2018 Fundraiser – Still More Spices of Life

When: March 24, 2018 from 6:00 – 10:00 pm

Where: Chester H. Ferguson Law Center, 1610 N. Tampa St. Tampa, FL 33602

The Project Starfish 2018 Annual Fundraiser, Still More Spices of Life, will take place on March 24, 2018 at 6:00 pm at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center in Tampa. This year’s dinner will feature delectable food representing the peoples of four regions of India. The program will also include Indian music and folk dancing, henna artists, and Bollywood dancing to the music of DJ Smith from Blasin Desi DJS. In addition to our annual silent auction, we invite you to shop at our bazaar where you can purchase jewelry, clothing, tea, scarves, and, of course, a delicious selection of spices to recreate the dishes served at our event. The bazaar will also include several special items brought back from our last trip to India. All proceeds go toward funding our medical missions in India.

Again this year, we will have culinary demonstrations. We will show you how to blend spices from Kerala to create your own unique flavors. In addition, we will introduce a variety of teas from Munnar and show you how to brew Chai. These sessions will be offered from 6:00 – 6:45pm. Seating will be on a “first come, first served basis,” so we recommend coming early to get a seat!

Children’s party

$10 at the door
During the activities of our main event we will also host a Children’s Party for children (12 years old and under) in the room next door. The Party will have adult supervision and will include pizza, juice, sodas, games, movies, crafts, and more.

Event Tickets – $25

Tickets for Still More Spices of Life can be purchased online or at the door. Guests who purchase tickets online in advance of the event will receive a small gift when they arrive. Tickets for the Children’s Party must be purchased at the door when you drop off your child.

Buy Tickets Online

About Project Starfish

Project Starfish is a non-profit organization dedicated to establishing sustainable general medical and diabetic clinics that treat the medically underserved in Southern India. We focus our efforts on communities with high poverty rates that lack sufficient medical infrastructure. Founded in August of 2014, our organization has provided medical services to hundreds of people in rural communities in southern India via collaborative Indian and American healthcare teams.

The incidence of Type II diabetes in India is second only to China, and we have found a very high incidence in our clinics. In addition to general medical and pediatric care, we have a Diabetes Clinic that provides a thorough physical exam, measures blood sugar, (HbA1c: 3-month average of random blood sugars), teaches the principles of good nutrition and exercise, and provides three months of medication to patients, when needed.

“The people of one nation must consider the people of other nations to be like brothers and sisters who deserve progress for their homelands.” – The Dalai Lama

In 2017 Project Starfish Accomplished

In 2017 volunteer physicians and medical staff from Project Starfish visited 8 separate villages in rural India – making a total of 12 visits. Our camps with diabetes clinics typically served between 150-250 patients per village visit. For each patient, we provided evaluation, lab work, appropriate referrals to specialists, and when needed, a 3-month’s supply of medication to those with chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, COPD), at no cost to the patient.

In November we did site visits to other villages in the mountains of Tamil Nadu. We joined a local team of one doctor and three nurses on their monthly visit to these communities – driving for 2 to 3 hours up winding mountain roads. We visited a small school in Kodaikanal, and Project Starfish donated money to the school to purchase two extra-large cisterns to collect the rainfall on which they are totally dependent for fresh water. We also visited very rural tribal villages to administer medical care.

The “Doctor’s Bag Project”

This year we implemented our Doctor’s Bag Project. We provided small medical instruments (e.g., stethoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, blood pressure cuffs) and perishable items (e.g., tongue blades, cotton swabs, gloves) similar to those carried in the “doctor’s bag” when physicians made house calls. Project Starfish donated these items to 3 partner hospitals that provide additional outreach clinic services to surrounding villages. These outreach efforts also serve the Paliyan tribes in Tamil Nadu, a historically disadvantaged indigenous people.

Project Starfish Goals – 2018

Experience has taught us that to deliver medical services to the poorest of villages, we need to have a mobile clinic.

Many communities do not have a parish or community hall where we can hold our clinics. But, with a bus and a couple of tents, our clinics could go anywhere and anytime. Therefore, we could be more responsive to local needs and hence more sustainable with our medical care.

One of the wonderful aspects about Project Starfish is that it has been able to cross religious boundaries to work with a very diverse population. We like to think of our organization as “spiritually diverse.” Our clinics are supported by a religiously affiliated hospital, but they serve villages regardless of denominational affiliation. To date, these have included Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, and Muslim villages.

Funds donated this year will be used to sustain and expand our medical care to people who otherwise might not get treatment to manage their medical conditions. In addition, donations will help us purchase our bus!

Please go to Project Starfish India on Facebook to see the description of our clinics as well other information on our organization.

We are Searching for Sponsors for Our Annual Event!

Support from sponsors and donors just like you empower Project Starfish to establish and maintain clinics like the ones mentioned above. This year we have multiple sponsorship options for you to help Project Starfish AND promote your company! This is a great opportunity for you to connect with a new audience, while also supporting an important cause that saves lives.

Become a Sponsor!