sudha Balaji, Karpagam Gunasekaran, Shilpa Dhulipalla, Gowri Saarangan, and Selvaganapathy. All academy teachers and student performers received plaques and certificates.

Organizers recognized MESU “Adopt-A-Village” donors on stage, including Smt. Sujatha Gunnala & Sri Suri Gunnala; Dr. Roopesh Kantala & Smt. Madhavi Reddy; Sri Adi Morredy & Smt. Rekha Reddy; members of the Shining Sprouts Foundation; Sri Vijay Raj; Shri Thiru Thangarathinam & Smt. Thamiya Devi; Smt. Revathi & Sri Jagadish Babu Jonnada; and Smt. Sirisha & Dr. Arun Kolli. Donors said they were proud to be part of Sankara Nethralaya’s mission and appreciated the Arizona team’s collective efforts.

Acknowledgments: Sankara Nethralaya thanks the Kalakshethra team and Shri Manu Nair for collaborating to secure the venue and assist with ticketing. Special thanks to President Bala Indurthi and Treasurer Moorthy Rekhapalli for their guidance and support, and to Kasi Arunachalam and Theagu (Chennai) for flyer design and preparation. Photography: Special thanks to Sai Charan and Naga Pillai for capturing the event.

Consulate message: The Consulate General of India (Los Angeles) sent a recorded message noting a scheduling conflict, commending the fundraiser, and thanking MESU donors and the Arizona team for expanding access to eye care.
Comedian Ramkumar headlined “Laughs for Vision,” delivering his 25th show and closing the evening with a crowd-pleasing set. He met attendees for photos after the performance and was honored on stage with a plaque and shawl.

Remarks on MESU’s reach and impact were delivered by Vamsi Krishna Eruvaram (Secretary, SNUSA), Adi Morredy (Board of Trustees), Srini Guptha (Arizona CVP), Dr. Roopesh Reddy (MESU CapEx Committee), Sreejith Sreenivasan (Publicity), and Anil Bharadwaj (Media). Arizona Chapter Leads Natarajan Deivasigamani, Chennaiah Madduri, Sathish Panchaksharam, Anji Reddy Seelam, Vijay Raj, Dhamodharan Ramalingam, Sreedhar Chemidthi, and Balaji Vallabarapu coordinated donor outreach and shared camp updates.

Volunteers powering logistics included Rajesh Dhulipalla, Praneeth Prasad, Arunkumar Selvaraj, Baskaran Mannusamy, Booma Krishnaswamy, Chithra Priya, Mahith, Srinivas J., Gokul, Dheeraj Pola, Sudharshan Reddy Machupalli, Subhash, and Jayaprakash Rathinavelu. Food boxes were provided to attendees at program end.

Event at a glance: Nov. 2, 2025 • 2–5 p.m. cultural; comedy followed • Mesa Arts Center — Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater, 1 E Main St, Mesa, AZ 85201 • ~160 youth performers • $145,000 raised for MESU “Adopt-A-Village” (from 10 MESU donors).
Learn more / donate: https://www.sankaranethralayausa.org/

Participating dance academies & groups: Srichakra School of Music, Rudram School of Dance School, Rama Nishtala and Kids, LetsDanceAZ School, Desi Dance Fitness, Dancing Souls, ABCD Dance School, MK Dance Academy, Naatyamrutha and Sangertamurutha Arts, Bollywood–Tollywood Fusion Dance, Desi Dance Fitness School, Thaana Serndha Kootam, and Bharathiyar Song—for their spirited performances and support.

Singers of Phoenix: Sai Prasad, Usha Saiprasad, Aryamaan, Arpana Ajith, Shriya Senthil, Radhika Mohan, Bharti Chandrasekaran, Ashwin Ram Pammi, Keerthi, Srividya Srikanth, and Srikanth VK, whose voices elevated the celebration.