The Jani Family

Dedicated to Making a Difference

Resident Feature by Sheila Turner-Hilliard

Photos by Crissy Everhart Photography www.CrissyEverhart.com

We would like to thank Alpha Century Security for sponsoring this month’s Resident Feature.

This month, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors is proud to introduce you to the Jani Family: Vipul, Sheetal, Sarisa, Sumit and their pup Milo. Life for the Janis is rewarding and fun, filled with family, friends and a fierce commitment to giving back to our community.

Vipul’s parents are from India and moved to the United States with his older sister shortly before Vipul was born. After living in a few Delaware County neighborhoods, his family, eventually settled down in Newtown Square. It was 1979, when Vipul’s parents purchased a home on Bishop Hollow Rd, on a piece of land big enough to subdivide into three lots, one for each of their children to raise their families together some day.

Vipul went to Alice Grimm Elementary School and graduated from Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) where he played on the school’s soccer team. After high school, Vipul went to Goldey-Beacom College where he was an officer in the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management. His career path led him to the insurance industry where he worked for a few national insurance companies before forming his own agency in 2005.

Vipul and Sheetal Jani

Sheetal’s story took a few turns before ending up in Newtown Square. She was born in India and lived there with her sister and parents until shortly before her 13th birthday.

My father always said that he wanted to move to the United States, to give his daughters an abundance of opportunity,” Sheetal explained. “The opportunity presented itself when my mother’s sister and her family were living in New Hampshire and agreed to sponsor our move.

Sheetal explained that when a family living in the U.S. sponsors a foreign family, they must attest to government officials that they will take care of the new family until they become established.

Sheetal’s family made the move to New Hampshire, but Sheetal said that the town was too small for her parents, who were both physicians working towards earning their U.S. credentials to become doctors in the United States. Her family relocated to the Boston area where Sheetal graduated from high school, then to New York where she earned her degree in Political Science from New York Institute of Technology and her law degree from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law School.

By this time, Sheetal’s parents had settled in a suburb of Houston where they, along with Sheetal’s sister, still live today. Sheetal began working as a lawyer in the Houston area following law school, before relocating to Pennsylvania. Today, Sheetal works for a mid-size financial technology (FinTech) company handling their internal and external legal matters.

With Vipul living in Newtown Square and Sheetal in Texas, the odds of them meeting through mutual friends or a night on the town were slim.

Sheetal and I met in April 1997, through an online match-making platform,” Vipul said. “It was a site that matched young Indian professionals interested in meeting other young Indian professionals.

Vipul and Sheetal began talking on the phone and immediately felt a strong connection. Their conversations eventually got to the point where they were talking for four to five hours each evening.

The first time we met in person was when Vipul flew to Houston just 10 days after our first phone call,” said Sheetal. “We immediately hit it off and were married a little less than seven months later.

Vipul and Sheetal exchanged vows in Houston that November, and celebrated with a 3-day traditional Indian Hindu wedding ceremony surrounded by family and friends.

We just knew we were right for each other,” remarked Sheetal. “And here we are about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary!

The couple honeymooned in St. Lucia before settling down in Newtown Square. “Family is very important to us,” said Sheetal. “I was okay with moving to Newtown Square because we would have Vipul’s family nearby.” Sheetal said that although it was difficult to leave her parents in Houston, having her sister living close to them helped.

The Jani children: Sarisa and Sumit

My parents moved here,” explained Vipul, “because they wanted my brother, sister and I to have a top-rated education. We all excelled in the Marple Newtown School District, and Sheetal and I wanted the same for our kids.

Vipul’s brother and sister shared the same sentiments, so the three siblings settled on the family property and started their families next door to one another, just as their parents had wished.

A few years later, Vipul and Sheetal welcomed their daughter, Sarisa, to the family. Sarisa attended Culbertson Elementary, Paxon Hollow Middle School and graduated with honors from MNHS.

Sarisa, now a rising University of Pittsburgh Junior who’s studying Political Science, made the Dean’s List in her freshman and sophomore years. Aside from her studies, Sarisa plays trumpet in the varsity marching band, plays recreational soccer, and is a member of the Mu Kappa Upsilon Service Fraternity, the GirlUp Club, Women in Law Club and Women in Politics Club. Sheetal said that Sarisa wants to pursue a career in law.

Sumit is Sarisa’s younger brother. He’ll be a Junior this fall at Marple Newtown High School. Like his sister, Sumit successfully manages his studies with his many extracurricular activities. He plays alto and tenor saxophones in the marching

The Jani Family

band, where he will serve as President next year. He is also a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. Sumit serves as Vice-President of the MN IDEA club, plays in the MNHS Jazz Band, and was recently named Vice-President of the Marple Civic Youth Association. Vipul said that Sumit was invited by Stanford University Law to participate in a 10-day Intensive Law and Trial program this summer.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Jani’s favorite Shih-Tzu, Milo.

The Janis’ dog: Milo

We rescued Milo in 2018,” explained Sheetal. “And although Milo is just five years old, he acts like a grandpa, moving at his own pace and very fond of living a relaxing lifestyle.

Vipul said he cannot imagine life without his little sidekick. “I was the one who was reluctant to get a dog, and now Milo and I are best friends!”

Sarisa and Sumit certainly are cut from the same cloth as their parents when it comes to hard work, following their passions and serving their community! That’s understandable because Sheetal and Vipul have given their children such wonderful examples of how they forged their own paths. Both are driven leaders, supportive parents and dedicated volunteers in our community.

In their spare time, Vipul and Sheetal are active members of the MNHS Band Parents Association, where Sheetal serves as Vice- President. Vipul has coached community soccer for over 10 years, served on the Newtown Township Municipal Authority for eight years, was a member of the Newtown Square Rotary Club and was a long-time Dancing Dad at the Culbertson Elementary’s Variety Shows. When asked where they find the time to volunteer, Sheetal said, “You only have a limited number of years to be involved with your kids’ activities. Before you know it, they’re off on their own.” Vipul added, “Make those years count and make the time to make a difference.”

The Jani family

The Janis’ perspective on life and dedication to giving back to their community is admirable, especially because a major life-altering event in 2011 could have changed everything. “I was a 42-year-old healthy man when, out of nowhere, I suffered a stroke,” Vipul explained. “The kids were young and it was a very scary time in our lives.” Thankfully, after a few brain surgeries and intense rehabilitation, Vipul made a full recovery. He had no cognitive deficits and was able to return to his work in the life insurance business.

Vipul said that although his stroke turned the family’s lives upside down, the blessing is that they were able to look at life’s challenges and put them in perspective. “We realized that I may not have survived the stroke, and suddenly the small stresses in our everyday lives became much more manageable.” Vipul said that his stroke and recovery also helped him become a better advocate for securing health and life insurance, having first-hand knowledge of how quickly life can change without warning.

Vipul and Sheetal agreed that our community and their family helped them through that difficult time.

There were so many families who reached out and offered help!” Sheetal said. “We truly live in a community who cares, and that means the world to us.

Their family motto is to always be positive and think positive, no matter the situation.

Vipul, Sheetal, Sarisa, Sumit and Milo: Thank you for sharing your story and your positive messages about life and giving back to your community. We know your dedication makes a difference, and we hope that our Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors are inspired to do the same.

Do you know a Newtown Square family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner- Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.

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