MONTGOMERY: Township woman honored by governor

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — Belle Mead resident Neena Singh, founding member and president of the Montgomery International Ladies Association, was honored by Gov. Jon Corzine last week for her community service.
   In celebration of Women’s History Month, the governor joined Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Joe Doria on Thursday night at Drumthwacket to announce the recipients of the 2009 Connie Woodruff and Wynona M. Lipman Aawards.
   The annual ceremony, sponsored by DCA’s Division on Women and the New Jersey Advisory Commission on the Status of Women, honors outstanding individuals and community-based organizations that advocate for and support women.
   Ms. Singh received the 2009 Wynona M. Lipman Award for Synergy for her work with her organization, which is dedicated to making a positive change in the community by creating an environment of outreach and community service.
   Ms. Singh was also recognized by the Montgomery Township Committee, which passed a resolution in her honor at its meeting Thursday night. The resolution commended her for her “passionate desire to empower women and girls by providing them with the tools to enhance their confidence and self-esteem, and to achieve their full potential.”
   ”You have made such a mark on this community,” Mayor Louise Wilson said. “You are one of those super women I admire.”
   Deputy Mayor Cecilia Birge, who attended the ceremony, also congratulated Ms. Singh, pointing out that she was the only Asian American woman honored at the event.
   In an interview with the Packet yesterday, Monday, Ms. Singh enthusiastically described her group, which goes by the name MILAN, a Hindi word that means the coming together of the community.
   Ms. Singh, a native of India who has lived in Belle Mead for 11 years, has worked with volunteers to organize many community events that have benefited both the local and global community.
   The group was founded about five years ago, she said, because there was a need for a group that brought together families to raise money for charity.
   ”The need that was felt was basically that we wanted to bring our kids in the community, and make them realize how things are all over the world, and try to get them involved,” she said.
   Today, there are about 200 families who are members, and it is run through a 6six-member board, she said.
   Locally, she has organized monthly town hall meetings to empower women on topics such as investment and entrepreneurship, public relations, and managing blood pressure and cholesterol. Volunteers also help with soup kitchens and events at the senior center, she said.
   On a global level, the group last year raised $5,000 through their its 2008 Spring Fest towards READ, a global initiative to build self-sustaining libraries in developing nations.
   The group is currently working on its spring event on April 18, which will be a Indian cultural festival to be held in Montgomery Park. About 200 people are expected to attend, she said, and the money raised for charity is planned to benefit those suffering in the nation’s economic downturn.