Town Liaison Committee
Chairs: Sudha Balasuryan & Eamala Vasudev Sundaram
Patriots Day
This year's Patriots Day Parade was amazing with perfect weather and a huge turn out by the town residents. IAL had several new town residents participate in the Parade with music and dance.
Veterans Day
IAL supported Veteran's Day breakfast held at and hosted by the Knights of Columbus and Town Celebrations Committee on Nov 11th, 2023. The event was well attended by Veterans from both Lexington and Bedford.
AAPI
IAL participated in the AAPI celebrations held at LHS by sponsoring the henna activity.
Lexington Center Diwali Celebration
Lexington Economic Development Office, Lexington Chamber of Commerce and Spaulding Management collaborated to organize Lexington Center Diwali Celebration. IAL collaborated with them to organize this event and sponsored Henna Table from Henna for Humanity Group.
2023
Patriots Day
Post Covid and after missing out on the Patriots Day Parade 2020 & 2021, everyone was looking forward to this year’s Patriots Day Parade! A lot of planning went into it, and it was a huge success! The weather was perfect and IAL had several new town residents participate in the Parade with music and dance.
Veterans Day
IAL supported this year's Veteran's Day breakfast held at and hosted by Knights of Columbus and Town Celebrations Committee on Nov 5th. The event was well attended by Veterans from both Lexington and Bedford.
Dance Around the World
IAL co-sponsored Dance Around the World organized by Town celebration committee on March 18th, 2023 to Celebrate cultural diversity through an evening of International Folk, Classical and Pop dances
My American Story
IAL co-sponsored the "My American Story" event organized by the Chinese Americans of Lexington (CALex) which was held in celebration of AAPI Month 2023. Several members of the Asian American community in Lexington including Mona Roy and Samita Mandelia participated in the event.
Lexington’s designation as Cultural District
Mass Cultural Council approves Lexington Cultural District Designation on March 22, 2023. This designation will only enhance our vibrant local economy as it signifies a commitment from the Town to nurture our community’s present and future arts and cultural initiatives and brings positive economic benefit to our cultural institutions and local businesses. IAL participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony to honor this occasion on May 18th, 2023, in front Lexington Depot Square.
2022
Patriots Day
Post Covid and after missing out on the Patriots Day Parade 2020 & 2021, everyone was looking forward to this year’s Patriots Day Parade! A lot of planning went into it, and it was a huge success! The weather was perfect and IAL had several new town residents participate in the Parade with music and dance.
Veterans Day
IAL supported this year's Veteran's Day breakfast held at and hosted by Knights of Columbus and Town Celebrations Committee on Nov 5th. The event was well attended by Veterans from both Lexington and Bedford.
AAPI Banners
IAL is proud to be part of a coalition of Lexington’s AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) cultural groups (BALex, CAAL, CALex, JPLex and KoLex) to create public banners that celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ contributions to our nation. Each banner celebrates either a significant historical event or a person who has made a significant contribution to society. The banners will be displayed along Mass. Avenue in Lexington Center, and another set in Cary Library in the month of May (AAPI Heritage month) and we plan to continue to add more banners and increase representation in future years. Fundraising came from individual donations as well as a grant from CEL. More info at: https://lexaapibanners.wixsite.com/website
AAPI Run
IAL supported and participated in the month-long activities of AAPI that culminated over the Memorial Day Weekend with the celebration of various cultural activities and a 5k run. IAL had its own booth that featured Rangoli and Henna activities. Both the activities were well received by the attendees! The kids enjoyed the Rangoli activity and both kids and adults enjoyed the Henna temporary tattoo! A video featuring famous monuments of India was showcased which was also well received by everyone who attended the event.
2019
Senior Citizen fun evening:
IAL hosted a fun evening with the Indian American Senior Citizens at the Lex Community Center in August 2019. The event was highlighted by Bollywood melodious song mix by Ajay Koul that mesmerized all present, reminiscing the golden time. Other participants jumped adding their voices to the evening. Trivias were entertaining and saw total participation from the attended. even with some technical glitches. IAL team had a fun time with great group of senior citizens with inspiring infectious energy.
2016
IAL continues to support the Lexington Community Coalition (LexCoalition – Youth Initiative) throughout the year and work with town officials, school officials, communities in town and students to bring awareness to various issues faced by students in Lexington. Some of the initiatives we are working on are to reduce stress and improve wellbeing, mental health issues and to prevent underage drinking and substance abuse. We have continued to collaborate with the Lexington Asian Alliance (an alliance between IAL, CAAL and KOLEX) to address the needs of Asian students. As a result of this alliance, IAL is planning to meet with the Lexington School Superintendent’s Administrative Council to address the specific needs of Asian students.