Our Story
How We Came To Be
Rita Das
It all started in 2020, after Rita lost her beloved father and unspoken mentor. Her father epitomized the classic immigrant story. Born in a rural village in British India, he defied all odds to secure a scholarship to study in the U.S. and ultimately settle here. Together with his wife, he raised 2 daughters, Rita and her sister, and truly experienced the American dream. His passing left Rita with a mix of unspeakable grief and immense gratitude for the opportunities he had created for her.
And so, she resolved to honor his memory and “Lift” children and women in need, through education and livelihood opportunities. Every day Rita senses her father's gentle guidance, providing her with strength and support as she navigates through this new journey.
Merideth Regina
With over 20 years of experience in the retail and fashion industry, Merideth thrives in her role at Tory Burch. The retail space is where she feels most at ease — second only to the comfort of her own home. Most recently Merideth launched PopFizzSoul, where she provides coaching services to empower others in reaching their utmost potential. Notably, Rita was among her initial clients. Merideth is ready to bring both worlds together at Village Lift. By designing a line of clothing and accessories she gets to use her knowledge of all things fashion and create jobs for women enabling them to achieve financial independence
Sunil Pillai
Sunil has been arranging Rita's trips to India for many years. During one of her trips, Rita decided to share with Sunil some of the pictures from her visits to the projects that she had been sponsoring. Sunil was inspired to join her and support Village Lift from India. Since then he has been instrumental in sourcing beautiful treasures made by women's groups and non-profits throughout India. He works tirelessly to help Village Lift while running his travel business S.P. Holidays
Educate & Elevate
Since its inception in 2018, Educate and Elevate has been supporting children's education and women's livelihood projects in both the U.S. and India. In 2023, Village Lift came to life, providing a retail platform to showcase these women's exquisite works to the U.S. market.