June 27, 2019 (Fort McMurray) Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta and Bouchier Group are proud to announce the 2nd nominee for the Women of Inspiration series 2019-2020.  Purva Sharma

Ms. Sharma has called Fort McMurray home for 13 years. She relocated to McMurray with her then two-month-old daughter to join her husband. Ms. Sharma threw herself wholeheartedly into the community and began by volunteering for the Fort McMurray Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo (MCA) in 2014. Since then Purva has participated in every Multi-Cultural Expo, the MCA’s flagship event attended by thousands. She coordinated and organized performances of the World Meets in the Wood Buffalo event held during Alberta Culture Days. “Volunteering for me is like praying” says Purva. She lives by these words and is front and centre when it comes to promoting her Indian culture, making her region a better pace for everyone. She is avid about making presentations on the Indian culture and Hinduism as her religion to local organizations through the MCA. Leah Nand, Event and Volunteer Coordinator at MCA cannot say enough great things about Ms. Sharma. “Purva is a wonderful candidate for the Girls’ Inc. Women of Inspiration Series. In the short time that I have known her, it has become obvious that she cares so much for her community and is willing to put in the work to help others succeed. Leading up to the Multicultural Expo 2019, Purva organized the entire India booth which included food sales, artifact sales, Henna tattoos and stage performances. She is generous with her time as she is always asking if she could help with other elements of the event planning. Purva is the ideal woman to be inducted into this series, as she embodies the values of teamwork, generosity, and community involvement, all of which help to make our community a better place.” Rodas Asres agrees with this assessment of Ms. Sharma. She has worked with Purva for 4 years at the MCA. “Purva gives of herself to the multicultural community without reservation. She has been a behind the scenes volunteer, coordinator, liaison and communications channel between the MCA and the Indian community as a whole. During my time as the Events and Volunteer Coordinator and later Events and Grants Manager, Purva was the first person I would call when I needed support in recruiting cultural participants for events. She always goes above and beyond and supported the success of most if not all events I ran. She is definitely under-celebrated as most of her amazing work goes unseen by the public. This recognition is very fitting to Purva Sharma because she has so many amazing qualities that girls can look up to.” In 2014, Purva also joined the Hindu Society of Fort McMurray and has been on the executive team for the last two years. She is front and centre in organizing the group’s cultural and religious celebrations like Diwali, the festival of lights. She has also been contributing to the cultural events of other organizations like Vaisakhi, the Sikh festival and Gujarati Society’s celebration as a co-sponsor and volunteer. Ms. Sharma was also one of the co-sponsors who helped bring the Indian Film Festival of Alberta to Fort McMurray last July. Ms. Sharma shares and promotes her culture to spread an appreciation for Canada’s and Fort McMurray’s cultural diversity. By sharing another culture, you promote tolerance and acceptance. In these times of increasing intolerance, this approach to inclusion is an excellent opportunity to educate adults and youth alike to celebrate our differences and to appreciate what diversity brings to a community. Ms. Sharma is a successful home-business owner. Her business – Rajasthan Creations – is an Indian clothing/accessories boutique. Ms. Sharma, by her example and her full life, inspires her daughter and all girls to be strong, to give back to your community, to work towards and achieve success in personal and business goals. Ms. Purva Sharma is a strong, smart and bold women who encourages others to have a sense of adventure, to share your passion and to work towards being the instrument of positive change in her community.