Govani Pays It Forward
Family dentist Dr. Shaheda Govani is paying it forward again with her Twelve Days of Giving Program. It’s 12 days, benefiting 12 charities, with grants totaling $12 thousand from the Govani Gives Fund at your Community Foundation.
The Govani Gives holiday program was started in 2017 with the goal of shifting the holiday focus from receiving presents to raising awareness and giving to local nonprofits that help those in need. “If we can slowly change the narrative in our community to inclusion and thinking of others that’s the best gift of all,” says Shaheda.
Rooted in Dr. Shaheda’s own upbringing, the Govani Gives Program is deeply personal. “I come from a single mom upbringing just above poverty level. WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) checks fed me as an infant. Mom raised me to give and volunteer even when she had so little,” she shares. “We would do things like go and collect food for the pantry with a wagon, 4-H highway clean up, and volunteer at church. Even with no money we helped others and had stewardship for our community.”
Dr. Shaheda’s commitment to giving back extends beyond the Twelve Days of Giving. She has also established the Govani Gives Scholarship Fund at your Community Foundation, inspired by the impact of scholarships in her own life. “I was able to be awarded many scholarships [including two from the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation] that helped impact my life and allowed me a higher education. I find it my calling and my duty to now pay it forward.”
The 2023 Twelve Days of Giving Program grant recipients include:
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