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"I’ve designed and created lots of sculptures so far which have given me loads of satisfaction, but the pleasure I got from organizing and executing the entire Jai Vakeel Foundation (JVF) fund-raiser was far beyond anything I’ve done yet,” sculptor and scrapture artist Arzan Khambatta told Parsiana on November 10, 2019.  The Foundation serves children and adults with intellectual disability (ID) and aims to maximize their potential.

 

 

 

 

 

Khambatta conceptualized "Champions of Change” with JVF to raise funds on the diamond anniversary of its establishment. The artist designed and created a glass fiber reinforced resin sculpture depicting a child. Seventy-five artists came together to paint 75 replicas of the sculpture "in their own unique style,” noted a write-up Parsiana received from the Foundation. Those contributing their time and talents included artists Manu Parekh, Paresh Maity, Jayasri Burman, Seema Kohli, Jaideep Mehrotra and Bose Krishnamachari, among others. The pieces were on display at the Tao Art Gallery from November 1-5. As stated the Foundation’s write-up, the "signature styles of the artists had a common purpose: maximizing the potential of our children.”
"Right from the seed of an idea of getting 25 artists on board, and then taking that number to 75, because of the overwhelming response from the donors, to seeing 75 gorgeous artworks at one time in the Gallery, was magical,” Khambatta said. The sculptures were "pre-adopted” by donors before the exhibition began, stated The Economic Times (ET) of October 31, with financial commitments received in advance. The donors do not get to choose the sculpture they have contributed towards. At a private dinner to be hosted later, they will pull out numbers (a separate one assigned to each sculpture) and find out the one they’ll receive, stated ET.
As noted lawyer Zia Mody, patron for "Champions of Change” in the Foundation’s write-up, "Jai Vakeel (school) provided my brother a loving and caring environment growing up. I believe that looking after the most vulnerable is everyone’s responsibility in society.”
The Foundation started off with a school set up by Hormusjee and Jai Vakeel in 1944. Their daughter Dina was born with Down’s Syndrome. "Whenever I am on the campus I feel such deep happiness, knowing that what started out by my grandmother to make a difference in the life of one child is today helping thousands,” noted Zia Cama, the Vakeels’ granddaughter, in a communication to Parsiana. "I feel at peace knowing that the Foundation today, after my mother (Tehmina Shroff), is in the right hands with (chief executive officer) Archana (Chandra). She and her team members are continuing with the family legacy of focusing on the children and filling them with possibilities that without us may not have existed.”
The Foundation operates from a two-acre campus in Sewri and has rural branches in Poona and Nasik districts. Their autism center provides education and therapy for the disabled. Counseling for parents is also on offer, as are community integration programs. A three-year vocational training program teaches skills like weaving, sewing and candle making. Those unable to secure jobs are employed in the Foundation’s sheltered workshops till they reach the age of 50, where they make products using skills they have learnt. The Foundation’s note states that they assist over 3,000 people annually with their holistic approach to management of ID.  
Khambatta told Parsiana that "he was gratified  knowing that all this effort will help enrich the lives of the children in JVF who are so beautifully taken care of by the teachers and administrators.”