As a kindergartner, I remember watching my older brother rehearsing on stage and asking my mom if I could join. Since then, I have been a happy member of the big ICS family. From using creative props in our dances, to picnics, to acting in a play, to making friends all over my community, ICS has helped me grow into the person I am today. As a graduating senior in high school, I will miss seeing my extended ICS family and will definitely cherish the memories from over the years

"I was one of the two recipients of the ICS Academic and Cultural Award. I have been working hard to learn more about my Indian roots since I was a child, and to give back to my local community as gratitude for all that I have. It is a true honor to be recognized for my work by such an amazing organization that has truly made a mark on the way young people celebrate diversity and interact with their community. I would also like to thank you for your generous scholarship of $250, which I plan on using to finance a new laptop to aid me in my schoolwork".

A home away from home keeping our rich culture alive, Ics brings together the communication between our children who entrench and nurture their friendships from kindergarten through high school and pride us by putting their best foot forward in front of audiences annually. We feel very connected with our culture through Ics

Thank you to this amazing amazing ICS team for such a perfectly organized show!!! No glitches, everything went so smoothly!! Felt like we pay so much for celebrity concerts and even those are not as organized as this was!! From arranging pizza ,water etc for hundreds of kids before the show, to their pics, organized ticketing for seats , no delay, awesome backstage lighting to sound system for tracks, then dinner with so many food stations to avoid long lines, the drum beats entertainment from little girl Sapna Stanley, to the most amazing YMCA child care so adults can watch the second outstanding show from hilarious Rajiv Satyal!! Can't forget MC Dhawal Sheth, he was superb and kept the audience interested throughout. Every little detail was so well planned!! Outstanding!!!! THANK YOU ICS!! I haven't seen this much perfection when I have paid so much for celebrity concerts! You ALL are remarkable!!!!

Speaking as a Ex-Committee member from few years ago, where my kids are now ICS Alumni. This week, I was reminded again of how important ICS has been in my family's life. The connections you make over the years is crucial. The groups of kids and their parents become your extended family. I wanted to say a personal thank you to ICS and show my appreciation, that today, even after leaving the ICS committee, I have so many connections and many continued friendships in my life. Truly Blessed  🙏. Thank you, ICS.

Great job as always ICS. Thanks for all the hard work and hope dandiya will be an annual event! Kids had a blast

I feel privileged to be a part of the ICS group as it has become a part of me and my family. The cultural events are something that my entire family anxiously look forward to, just the way my kids do. My parents have enjoyed it as spectators and when not in the country anxiously look forward to the video clippings. I have enjoyed it as a volunteer and as well as a participant. The event is an opening for the latent talents of the participants to be explored and developed, and ICS has indeed done a wonderful job. As a parent, ICS gives me an opportunity to work on the kid's confidence level and eliminate any stage fear while they are having fun. More than the fun is the rubbing shoulders with your dear and near. The children in the ICS group form their own closeness and over the years, taught us adults the true meaning of acceptance irrespective of the individuals shortcomings. They encourage their peers and in the process make each other feel at home. I wish ICS all the very best for their growth and success!

ICS is a great way to expose our American born kids to a bit of Indian flavor. It introduced my 6 year old twins to other kids that like and dance to the same songs as they do. It gave them an opportunity to dance on stage for the talent show which got them ready to participate in the annual ICS show. It has given them more confidence in all social situations and will help in their all-round development in years to come

We have been members of ICS for a few years now. The most memorable and exciting event was when my 3 year-old twins performed at the annual Talent Show. The Talent show is what I call a "dry run" performance well in advance of the many more actual performances to come. My girls have benefitted by participating, and have gained confidence and stage exposure at a very early age. Kudos to ICS and the dedicated team of volunteers for hosting a variety of social, cultural, and charitable events throughout the year. Look forward to attending many more!

For today's generation, living in a world like ours, it can be pretty difficult to stay in touch with our heritage and our culture. Many of us are born in America and become immersed in American culture, easily forgetting about our Indian roots. Luckily, I have been a part of ICS for almost my entire life, and it has helped me stay in touch with my true culture. ICS has influenced my life greatly and has made me very proud to be Indian. Through ICS, I get to volunteer and participate in many events which help our community. For example, participating in our annual Diwali show is a tradition for me. My dance group has become my second family, who I spend a lot of time with, in and out of practice. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for ICS, I would not be friends with the kids in my dance group. ICS has brought our entire group together, and I have gained some very valuable friends. Growing up with ICS has been very rewarding for me. ICS sponsors many charity events where teenagers get to volunteer to help the community. My favorite event to participate in is the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life Cancer Walk. During this event members of all ages come together and spend the night walking for cancer. Last year, ICS managed to surpass its goal of $1000 and raised almost $2000. Knowing that I was able to help fund money for cancer research as a member of ICS makes me very proud. Without ICS there is no way I would be this involved with the community around me. I'm very thankful that I been a part of ICS for the past 8 years, and I'm looking forward to my last 2 years here.

I have been in the Indian Cultural Society for several years... ever since I was 9 years old. I was able to keep in touch with my culture while making countless friends and longtime friendships. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend joining ICS to any adult or child out there!

To me, ICS is more than another religious organization. It is more than just a institution designed to celebrate our mutual backgrounds. I think of ICS as a family, brought together by the experiences of growing up. We laugh, we cry, we grow up, and through it all, we stick together, for we are a family. From charity events to dance shows, ICS encompasses a great deal. Our annual Diwali show is sold out regularly. When kids are put onto stage year after year with their friends, and the support of their families and peers in front of them, something great happens: they lose their fear of performing, they became accustomed, they begin to enjoy it. And the next thing you know, that shy little fourth grader has transformed into an amazing dancer with no inhibitions about getting in front of hundreds and dancing, giving it his all. And the best part is no one is forcing him to. He is doing it because he enjoys it, because he likes to perform, he likes to support his friends and have them support his friends in turn. And that is not all ICS does. We help out the community, such as when we volunteered at New Jersey Cares last year, to help in the initiative to clean up camps for kids. As ICS, we represent the Indian community, and must do our best to show that we can do anything we set our minds on, no matter our age, for what is age but a number. As it says in George Pope Morris' ; " The Flag of our Union", United we stand, divided we fall!

My first memory of ICS is standing on stage pulling at my mother's hair with one hand, while with my other I showed off my artwork at the Talent Show. I was 3.5 year's old! Next Talent Show, as a 4.5 year old, I made humungous Origami dinosaurs. Then I didn't want to participate in ICS for a while, but this year I wanted to join in the dance show. I am 9 years old now, and I thought this would help me get more confident in front of audiences. It's really fun and I get to make some new friends. I also get to learn cool dance steps for the show! They think up of some interesting things for kids to do.

Thanks for all your effort in pulling the kids together for the practices. The kids did a very good job. I know Ridhima does not say much but she had a good time and she was wishing for this to be a whole year thing. Also, it was our first experience with ICS and we all really enjoyed. Everything was very good and well planned. It indeed is a good way for kids as well as parents to get in touch with others. We do hope to join in other events thru the year as well and try to help the best we can.

ICS Glimpses 2011 was a flawless event. You girls rock!! Seriously, my friends and family come every year to watch the show, and they commented that it was so well organized and couln't even compare with what they have in NY.