Membership for 2024-2025 now available!
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Membership 2024$20.00 – $400.00
COMA (Central Ohio Malayalee Association) is a non-profit association run by Malayalees for Malayalees in the Columbus metropolitan area. Malayalees hail from the beautiful coastal state of Kerala in India. The Central Ohio Malayalee Association (COMA) was formally registered as a “not for profit” organization in October 2007. COMA strives to bring Central Ohio Malayalees together and also organizes various cultural and seasonal events throughout the year.
Presidential Address – Stephen John (2025 COMA President)
Dear COMA friends,
2025 started with a bang for me, and let me wish you all a happy and prosperous 2025!
I know some of you might be wondering why I chose to be the President despite knowing how tedious it is. It takes away most of our personal time and family time. Just like you, I also treasure my personal and family time. But I also believe in giving back to our wonderful community. I truly want to show everyone that leading COMA can be a collaborative and fun experience!
My vision for COMA in 2025 is all about getting everyone involved! The responsibility of COMA should not be solely with the trustees and the EC. We’re a community, and that means we all have a part to play!
I believe in shared responsibility for the benefit of the community, and I hope to build that new culture within COMA this year. And I would say that is the main driver for my decision.
To make this happen, I started the General Committee or GC this year. This is for people who are interested in working in specific areas instead of working in EC. It also reduces the workload of EC.
Currently, we have additional members working in the following areas:
- Photography Club
- COMA Talks Live
- Food Committee
- Volunteers committee
- Event planners
- Fundraising committee
I am confident that this new setup will attract more members to join EC or GC in the future. Also, I hope the future ECs will continue forming GCs to accommodate more members who are willing to help in specific areas.
Speaking of a good team, I am lucky to be working with amazing people in the EC this year – Dr. Rajesh Rajan (VP), Ms. Parvathy Harilal (General Secretary), Ms. Linda Chan (Joint Secretary), and Mr. Rohit Suresh (Treasurer)
And in GC, we have Ms. Amalu Jospeh (Lady Secretary), Miss Gaurinanda Sudheesh (Website), Mr. Prahlad T. Indira (Newsletter), Mr. Bimal Sebastian (Food Committee), Mr. Rahul RP (Photography Club), Mr. Rakesh Vijayakrishnan (Sports Secretary), Mr. Aslam Abubacker (Volunteers) and Mr. Sudheesh Vasudevan (Youth Wing).
I can say that our COMA community is in safe hands! And a big thanks to my friends who introduced these special people to my life.
Now, here’s where we need your help! Our community is growing, and that means we need bigger and better venues and programs. To make this happen, we need to think outside the box and be willing to embrace some changes. This might mean contributing a little extra financially and volunteering some of your time.
This would help us to better plan our events with support from external sponsors. And, if you think you can support us by helping us in specific areas, then please reach out to me or one of the EC members. We welcome any and all support!
Once again, I wish you all a happy 2025 and hope that we can continue to entertain you as previous committees have done.
Thank you!
— Stephen John
