In a time of increasing political unrest and polarization the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi is more important than ever to teach young, socially active students. Although it consists of three pillars that Gandhi saw as equally important, Inner Peace/Transformation, Upliftment of All (Sarvodaya), and Insistence on Truth (Satyagrah), the latter is the one that is most well-known. To even out this imbalance the RNP Foundation collaborated with the incredible staff at CSU Fresno to create a learning center emphasizing the other two pillars of Inner Peace and Sarvodaya.

Despite being based out of Bakersfield, the RNP Foundation members try living by the quote Gandhi so loved “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The Whole World is my Family” and thus had no problem reaching outside our home city to work with our brothers and sisters in Fresno. With a donation of 1.5 million dollars for its establishment, the MK Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya will be part of CSU Fresno’s philosophy department and will have a class on Gandhian philosophy every semester along with 5 events a year which will include guest lecturers, workshops, essay competitions and much more. Additionally, there will be a portion of the library dedicated do the Center with literature on Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy.

Since education is so important to shaping the future of our world and helping to right the wrongs and injustices in the world, the RNP Foundation directly awards scholarships to promising young students who are from challenging backgrounds or who are studying to help those who are from such backgrounds.  We want to award scholarships to promote greater equity in educational opportunities.  Additionally we make grants to small local non-profits who are doing this work such as the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation.

December 1, 2020

Mount Tamalpais College’s mission is to provide intellectually rigorous education programs, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison; to expand access to quality higher education for the incarcerated, and foster values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression.

The Ravi and Naina Patel Foundation jumped on this mission, supplying for their educational programs, helping provide materials for the COVID emergency in prison, and to producing videos spotlighting the success and achievement of people who were previously incarcerated as they reintegrate in to society outside.

The mindfulness program at the Juvenile detention center has now been instated for over a year. This program is taught to children who are under the highest security grade at juvenile hall, many of whom are awaiting adult sentencing. It now consists of three, hour-long classes two times a week as an increasing number of students are participating.

The classes are optional during the recreation period, so these children are actively choosing these mindfulness lessons over video games and movies.
The classes are taught by Christine Mcbride who is an extremely talented, compassionate, trauma-informed yoga teacher. She opens with a mindful breath work session followed with art therapy and finishes with question-answer about letting go of limiting beliefs, dealing with stress, and finding peace. Although it initially took time to gain their trust, Christine has now made massive impact on many students in the program to decrease violent behavior and anxiety as well as to instill confidence and peace. The students during the sessions are eager to participate and learn. Due to Christine’s impact, the program was awarded Outstanding Volunteer Services for 2022-2023, one of only three awards handed out to over one hundred volunteers.