Geetha Moorthy (@geethamoorthysaaac) is the Founder & Executive Director of SAAAC Autism Centre (@thesaaac) in Toronto, which she has been working on for 14+ years with the help of many enthusiastic and loyal volunteers.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her passion for dance and choreography, winning the Gerry Bloomfield Award, coming to Canada and wanting to give back to the community, going from humble beginnings in her living room to running multiple centre locations, raising over $25,000 at SAAAC’s first gala in 2010, serving 350+ families in 2020, and so much more.
Follow Geetha:
– LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetha-moorthy/)
TAKE THE QUIZ – “What Type of Creator Are You?”**
***JOIN THE LIST – CLICK HERE!***
Timestamps
00:19 – Ara introduces this week’s guest, Geetha Moorthy
00:47 – Geetha speaks on how her upbringing
02:07 – Having to flee Sri Lanka within a few days of getting married
04:17 – What led her to create SAAAC; 1985 to now
08:02 – Not knowing what Autism was; giving back to the community
11:50 – A doctor got in touch with Geetha; no word in Tamil for Autism
13:13 – How Geetha got the ball rolling with SAAAC
15:13 – The need for something like SAAAC in places like the US and UK
17:54 – How SAAAC was funded in its early stages
22:28 – Her secret to getting volunteers and keeping them committed
24:28 – Geetha’s entrepreneurial spirit; balancing work, family, and more
26:55 – Dealing with doubt and naysayers along her journey
29:38 – Receiving a Gerry Bloomfield’s Award
32:02 – Her biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
35:37 – Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
35:48 – The personal legacy she wants to leave behind
36:04 – Creator Confessions
39:36 – The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
– The Tamil Creator
– Yanchan
Written By:
– Aravinthan Ehamparam
– Yanchan Rajmohan
