Vijay Bhalla was recognized with a 2011 TI Founders Community Service Award for his devotion to helping the community.

TI employee Vijay Bhalla is committed to helping people in the Dallas area live happy and healthy lives.

By day, Bhalla is a Member of Technical Staff at TI. During nights and weekends, he shares his time between organizing fundraising events and volunteering at the non-profit organization and cancer clinic that he co-founded.

In 2005, Bhalla was instrumental in starting the Greater Dallas Arya Samaj (GDAS), which means society of noble people in Hindi. This non-profit organization, focused on promoting health and wellness, provides support to the community through spiritual, education and health services.

“Our main goal is to promote the knowledge and physical wellbeing of people,” Bhalla said. “Anyone can join and membership is free of charge.”

To enhance GDAS’s offerings, Bhalla started a Sunday school in 2006 that provides Vedic/mental math classes for children aged three years and older. These mental mathematics techniques, along with Hindi language classes, are taught in a fun, learning environment. Each semester, approximately 30 to 45 children participate in the program.

“Vijay is passionate about helping and growing the communities in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex,” said Urmil Shah, a 2010 recipient of the TI Founders Community Service Award. “As a strong TI technical contributor, he understands the importance of math and science for kids.”

Supporting the sick and uninsured
With the global economic downturn in 2009 impacting communities, Bhalla felt compelled to help the growing number of uninsured Dallas residents who are fighting various forms of cancer.

After a year of planning, fundraising and securing volunteers, Bhalla’s vision of support became a reality when the GDAS Cancer Clinic in Plano opened its doors in late 2009. The Mayor of Plano, Mayor of Frisco and many renowned physicians from across the Dallas/Ft. Worth area demonstrated their support for the affordable cancer clinic by attending the opening day ceremony.

“As the community was struggling with a harsh economy and high healthcare costs, the GDAS board looked to Vijay’s leadership on how to extend help to the community who have lost their jobs and health insurance,” said Naresh Gupta, M.D., and a volunteer oncologist at the GDAS Cancer Clinic. “Vijay contributed tirelessly in evenings and weekends planning the site, funds and getting commitment from the volunteers.”

During the first full year of the clinic’s operation in 2010, GDAS’s volunteer team of doctors cared for over 60 patients during more than 350 patient visits. The clinic also held a free mammogram and colorectal screening where 142 mammograms were performed and more than 350 screening kits were distributed.

“This is something I feel very proud of,” Bhalla said. “TI has given me the opportunity to volunteer and work with the community to help make the community stronger.”

Fundraising and other support
For the last three years, Bhalla has also assisted in the planning and marketing of the annual Diwali Mela event. This event, designed to bring awareness and celebrate the tradition of Indian culture, is attended by over 50,000 people in Dallas each year.

“I have known Vijay to be full of energy and have much devotion to many community activities,” said U.K Gupta, Treasurer of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Indian Culture Society. “We know we can depend on Vijay and his team of volunteers in making our event a big success.”

Bhalla plans to continue his volunteer efforts as long as there is need and he encourages others to do the same.