Rotary Club of Bombay and PVSC Partner With St. Judes to Aid Childhood Cancer Families

In a partnership that marks a new chapter of impact to support families facing childhood cancer, Premlata Vandravan Shah Charities, and the Rotary Club of Bombay, in partnership with St. Jude India ChildCare Centres, today inaugurated 21 residential centres at a new, state-of-the-art facility in Navi Mumbai. These centres, made possible through these partners’ support for movable capital expenses, are located within the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), part of Tata Memorial Centre. The new complex showcases a significant step forward in providing holistic support to vulnerable families.

The care provided by these centres extends far beyond shelter, offering nutritious meals, counselling, educational assistance, and transportation. Together, these services create a nurturing "home away from home" for children undergoing intensive treatment. 

In addition to their support towards the movable capital expenses for all the 21 Centres, Premlata Vandravan Shah Charities and the Rotary Clubs have also contributed a 25-seater van to facilitate the daily transportation of families between the centre and the hospital, further strengthening the support system for children undergoing treatment. 

Rotarian Dilip Shah along with his brothers Rohit & Sudhir Shah has been a steadfast ambassador of St. Judes India for nearly two decades. Through his family’s well-known philanthropic arm, the Premlata Vandravan Shah Charities, he currently supports 30 family units in St. Judes’ Mumbai Centres, in addition to funding the capital expenses of three centres in Cotton Green and one in Hyderabad. His long-standing commitment has also inspired over 10 Rotarian members to join the cause and support family units in Mumbai, further strengthening the collective impact of the Rotary community.

The Kharghar project is St. Judes’ most ambitious facility to date: a 12-storey, 234-unit complex. Once fully operational, this facility is projected to provide free accommodation for over 700 families annually, creating a haven for an estimated 35,000 individuals over the next twenty years.

Rtn Dilip Shah from PVSC, said, “PVSC has long been associated with St Judes, but being a part of this new Kharghar project is god’s gift to us. Imagine the plight of parents fighting child’s cancer, having to leave treatment midway for the want of safe accommodation and nutritional support. This facility with over 230 units is a humble effort to bridge the gap. Special thanks to Rotary Club of Bombay, my own Club RCB Hanging Garden and The Rotary Foundation for their kind association”   

Anil Nair, CEO, St. Judes, said, “For families who travel to big cities for their child’s cancer treatment, St. Judes offers more than comfort and care—it provides them with a ‘home away from home’. Our centres offer them a ray of hope by providing a nurturing environment where young patients can recover with dignity. Thanks to supporters like Premlata Vandravan Shah Charities and the Rotary Clubs, this new facility will extend that lifeline to hundreds more children and families each year.”

The inauguration was held in the presence of Dilip Shah & Sudhir Shah from the Premlata Vandravan Shah Charities, along with Chief Guest - Rotarian Dr. Manish Motwani, District Governor, RID 3141, and Guests of Honour - Rotarian Bimal Mehta, President, Rotary Club of Bombay, and Rotarian Hitesh Fozdar, President, Rotary Club of Bombay Hanging Garden, together with Ms. Manisha Parthasarathy, Chairperson, St. Judes India, and Mr. Anil Nair, CEO, St. Judes India.