Distinguished Citizen Award - Dr. Harish Rawal Receives

Dr. Harish Rawal may have been born into poverty in India but said his family there was rich with the spirit of giving, grace and charity. The lessons he learned still drive him today.  Sharing what you have should be a priority when you're blessed,  Rawal said. In December, Rawal donated $1 million to Jackson Community College to help pay for its newly renovated allied health and nursing classrooms. The college will rename the facility the Rawal Center for Health Professions, JCC President Daniel Phelan said. Due to his generous donation and continued emphasis on the importance of education, Rawal was named a Distinguished Citizen by the Citizen Patriot.

Dr. Rawal who practices in Jackson, said, his donation for the Jackson Community College (JCC) would is to help pay for its newly renovated allied health and nursing classrooms and an endowed scholarship for supporting financially backward students. Rawal graduated from the B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, and then moved to Chicago to do surgical residency before moving to Jackson 28 years ago. He founded the Great Lakes Brain & Spine Institute soon after. Rawal, whose father died when he was only nine, said he might have been born into poverty but his family in India was rich with the spirit of giving, grace and charity.

 Sharing what you have should be a priority when you're blessed,  he said. Last September Rawal and his wife, Sudha, donated $50,000 to Jackson High School for a scholarship in memory of his mother. His mother, Vasantiben, after being widowed at 35, raised four children from poverty to success in the business and medical fields.  I feel my poverty had a lot to do with who I am,  he said.  It has made me an achiever, it has made me brave and a giver.  There is also a high school in his mother's name and a college in his father's name in India.

 We are so honored by your generosity,  JCC President Daniel Phelan said when the gift was announced.  It honors the belief in the future of young people, and I thank you for that. 

Rawal, 59, said he hopes his gift leads to three things.  I hope it stimulates people to understand the importance of education and ……….stimulates those with the ability to donate to do so.  And he hopes that his gift will give financially challenged students access to an education that will provide them the tools necessary to find a good job.  Lack of funds should not be a reason for someone not to study,  he said. Rawal believes education is paramount.  If you're educated, you will not starve,  he said.  We need to induce in the younger generation the importance of education.