Karuna Talwar

Karuna Talwar and her Mom

I still remember the look on my mom’s face that day - no job, no money, and no idea what to do.  The Salvation Army had taken us in and given us a place to stay in the local shelter.  We were donated clothes from other families, having nothing but what we wore in that day.  We slept in a common area with others in similar situations.  Workers helped my mom find employment and transition us out of the shelter into a more permanent home. It was this life experience and struggle that first inspired me to build a homeless shelter and community center to house and help families in need.

In the early years my family life was stable.  My mother stayed home to take care of our family and my father was a successful businessman.  But when he developed a severe mental and emotional illness, life for my family became difficult and uncertain.  He’d make decisions and changes on a whim, and my mom with no job of her own would have to follow along.  When I was 6 he moved us to Australia to start a new job, but after only a month had another mental attack and left my mom and me.  We were alone in a new country where we knew no one and had no place to go.

Because of the assistance we received from the shelter, my mother was able to gradually save enough money to get us back home to the United States.  I am forever grateful to organizations providing families and individuals like my mom and me a chance at a future.  The strength these organizations instilled in my mother and the fortitude I gained from this experience is a powerful force that has affected every day of my life. 

Karuna Talwar is founder and president of the PayItForward Foundation, an organization helping individuals and families through severe financial and emotional hardship.  After receiving aid from a local homeless shelter herself, she and her mother were given the opportunity and resources to build a new life.  In 2002 Karuna opened and operated her own Direct Buy franchise.  Over 7 years as president, her business grew from $3M to over $10M in annual revenue with a sales and operations staff of 50+ employees and revenue growth ranking in the top 5% of all Direct Buy franchises nationwide.  Many of her managerial employee training programs aimed at enhancing management and operational efficiency as well as internship programs for new franchisees were adopted by the National Direct Buy Corporation for nationwide training of franchise managers and employees. Karuna continues to be a passionate and empowered voice of Chicago, co-founding and serving on the board of directors for the Gurnee Chamber of Commerce.  Her fundraising for the Daisy Brooks Foundation continues to rehabilitate young women through furthering their educations.

(Blake and Karuna Talwar)

The best gift we can give ourselves, is giving to someone in true need.

In loving memory of my Father, Ashok Kumar.

I hope I have made you proud.

I love you Dad.

Ashok Kumar, Karuna Talwar's Father