DREAMSAI, a multi-award-winning local charity is conducting opening ceremony of Temple & Community Centre this weekend on Saturday the 8th July and Sunday the 9th July in Kingston District Centre, Milton Keynes.
A local temple that is open every day of the week for worship has been a deep-rooted desire of the thousands of MK Indian community members for five decades.
DREAMSAI community persistently worked towards this herculean task since 2015 and overcome numerous challenges; thanks to MK Community Foundation who leased the premises with rent subsidy scheme this facility is now ready to become a great addition to the diverse & inclusive profile of our city of Milton Keynes.
Mandir is a focal point of spiritual significance and social gathering for people of Indian origin where families gather for special occasions including birthdays, anniversaries, and festivals like Diwali.
This new facility will avoid the need for community to travel to London, Birmingham and faraway places to practice their age-old traditions.
DREAMSAI is an inclusive charity and respects every individual irrespective of their religion, gender or race which is evidently demonstrated in their food charity activities. DREAMSAI won Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service from Late Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II in 2021 & Charity of the Year Highly Commended Award from MK Business Achievement Awards in 2023.
In addition to the place of worship, DREAMSAI run many charity activities which make a profound impact on our vulnerable communities.
Their hugely popular Food for SAI project named after their Guru SAI delivers over quarter of million meals on the table every year including cooked meals to homeless, food parcels to vulnerable families & breakfast packs to local schools. Their Blood & Organ donation project organised in association with NHS Blood & Transplant attract many new donors every year. The new premises will be central hub for all its activities which are currently run from various premises across the city improving operational efficiency.
Active Youth & Volunteer Engagement has been another significant achievement of DREAMSAI community with over 40% of their 450 strong local volunteer force being youth who run many activities and learn many life skills as part of their voluntary role. Recently, 25 trekkers successfully completed three peak challenge to raise funds for this building project demonstrating the grass root community active participation.
Laxman Kastala, Founder & Chairman of DREAMSAI said “Two generations of Indian origin kids have grown in Milton Keynes without a chance to witness and experience their culture, traditions & values resulting in lost identity. Your authentic self is non-negotiable , this Temple & Community Centre will be a fantastic opportunity for our community to practice their core values.
"Based on our Guru Saibaba’s doctrine Sabka Malik Ek which translates to “There is only one God”, this Temple warmly welcome people from across the faiths and no faith as well to come and experience this exciting place. We will be delighted to show you around. We sincerely and profoundly thank all our volunteers, donors , community members and especially National Lottery Heritage Fund and Milton Keynes Community Foundation for their support
"It's a new chapter to our charity, we are looking forward to expanding the already popular services multi-fold from this central hub".
Ranjit Singh, Philanthropy Director of Milton Keynes Community Foundation said “We are proud to support this community asset in partnership with DREAMSAI, where our philanthropy stretches beyond giving grants by supporting the property needs of the voluntary, community and cultural sector.
"Our rent subsidy programme supports the sector with reduced rate premises and reflects our values of ‘Funding Fairness’ to ensure all sections of our community are supported equitably, working towards making our city the most inclusive in the country.”
For more information of DREAMSAI, https://www.dreamsai.org
