The Bahl Foundation is dedicated to advancing the well being of children around the world through education, health, faith and the arts.
A few of our projects are highlighted below.
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The Bahl Family Auditorium:
The Paradise Theater in Faribault, MN, has become a magnet for theatrical artists.
The Bahl Foundation is a proud partner and has been instrumental in providing a high-quality yet intimate space for a wide variety of events including plays, concerts and speaking engagements.
With a maximum seating capacity of 375 patrons - and the ability to add a thrust stage or convert the space to accommodate a dance floor - The Bahl Family Auditorium is truly a space where the arts can flourish.
Find out more information at the official web page for The Bahl Family Auditorium:
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Bahl Field:
While it is a play on words, we have taken our commitment to the physical well being of children to a new level with our support for the Faribault Soccer Complex.
Some have called it "the culmination of a dream" and "great for the community and its youth" - and we agree wholeheartedly. Since its inception, this project was a logical fit with our mission.
Explore more details of what the Soccer Complex has done for the community of Faribault by VISITING THIS WEB PAGE and reading a great article by Brendan Burnett-Kurie in the Faribault Daily News Online.
We are honored to have our family name as a part of this fantastic facility!
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Faribault High School 2018 Scholarship Presentation:
 Congratulations to Morgan West, recipient of the 2018 Bahl Foundation scholarship!
Penny Bailey presented the award to Morgan on behalf of the Foundation at Faribault High School on May 23.
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Faribault Rotary Club Programs:
The Bahl Foundation’s support of the Faribault Rotary Club facilitates a number of programs that benefit the youth within the community.
STRIVE - is a program that was started in 1997 and is intended to help students raise their GPAs and earn scholarship dollars for college. Students also learn valuable lessons in time management, financial management, goal setting, scholarship opportunities and the financial aid process, interview skills, test taking skills, what to expect in college and keys to success.
This year’s STRIVE program scholarship recipients are Katra Abdullahi (not pictured), Jason Donkers (top left) and Hannah Plunkett (bottom left)- pictured here with Marian Bahl, representing The Bahl Foundation, and Troy Dunn, president of the Faribault Rotary Club. Congratulations, Katra, Jason and Hannah!
STAY - is a peer-to-peer tutoring program that provided nearly 100 trained tutors from grades nine to twelve last year - assisting students in all subjects covered in the high school.
Respect Retreat - The Respect Retreat is something the Faribault Rotary Club sponsors on an annual basis. The Respect Retreat is a one-day, off-campus retreat for all ninth graders in the school system, and is facilitated by Youth Frontiers.
Although it is a one-day event, the effects of the retreat have a life-long impact on our students.
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Profile - Oswaldo Tiul Cac and Plan International USA:
Nine-year-old Oswaldo Tiul Cac writes enthusiastically, "I have a big family. I also have many friends, and I have a lot of fun with them. . . . There are many trees and mountains here as well. . . . The school year has begun. I like school so much here. They teach me to respect, and I learn to play better soccer.”
Sound a bit like the neighbor kid who went off to a lovely private college in Colorado? It might be challenging, though, to find a neighbor kid with Oswaldo's spirit. Oswaldo lives in the Polochic region of Guatemala. Remote and lush, the Polochic area is inhabited primarily by the indigenous Mayan Kekchi people. Like others in his community, Oswaldo probably deals on a daily basis with issues related to extreme poverty, malnutrition and disease, poor educational quality and opportunity, and socially accepted physical mistreatment.
Oswaldo is the third child that The Bahl Foundation has supported through the Endowment Sponsorship it established through Plan International USA ("Plan"), a children's relief and empowerment organization. Plan began work in the Polochic region in 2007, implementing programs promoting children's rights in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation, and child protection.
Oswaldo attends primary school, but schools in the area are quite modest with few resources. Children sometimes do not go to school because from an early age they help their families in the fields and with household chores. Plan provides families with scholarships to enable their students to attend secondary school and provide them with school supplies and uniforms. Older students receive specialized training to involve them in the labor market and improve their living conditions.
Luckily, Oswaldo has been healthy and has suffered no significant illnesses. The nearest real hospital is three hours away, and due to a shortage of governmental staff and resources, health services are not provided to all communities. As a result, the people turn to traditional medicine from healers, midwives, and others. Plan has partnered with the Guatemalan Ministry of Health to expand the coverage of health services to more communities and is working with communities to monitor and ensure that they receive quality health care. Oswaldo's family uses a pit latrine, and their primary source of water is up to thirty minutes away. Plan works with communities to improve the quality and accessibility of water and to eliminate poor sanitation systems.
Violence is widespread in Guatemala and includes traditional child raising patterns in which parents use force to discipline their children. Plan works to protect children by raising awareness of mistreatment and sexual abuse, strengthening the legal framework and its application, and establishing a model of support for abused children and adolescents.
The Bahl Foundation hopes that, through its partnership with the Plan, Oswaldo will remain shielded from the serious issues that affect his community and that those issues will continue to be resolved. In spite of their challenging circumstances, the people of the Polochic region have a rich culture and community life and want to give their children a better future. "Today was my first day at school, and everything was good," writes Oswaldo. Preserving Oswaldo's perspective and spirit is our ultimate goal.
