The Vallabh Arora Legacy Fund

A letter from Sunil Arora:

My father, Vallabh Arora, came to New York City from India in 1968 to pursue his graduate education. He had no family or friends here but worked hard to build a life with his beloved wife, touching so many people along the way. He battled living with kidney failure for almost 20 years while working full time, and helped to raise and educate three very fortunate children before passing away in 2001 at the age of 55. As a father of two young boys now, I am in even deeper awe of the strength and perseverance my dad embodied for so long.

My father was homesick when he first came to this country and decided to build a community to help with that. He chose an amazing way to do so – by starting a weekly radio show where he would curate popular Indian music and Urdu verses to share with the world. Thanks to the large and loving community he built, I was very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of support when I lost my dad at a young age. Not all kids have that. Experience Camps gives children the opportunity to form lifelong communities and connections to help them navigate through their grief and build resilience.

I joined Experience Camps five years ago as a volunteer and board member and have proudly helped the organization grow to a point where it will host over 2,000 campers at our 12 locations across the country next year. All of my contributions to the organization, as well as everything I have done as a family member, friend, and professional in my life, are a credit to my strong and resilient mother, Deepika, and my father who built a life from nothing in this country over 50 years ago.

As the 20th anniversary of my father’s passing approaches early next year, I want to honor him by creating a fund that will celebrate his legacy – a legacy that is still felt by so many people today – while helping sustain Experience Camps for years to come.

Our family is anchoring the fund with a significant commitment, with a goal of raising $100,000 by the end of 2020. I hope you will consider making a donation to support this amazing cause, in honor of my remarkable father.

With deep love and gratitude,
Sunil Arora

To increase the impact of Vallabh’s legacy, please consider making a gift.

To pledge a one-time or annual gift, complete our pledge form here.

Vallabh Arora Legacy Fund

$68,740 of $50,000 raised

Giving $250

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Donation Total: $250 One Time

We give grieving children experiences that change their lives forever.

At Experience Camps, everyone understands what it’s like to lose someone important. Here, kids can laugh, cry, play, honor the memory of the person who died, and forget the grief that weighs them down. At camp, they learn they are not alone.

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Camper stories

Tina

age 14

"Talking about my feelings is one great way for me personally to get out any negative emotions. When I started writing songs, though, is when I felt that I was truly coping. One thing that I swear by when dealing with any tough emotions is that you have an outlet of some sort."

Kaeli

age 12

"My family tries not to look at Father’s Day as a day to be sad and missing dad. Instead, it’s a day to remember how great he was and how proud he would be to see what young ladies we have grown up to be."

Carter

age 14

"Carter is smart, kind, and compassionate, and wise beyond his years for the challenges he’s had to overcome in his 14 years of living. And now he can continue to grow from those challenges with the support of friends and mentors in his Experience Camps community."

Henry

age 13

"I wish people knew that grief is something that you can not be prepared for, but you need to accept and have a positive mindset for your own life."

Noah

age 11

"He doesn’t feel alone in his grief anymore. As more and more kids come to camp each year, he knows “it just means there are more and more kids going through what I went through.”"

Sandy

age 10

"Even though Sandy and her brother miss their mother every day, it is a blessing that they are able to share their experience with their camp friends and see that they are not alone."

Lily

age 13

"One night, Lily's mom was Googling grief resources for Lily and found Experience Camps. "It never dawned on me that grief camp could be free. It's so beautiful to see all of the people that feel it in their hearts to donate to Experience Camps. That's something that is SO special. It's amazing.""

Brooke

age 10

"The ExCamps village has provided so much comfort to my family. My son and youngest daughter cannot imagine a summer without ExCamp."

The Vallabh Arora Legacy Fund

To increase the impact of Vallabh’s legacy, please consider making a gift.

Vallabh Arora Legacy Fund

Giving $250

Giving $250/month

Their Details

Notification Details

We give grieving children experiences that change their lives forever.

More ways to give

Check

Wire transfer

Bitcoin

Stocks

Donor Advised Funds

Leave a legacy

Camper stories

Tina

Kaeli

Carter

Henry

Noah

Sandy

Lily

Brooke

new york city