Hi everyone! My name is Neal Kharawala and I graduated from MCPHS University in 2015. I am a licensed pharmacist currently working in the pharmaceutical industry.

During our 6th year of pharmacy school, we get to go on our clinical rotations. This is where we experienced different settings of pharmacy and interacted with patients as if we were pharmacists. I also worked for the Veterans Affairs as a pharmacy intern for two and a half years. These experiences showed me what these patients go through and I wanted to give back to make a difference in their lives.

Last year, I went through the experience of being a patient in a hospital due to having complicated appendicitis. Long story short, after 4 days of being in the hospital I received my bill and saw exactly how expensive health care is for these patients. I feel fortunate to have a decent job and insurance coverage, but I want you to put yourself in the shoes of the families that do not. That's exactly what I did last year and is another reason why I am trying to raise this money.

With this fundraiser, we would be able to help families in need to help pay medical bills, as well as help fund Children's Hospital to buy gifts for the children that will be patients during the holidays. Along with these other reasons, on May 9, 2014, Sandra L. Fenwick, the President and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital served as the Commencement speaker for the graduating class from MCPHS University. I was in the bleachers that day and was only a 5th year student. What stuck with me from her speech is "trust is the engine that drives optimal care". We can show that not only are we gaining that trust as health care professionals in our careers, but also as individuals in the community.

I do not stand alone behind this idea and am teaming up with friends, family members, the Boston photography community, as well as current students involved in various organizations from MCPHS University. Any donation amount would help and would go a long way. I have set a goal of $10,000 but by any means if we reach that goal, I don't want us to stop there. We should not put a limit on being able to help people.

To help raise money for this cause aside from direct donations, I will be partnering with Darkroom.tech which is a site where photographers (including myself) can sell photos and donate proceeds to a certain charity/cause. I will be donating 100% of my proceeds of the photos that do sell directly to this cause along with the other photographers that have so generously offered to help. Someone once told me that "you see everything as beautiful" and that is the way we should view life. There is so much negativity in our world today. With an open mind, heart and compassion, we are taking one small step towards a more positive world.

If you wish to buy a photo instead of donating directly, click on the link below:

http://santaslittlehelpers.darkroom.tech