Redmond Ridge’s Thomas siblings give back in many ways

Published 3:11 pm Friday, May 11, 2012

Redmond Ridge resident and 2011 Insight School of Washington graduate Sandeep Thomas will be featured as the keynote speaker at this year’s Bethany Christian Services Banquet on May 23 in Garfield, N.J.

Thomas will return to New Jersey, where he and his family first lived when he was adopted at about 6 or 7, to share his story.

Before he was adopted, Thomas was living in a poverty-stricken district of Bangalore, India. He had witnessed his mother’s suicide and was abandoned by his father shortly after his mother’s death.

Thomas is a freshman at the University of Washington-Bothell, pursuing a degree in business. He hopes to earn a law degree afterwards so he can help others through legal means.

Thomas is not the only one in his family with a penchant for giving back. His younger sisters Ruth, who will be singing at the fundraising banquet where Sandeep will speak, and Sarah Thomas also participate in their fair share of philanthropy.

The two girls donated their hair to Locks of Love in February to be used in wigs for cancer patients. Between the two of them, Ruth and Sarah have also helped raise money for hungry children in developing countries and participated in a concert fundraiser for tsunami victims in Japan.

Seven-year-old Sarah has also raised $400 for The Blessing Home, an orphanage in Bangalore started by a family friend.