Rahul Culas

Written By Emily Albert

Volunteer with New York Cares, DOROT, and Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), and a founder of 1585 Capital

An elderly East Indian woman who did not speak English was walking alone in the Houston Intercontinental Airport, lost and confused. Rahul approached her and kindly offered his help. Her flight to New York (which coincidentally happened to be his flight too) had been repeatedly delayed, and the woman was having difficulty navigating the departure time and gate changes. Rahul spent time with this woman, calmed her, and brought her something to eat. Once they boarded the plane together, Rahul gave the woman his business-class seat, and in return, took her seat in coach. Rahul knew the woman had been panicked, and he wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible. For days, no one -- other than Rahul and the woman -- knew what he had done. Rahul did not announce his acts of kindness, primarily because he felt that any caring person would do the same. The woman, however, told her son, who in turn sent a note to the CEO of Rahul’s company, thanking Rahul and explaining how grateful he was. Were it not for this message, no one would have heard about Rahul’s selfless acts.

 This is just one example of many that highlights how Rahul’s compassion, humility, and selflessness make a meaningful difference. He has devoted himself to multiple volunteer efforts, and recently, he has even started a new business whose goal is to help older adults age meaningfully in place. Rahul has volunteered with New York Cares, DOROT, and Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY). He performs acts of kindness all the time and has made a tremendously positive impact on not only the people for whom he volunteers, but also on the people in his personal life.

Growing up, Rahul was very close to his great-grandmother. As she aged, she developed dementia. Around the same time, Rahul’s family had started moving to different places in India and the world, so they placed his great-grandmother in a comfortable nursing home (which is not as common in India as it is in the US). Sadly, shortly thereafter she died in the home. Her death, while peaceful, was traumatic for Rahul, as he could not be there for her when she died. He adored her and had wanted to be at her side in her last moments. Rahul said that all his years of volunteering with older adults have subconsciously been his effort to try to make up for the experience with his great-grandmother. Rahul didn’t want anyone else to die alone, and this thought inspired him to volunteer with older adults and hospice. He says that his reasoning is simple: he couldn’t be there for his great-grandmother, but he believes that if he helps and is there for others, the universe will hopefully pay it forward to his own loved ones when he can’t be there. 


Rahul’s work with hospice -- Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY):

Rahul started his work with VNSNY in 2013. He first went through an extensive training program and then became an active member. He volunteered with VNSNY for four years, took some time off, and went back in, on and off (as it is hard to be a continuous volunteer). Hospice typically cares for people who have fewer than six months to live. The first patient Rahul ever visited ended up living for two years, and Rahul ultimately forged a very close relationship with both her and her caretaker (shown in photo). When the patient died, it was tough for Rahul to reenter hospice immediately, so he took some time off before returning. Hospice’s goal is to ensure that a patient’s quality of life is as high as possible, given the limited amount of time they have left. 

To learn more about VNSNY, visit https://www.vnsny.org/. 


Rahul’s work with DOROT:

Rahul balanced out his difficult work with hospice by volunteering with DOROT. With DOROT, he works with people who are vibrant and very physically healthy, but who feel socially isolated or lonely. DOROT has multiple programs to help socially connect older adults, primarily in New York City, with peers and other generations. Rahul says that he loves the genuine mission-driven nature of all the people at DOROT (they love what they are doing and the impact they have).

Rahul started his work with DOROT in 2017, and he was a volunteer with the Technology Tutoring Program, helping to teach older adults how to use their phone, computer, websites, and more. DOROT usually sends volunteers for four weeks to teach one aspect of technology. 

Through this program, Rahul developed one of his deepest friendships with a woman named Nadia, who at the time was 90 years old. Rahul says that she is one of the most inspiring human beings he has ever known. Nadia was born in Romania, survived the Holocaust and subsequently the Soviet occupation, was one of the first people following the end of World War II to go to Israel, and then came to New York. Rahul visited Nadia every week and felt as if his life was enriched every time he heard her stories. While she lived alone on the Upper West Side after her husband died, she had a very active life. Rahul saw clearly that Nadia, who had lived in her apartment since 1969, had innumerable memories in her home. Even though she had the financial means to go to a nursing home, she didn’t want to lose the memories. Rahul took this to heart and recognized the importance of home at that stage of life. Unfortunately, Nadia  recently passed away. She and Rahul had a close bond that will stay with him forever.

To learn more about DOROT, please visit https://www.dorotusa.org/. 


Rahul’s work with New York Cares:

Rahul described New York Cares as a fun organization, as it offers so many different activities. New York Cares has volunteers in all five boroughs of New York City that help in places like schools, public parks, soup kitchens, and senior centers. Rahul told many heartwarming stories, including a few about his experiences volunteering in a retirement community on the Upper East Side, where he often played Bingo with competitive, senior women.

To learn more about New York Cares, visit https://www.newyorkcares.org/. 


A new chapter…

A few years ago, Rahul and his two business partners left their work in finance in order to do something more meaningful. They decided to focus on investing in businesses that help older adults age meaningfully in place. In the United States, it is common for older adults to ultimately migrate to a nursing or retirement home. Rahul and his partners seek to support businesses that help older adults to remain living in their current homes as long as possible. There are many benefits to living in their current homes: 1) life in their current homes are typically less expensive than living in a well-staffed nursing home, 2) seniors are more likely to leave their current homes and go into the outside world on a daily basis, where they can engage with new people, versus living in a nursing home, and 3) for many, a current home typically carries with it positive memories of the past. Perhaps most importantly, statistics show that most older adults do not want to go to a nursing home -- they want to live in the same home where they have lived much of their lives. 

It is tough to reach older adults, as many are isolated. Rahul and his partners have been finding businesses to invest in that focus on allowing people to feel safe at home, and just as importantly, to have access to healthcare and in-home care services (so they don’t have to go to a nursing home out of worry that they can’t survive at home). Their business is called 1585 Capital.


Who inspires Rahul?

  • Macro-level: Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. They have all meaningfully impacted the people around them in ways that showed their deep conviction for what they wanted to do. They were authentic and undeterred by difficult situations, and they inspire Rahul to make a positive impact every day. 

  • Micro-level: Two business partners, David and Julie. They are both inspiring to him because the three of them are different, and Rahul learns a lot from each partner. On a daily basis, seeing two people who are so wonderful, kind, and thoughtful, Rahul is inspired to be the best version of himself.


To donate to these causes, visit:

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Written by Emily Albert
First photograph taken by Emily Albert; all other photographs courtesy of Rahul Culas

Emily Albert
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