Dear Brothers and Sisters, 
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!! As we gather with our loved ones during this holiday season, we have the opportunity to reflect on what we are grateful for – as individuals, as a family, and as a community. Personally, I am thankful that SALDEF has generous supporters like you to fund the important work we have been doing for over 17 years. SALDEF is nearly 80% funded by community members like you so your decision to support us has a REAL impact on what we are able to achieve. If you haven’t contributed in 2013 yet, please make your 100% tax deductible donation here. Just over 16 months ago, the tragic shooting in Oak Creek showed us the extreme levels of hate and ignorance that exist in our society, and the urgent need to create awareness about Sikhs and Sikhism in American society. To that end, SALDEF launched the Media Initiative earlier this year, aimed squarely at raising the profile of Sikhs in America. In our first year, we conducted a public perception assessment, titled “Turban Myths” to survey what the general public knows (or thinks they know) about Sikhs. I hope you will take a moment to read the results here. Additionally, we established the community’s first-ever Sikh Speaker’s Bureau to begin building a cadre of spokespeople who are professionally media trained and can articulate the basic concepts of Sikhi accurately. To lead this high profile initiative, we have hired a 17-year veteran from NBC national news as our Communications Director. We are excited to have her experience and skills working on Sikh issues. We can take these bold steps only because of your financial support. So, if have not already done so, please make a year-end gift to SALDEF and help us move the Sikh American community forward in 2014! Thank you again for your support and have a happy New Year! Sincerely, Jasjit Singh SALDEF Executive Director
