Summary

 

Many Sikh organizations do incredible work but lack a digital voice. Sikhlens addresses this issue through our Community Voices program, which selects three to four organizations each year and produces a film about them. These films offer a platform for spreading their mission, recruiting volunteers, and raising funds, including grants. The organizations we support are typically focused on healthcare, food insecurity, education, the environment, or senior care.

We Need Your Help

 

We're fundraising so that we can make more of these films as a way to increase visibility of the powerful work that is happening within the community. 

This year, Sikhlens plans to produce three more Community Voices films, including one about an Old Age home that houses elderly individuals in Punjab, India. To complete these new projects, we need to raise additional funding.

We need your help to make this happen. Hit the "Donate" button on this page to make an impact!

Thank you 🙏

Do You Have Suggestions?

 

We are also seeking suggestions for new non-profit organizations to support. For that we will need the following information: name of the organization, description, years in business, mission statement, expected impact, and the Ask—financial support, material support, or volunteers. If you know of an organization that could benefit from using a short video for fundraising, please contact Sikhlens founder Bicky Singh at [email protected].

Impact Thus Far

 

Over the past year, Sikhlens has produced four Community Voices for four Sikh non-profits that are doing wonderful work. Our first production, called Silver Lining, was a 40-minute film following the inspiring journey of Rashpal Singh Dhindhsa, who established a mission for vision as a selfless act of serving his community. The Story of the Largest Free Eye Camps in Punjab, India, the 10-minute version, is posted on the Sikhlens YouTube channel. 

Our second production focused on the environment and climate change, chronicling the United Sikh Mission's efforts to install a 1.5-megawatt solar power plant at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar. Powering the Gurdwaras of Punjab can also be found here.

The third production, One Beat, is a documentary that tells the story of Bahadur Singh, an American Sikh who established free healthcare and medical education facilities for underprivileged people in the small town of Bhira, located in Uttar Pradesh, India. In Sarbat Da Bhala-Hosiarpur Langer Manjit Singh, who lives in the US, provides meals to the needy in seventeen locations across Punjab, India. This facility feeds 50,000 people every day, all year round, by sending mini trucks filled with cooked meals to civil hospitals in Hoshiarpur. Both are available on our YouTube private channel.

Note from Sikhlens Founder, Bicky Singh

 

Sikhlens, which hosts the annual Sikhlens Film Festival at Chapman University's film school, is closely affiliated with the university's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Dodge boasts a highly successful documentary program called Community Voices. This program focuses on creating digital assets, specifically short films, for non-governmental and non-profit organizations to help amplify their work. However, smaller organizations often cannot access such films, and Community Voices addresses this gap.

During our interactions with Dodge and the program run by Professor Sally Rubin, my wife and I were consistently impressed by the program's impact on non-profit organizations. This led us to explore opportunities for Sikh organizations, which often lack amplification tools and have limited access to new donors.

A year before the pandemic, we reached out to United Sikh Mission USA and its founder, Rashpal Singh. We collaborated with them to create a film called "Silver Lining," which was a resounding success. The film allowed United Sikh Mission USA to amplify its story, recruit new donors, attract volunteers, and secure corporate social responsibility funding and donations from large foundations, medical companies, and eyeglass manufacturers. This success inspired us to produce three additional films.

Now, we are taking the Sikhlens Community Voices program to the next level by creating a dedicated fund. Our goal is to raise $40,000, allowing us to act quickly when identifying compelling subject matter for new films. This funding will enable us to produce approximately three films and continue selecting new projects as we raise more money.

In conclusion, we are excited to embark on this new journey and create a lasting impact on Sikh organizations worldwide. We appreciate your support and look forward to updating you on our progress.

Bicky Singh

Founder, Sikhlens