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Bala
Arumugam
 Bala
(34) is the founder of Lotus Sports, which is now coming to
its 10th year. He is a JNC L3 qualified Senior Youth Worker
for Newham Youth Services (picture to the right shows Bala
receiving award from Mr. Jack Petchey-OBE), as well as being
the Chairman and Senior Coach for Lotus 1st Team. He is qualified
by several national governing bodies in Boxing (L2), Basketball,
Football, Athletics and National Amateur Body building Association
(Instructor). He is also a member of Sports Coach UK and British
Association of Sports and Sciences (BASES). His motivation
for development of sporting opportunities for deprived areas
leads him to do voluntary work both within the UK as well
as with children in orphanages and schools in rural parts
of India. Bala, also funds the sports section of a school
in a rural area i n
the promotion of sports for school children from the age of
5 for both boys and girls.
He
is also currently in his final year of a BSc sports science
degree with the University of East London and wishes to continue
his study to PhD. Apart from having 12 years sports coaching
experience Bala has vast amount of experience in working with
young people with challenging behaviour who are unable to
cope in education in mainstream settings. In recognition of
his efforts and contribution within the community sports program
Bala was invited by the BBC to meet the Prime Minister and
Chancellor of the Exchequer at Downing Street in 2007.
 Bala,
to date, feels that the biggest award that he has received
out of a 16 year sporting career is receiving an award from
the young people themselves in 2007, voted by the young people,
for being the best youth worker for that year, which he feels
is one of the most sentimental awards he has received. To
the right is a picture of Bala with a joyful group of infants
at an orphanage. It is one of Bala's ambitions, since the
age of 18, to establish an orphanage in India, which he is
currently working on.
"I'm
glad to say that helping people is an addiction that I've
had for many years, which like most addictions has a financial
strain. But, the emphasis is one of the key elements of being
humane in the eyes of humanity. Helping others is in effect
helping yourself to be a better person" Bala, 2007
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