Find Your Cause: Kalpana Bhandarkar Reflects on her Journey in Healthcare and Civic Engagement
“My message to young professionals looking to give back is First, figure out what you’re passionate about. What in your lived experience or professional experience helps drive your passion? Where do you see unmet need or injustices that you want to contribute to? What level of commitment do you want to have?” Today’s woman dreamer, Kalpana Bhandarkar, is the Principal of Spring Bhee Advisory and Co-Chair of the Board of Erase Racism. In this interview with Women Who Win for our “Women in Philanthropy” series with Akshaya Patra USA, Kalpana shares how she aims to empower communities through her work, why the Akshaya Patra cause resonates with her, and her crucial advice to young professionals seeking to give back.
1. Tell us your story. Currently, you are the Principal of Spring Bhee Advisory, where you are bringing your healthcare and nonprofit expertise to advise organizations. Prior to that, you worked in hospital/health administration business. What has inspired you throughout your extensive career in healthcare and civic engagement?
I grew up very privileged and have been the beneficiary of good fortune. This privilege – and the hard work of my parents and ancestors – would be wasted if I didn’t convert it into service toward others. That value of service has driven every professional and personal decision in my life.
What drove me to work within health care is that many people in this country are suffering due to inequitable health care. This is one of the most significant forms of injustice in this country – especially since we collectively have the resources to do much better.
What drives me to support non-profits is that they work to fill in the persistent gaps that disallows our community members and neighbors to live healthy lives and thrive. They are the engines that help people access healthy food; the ones that enroll folks in benefits needed to receive health care and other important services; the ones who advocate for better policies so that child care workers can be paid fairly; and the ones that connect homeless individuals to supportive housing – just some examples.
2. You are Co-Chair of the Board of an organization called Erase Racism. Tell us more about the needs the organization addresses, and your vision for the organization going forward? What are some of the successes and challenges you have experienced through your work with this organization?
ERASE Racism is an essential civil rights organization in New York that advances fair, affordable and inclusive housing and educational equity for residents of New York State. They expose structural racism – which means racism embedded into policies, programs and institutions – and explain to the public and elected officials how it creates lasting harm for communities of color. They then advocate for effective policies and interventions that eliminate and prevent further harm in the areas of housing and education.
The organization has established itself as a reputable and essential civil rights organization in New York State, serving as the lead advocate for 9 fair housing laws enacted in 2021 aimed at preventing the insidious discrimination against families of color in their pursuit of housing in the communities of their preference. ERASE Racism trains high school students to be leaders in their own schools and communities to advance equity and cultural proficiency.
My vision for the organization is that New York State residents recognize its essential work and help grow its budget and visibility even beyond current levels. ERASE Racism has achieved many notable and significant milestones with a small staff and budget but its impact could be amplified with more resources.
3. Your family has worked with Akshaya Patra USA for many years and you have also visited one of their kitchens. What inspires you about Akshaya Patra USA's mission?
Akshaya Patra connects people in the U.S. who have a passion for addressing unmet social needs in India with a viable solution to do so. Akshaya Patra addresses the most basic need that EVERYONE can align with – eliminating hunger in children so that they can participate actively in school – and uses innovative technology, quality assurance and passionate people to advance their mission.
4. Akshaya Patra encourages youth leaders and young professionals to get involved in philanthropy. What is your advice to young professionals looking to give back to their community? How should nonprofit organizations go about engaging younger volunteers?
My message to young professionals looking to give back is First, figure out what you’re passionate about. What in your lived experience or professional experience helps drive your passion? Where do you see unmet need or injustices that you want to contribute to? What level of commitment do you want to have e.g. volunteering weekly, monthly, raising funds, making connections, episodic volunteering. Once you define that, you can help look for opportunities that align with your passion and preferences. It’s important to do the preparatory thought work before you dive in, so that you can be intentional and sustain your commitment.
5. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My dream is that in the U.S., we make some real progress in social justice in the next 5 years. For instance, we advance closer to universal health care where people can access quality care without having to worry about cost. It is a human right and this country should be able to shift its mindset to enable that. Another dream is that we advance racial justice – we fully integrate schools and communities. People of all shades live near each other, build community together and have their kids grow up together.
Thank you Kalpana for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Kalpana Bhandarkar has nearly 20 years of experience in health care and civic engagement. Within health care, Kalpana has dedicated her professional career to improving access to quality health care for people living in low-resource settings, having held leadership positions at three New York City hospitals and having worked in health care consulting. She has also long been engaged in advancing child and adolescent advocacy initiatives in New York State and the United States. Kalpana is an active Board member of three non-profit organizations: ERASE Racism, a civil rights organization focused on fair housing and educational equity; Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, a statewide child advocacy organization working to advance policies for children and families in low-resource settings; and She Is the Universe, a global leadership development organization for girls. Kalpana also has a long history of participating in voter registration, voter outreach and canvassing related to local, state and presidential elections. She is the founder of Spring Bhee Advisory, her solo consulting practice focused on advisory services for health care and non-profit organizations.