OUR STORY
WeEMBRACE is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit support organization (EIN 82-4279137) for children and adults with different abilities and their families. We were founded in 2018 with the belief that every individual regardless of their abilities, has a right to equal opportunity, access, and inclusion in mainstream society; every individual should be able to realize their maximum potential. Although we started off as a support system for families with children and adults with special needs, we have grown to become so much more.
Mission
Our mission is to provide a complete and comprehensive support system for the families of children, adults, and seniors with different abilities. We aim to do this by creating such opportunities, and promote the inclusion of individuals with different abilities. We want to see community inclusion in areas such as employment, education, housing, recreation, leisure, and many more.
Vision
Our name represents our motto. We embrace all races, cultures, ages, genders and abilities.
Many families tend to live in isolation after receiving their child's diagnosis. However, this tends to hurt the child more than the family as it takes away their opportunities to interact with their community.
To fix this, we want to build a loving and all-inclusive community. We envision our community as one that provides opportunities for families to network with each other, get information about the resources available to them, and connect with the community at large while celebrate neurodiversity
WeEMBRACE Documentary
Learn more about our organization, and the journey we have taken over the years as we support our community and its members. Hear from our organization's Co-founder, Meena Kalyanasundaram as well as our WeEMBRACE families, volunteers, and supporters.
MEET THE TEAM
Meena Kalyanasundaram and Som Sundararajan
Cofounders; President/CEO and Chief Finanical Officer
Meena and Som are the parents of Athish, a young adult with Cerebral Palsy and developmental disabilities. Meena holds an MBA and a MS in Special Education. She currently has her own private practice working with kids diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and other genetic disorders.
Som holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently the Director for Cloud Operations at Oracle Inc, and has provided resources an assistance to the parents of children with different abilities through seminars and workshops.
Together, they are responsible for organizational outreach, and most importantly, heading the vision and future direction of our organization.
Contact :admin@weembrace.org
Aparna Agarwal
Advisory Board
Aparna was born in India and at 11 moved with her parents to the Middle East, then on to New Jersey for highschool and Toronto for University. Being exposed to so many cultures, religions and languages, she calls herself a citizen of the world.
She is currently working part time at Folsom Lake College, however, her heart belongs to volunteering her time between WeEmbrace and making greeting cards for patients of a local hospital and The Folsom Public Library.
She truly enjoys spending time with the talented and loving children and families of WeEmbrace and has forged lifelong friendships with them. While she initially joined the organization to help, she feels that the loving and nurturing environment has helped her in making her a happier person.
She is looking forward to more involvement so that she can add value to this organization to the best of her abilities.
Contact - agarwals@sbcglobal.net
Satish Pallapottu
Board Member
Satish Pallapotu has been an IT professional and working at a large Healthcare company. He has been involved as an active volunteer since the inception of WeEmbrace in 2018 and contributing his efforts towards many ongoing activities. He joined the Board to help enhance educational experiences and support for children/youth with disabilities.
Contact - spzoom@gmail.com
Akila Dharmalingam
Board Member
Akila believes that a person can grow and succeed only if they are loved and appreciated as they are now rather than what they could’ve or will be. The more involved and integrated individuals with different abilities are in their community, the more opportunities other people get to understand and appreciate gifted individuals.
Contact - akshani11@gmail.com
Nithya Ramachandran
Board Member
Nithya has a MS in Computer Application, and has worked at various companies for several years. Currently, she is homeschooling her child while helping coordinate WeEMBRACE’s classes and events. She is responsible for our Art Programs and Social events. Her goal is to give back to the community by strengthening WeEmbrace’s role as a support system for families in need.
Contact - nitpri@gmail.com
Srinivas Konchada
Board Member
Srinivas Konchada has been working in the Healthcare industry for more than two decades, he holds an MS degree in Computer Science and an MBA with a focus on leadership. He has been involved with WeEmbrace since the beginning of the organization. He is the proud father of Anurag Konchada who is very social with everyone and has an Intellectual Disability. He believes that working with special abilities children and adults is an opportunity to learn and break free from stereotypes.
Contact - srinivas.konchada@gmail.com