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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Kruti Lodhavia

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” ~ Maya Angelou

Pharmacist by trade, philanthropist by choice, Kruti Lodhavia was excited to learn that there was a whole group of women who had this common bond of giving back. After seeing a social media post about Impact100 SJ, Kruti searched the website for information and recognized Sue Polikoff among the member list. When she reached out, Sue shared her own positive experience as a member and Kruti’s decision was sealed. She couldn’t wait to join!

A pharmacist and manager with Walgreens for more than 20 years, Kruti returned to South Jersey after living in Louisiana with her husband, and starting their family there. She was  raised in Atlantic City and is happy to be back near family, although they do miss living in the Bayou State. During her time in Louisiana, Kruti saw first hand how the power of community, volunteering, and philanthropy made a difference as she served patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, back in South Jersey, she has been managing a specialty Walgreens location in Camden for 4 years. 

Having acquired a strong sense of giving back from her mother, Kruti was struggling to find the time to volunteer as a busy professional and mother of two boys. Additionally, she serves on the board of ITA (India Temple Association) in Berlin, NJ where she also teaches Sunday School, and she serves on the Board of Directors at Cherry Hill Free Clinic (CHFC). Remembering the words of her mother that if you can’t give time, you can always offer monetary support, Kruti was happy to find Impact100 SJ and see her contributions make an even bigger difference through the power of collective giving. As a great admirer of philanthropists like Melinda Gates, who is able to affect meaningful change, she feels empowered by the ability to make impactful grants through her Impact100 membership contribution.

After joining Impact100 SJ in 2021, she volunteered for grant review and served on the 2022 Community Health and Wellness committee. Kruti enjoyed this experience immensely, both for the opportunity to meet so many other amazing members and to learn about the grant process. As a board member at CHFC, she has applied for grants and was eager to learn more about the grantmaking process. Having this opportunity to take her experience on the committee and help CHFC grow is an unexpected bonus and reaffirms her belief that “you must give to grow”. 

Kruti and her husband, a physician specializing in Nephrology, live in Voorhees with their 13 and 14 year old sons. It is very important to Kruti that she set a positive example for her sons and Impact100 SJ is one way she does that. After serving on the grant review committee, her sons were eager to hear who won the 2022 grant award when she returned from the Annual Meeting. Kruti is an avid yoga practitioner in her spare time and believes in its physical and spiritual healing powers. She and her family love to travel and have done extensive international travel, most recently to Spain and Portugal. Her favorite international place to visit is Italy, specifically Florence and the Tuscany region. They are also an avid football family and dedicated New Orleans Saints fans and LSU Tiger fans!