ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The VI-SH Koranne Foundation, known for supporting underprivileged students, awarded the inaugural Vishnu-Shashikala Koranne Scholarships in 2024 to six homeless high school graduates from the Elk Grove Unified School District.

Each student, part of the district’s Student and Family Empowerment (SAFE) program, received a $500 scholarship, an Acer laptop and a $100 gift certificate. The total value of the awards was $3,000. All six students began college in August 2024.

Building on this effort, the foundation announced a fundraiser — a concert featuring uplifting Indian music — scheduled for 4 p.m. May 10 at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School in Elk Grove.

Proceeds will help equip a new group of 30 SAFE program graduates, most of whom have been accepted to California State University, Sacramento, with Dell laptops for the fall 2025 semester.

The scholarship initiative is part of the foundation’s Youth Engagement for Success, or Y.E.S., program. Founder and Honorary Director Heera Koranne Kulkarni, a retired EGUSD educator and Sacramento State alumna, emphasized the importance of perseverance and the critical role that tools like laptops and school supplies play in student success.

Kulkarni said she was inspired by her father’s experience pursuing higher education in India, where he relied on the generosity of local families to complete his college studies. 

“He came out a winner due to the kindness of others,” she said, connecting the story to the foundation’s belief in the ancient Vedic principle “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — “The whole world is one family.”

The foundation is calling on the community for support, noting that no donation is too small. 

“These students are our future. We must do everything we can to help them succeed,” Kulkarni said.