THE QUEEN's AWARD
We are delighted to inform that DREAMSAI has received prestigious The Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
This national civic honour given by Her Majesty the Queen is a benchmark for excellence and equivalent of the MBE (Member of British Empire) for volunteer groups in UK.
Since started as community group in 2017, the projects we have been running at DREAMSAI including Aao Sai, Food for Sai, Guru Day, Blood Donation Camps, Festive Hampers, Covid Outreach, Schools breakfast clubs provide vital support to diverse communities. Shirdi Saibaba mandir is another flagship project we have been working on to build a Temple and Community Centre - to give a place for local Indian people to gather.
Nothing we do at DREAMSAI would be possible without the amazing work of all our volunteers. This royal approval is a tribute to years of selfless service of all volunteers including our incredible young volunteers!
What also makes this moment so special is that DREAMSAI is only one of the handful of Indian community led charities in the UK to receive this award in the last two decades, the first Indian origin organisation in Milton Keynes and the first organisation in the world working in accordance with the teachings of Shirdi SAI to receive such a national civic accolade.
DREAMSAI received the award crystal and certificate signed by her Majesty the Queen, from Countess Howe, Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire on Saturday the 16th October 2021 in Milton Keynes.
Laxman Kastala, DREAMSAI’s Founder & Chair said: “It is a true honour to be recognised and to receive The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and a testament to the crucial work our volunteers do. Our DREAM of practicing the teachings of Shirdi SAI here in Milton Keynes, has now transpired into a large network of incredible volunteers of all ages and backgrounds who give so much energy and time to help thousands of people in the community every year.
“There is more to be done, and we are constantly collaborating with diverse communities and amazing partners to expand our charitable, cultural, and spiritual services. A heartfelt thank you to those who nominated DREAMSAI, this national award fills me, our incredible volunteer team and the local community with a huge sense of pride.”
