Atlanta VT team embodies action-oriented approach with service mindset and humble attitude to inspire and empower our youths to be the servant leaders of tomorrow through our Subha Annual event! The word 'Subha' represents the first ray of light in the horizon, the light that slowly transforms even the darkest of nights into a bright, beautiful sunrise. It symbolizes hope, light, and happiness even in the most obscure and difficult times. The SUBHA annual event is going to be on October 7th, 2023, in which Atlanta youths are planning to present a cultural program comprising of melodious songs, magnificent dances, and meaningful messages. Our goal for this year is to raise funds for the education of 175 visually challenged/blind kids of Nethra Vidhyalaya, India. Lets join hands and support the cause! VT SEVA CEO, His Holiness Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji visited Atlanta on July 19th and 20th 2023. It’s an auspicious occasion for all the VT Seva and Jet Atlanta members to welcome the Humanitarian Leader, Vedic Scholar, Spiritual Mentor, and Padma Bhushan Awardee. His benign presence filled the environment with sunshine, it’s a true blessings for all. As He step down from His van, devotees ran towards Him to have Darshan of their beloved Acharya and bow down in His Holy feet. All the Atlanta volunteers welcomed Him with flowers and soon He visited VT Seva Booth in which He enquired about the tri-color ‘Equality Soap’ made by our youths and VT Seva calendar. He took one soap and a calendar and was very pleased to see both the things made by VT Seva youth and asked us to share this calendar with other VT Seva locations.

Atlanta youths had a Father’s Day activity & CEO Prep activity on June 17, 2023. Youths made surprise gifts for their fathers - cards and special artwork to show their love and affection for their dad. Children also created Father’s Day art work in their Art class of the summer camp. In addition, they also brainstormed youth presentation options for the CEO visit in Atlanta. They are working hard in putting together VT exhibits & skit presentation for the Big Day in July - July 19th.

More than 50+ youths participated in Books For Africa Drive today. We donated more than 1200 books for African children. It’s a kid-to-kid project - Atlanta Kids helping African kids in spreading literacy in Africa 🌍. Mehar lead this Books for Africa drive. This is our Round 2 of Books For Africa in this year. In April, we donated 1500 books for the same. They also need school supplies like crayons, pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc. and we'll do our School Supply Drive in Nov, it will be a Thanks Giving gift from Atlanta VT youths to African youths!

The world we live in is nothing short of a miracle. It is home to unparalleled beauty and wonders so marvelous they seem almost preposterous, for no man-made artifact can rival the bewitching allure of even the simplest forests. Each design, from the delicate etchings of leaves to the concentric circles of tree trunks to the twinkling glow of a rainbow, is remarkable, a paragon of beauty. In the words of Helen Keller: “To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.” This quote poetically encapsulates the ethereal charm of nature, incomparable to any manufactured luxuries. However, these places of beauty are quickly being disrupted, destroyed, and desecrated into a wasteland of modern industrialism. With no end to such devastation in sight, it is our responsibility to take matters in our hands and do something for our Mother Earth. Keeping this mantra in mind, VT SEVA adopted Old Atlanta Rd. and held their first trash pick-up on the auspicious day of Ram Navami. With around 30 VT SEVA volunteers working hand in hand to pick up any waste left behind, it was truly a heartwarming sight to see! This event was held on July 8th 2023 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and it commenced with a few inspirational words from our local city council member Dilip Tunki.

VT Seva Atlanta youths participated in cleaning ‘Old Atlanta Rd’ on July 8th, 2023. More than 50 volunteers participated in this activity to keep Atlanta clean, green, and serene!

Atlanta VT Seva youths & adults participated in Meals By Grace (MBG) activity on July 2nd. They sorted, packed, and delivered fruits, breads, veggies, deserts, juices etc to the needy families of North Georgia. During summer vacation, these families have no or very less food to feed their children. The children excitedly wait for their school to open so they can get good breakfast, lunch, and snack at school. Our youths volunteer at MBG very often, it’s a gift of gratitude by Atlanta youths! More than 20 VT Seva Atlanta Youth participated in Meals by Grace event which is held at Midway United Methodist Church, Atlanta. Meals by Grace is an organization that provides nutritious meals to individuals and families facing food scarcity. VT Youth helped with sorting all the food from the truck into different sections like produce, bread, meat and canned foods. Then the Loading team sorted all of these products into different boxes depending on how big the family is and what their specific food requirements are. Then all the volunteers had an opportunity to help load these boxes into the cars of designated drivers so that they can deliver the food to those who need them. Thank you VT Seva for such a wonderful opportunity to youth!

Atlanta VT Seva youths & adults participated in Meals By Grace (MBG) activity today. They sorted, packed, and delivered fruits, breads, veggies, deserts, juices etc to the needy families of North Georgia. During summer vacation, these families have no or very less food to feed their children. Their children anxiously wait for their school to open so they can get good breakfast, lunch, and snack at school. Our youths volunteer at MBG very often, it’s a gift of gratitude by Atlanta youths!

Shakerag Park Cleanup 2023 VT Seva Northview youths took the initiative to adopt Shakerag park and lend a hand in cleaning it, bringing Atlanta one step closer to being clean, green, and serene! This park clean up event attracted over 40 Atlanta youths, who all teamed up to pick up trash laying around. Atlanta youths once again went above and beyond in exhibiting their leadership skills by showing how deeply they cared for their very own mother nature. The third meeting for the VT Seva exhibit event also took place at this park. This exhibit was an opportunity to showcase everything that the Atlanta Branch of VT Seva accomplished over the past few years to the highly respected Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, CEO of VT Seva, who graced Atlanta with his presence on July 19th, 2023. Youths expressed a deep interest in being a part of displaying what all VT Seva Atlanta achieved to his holiness. Groups were finalized regarding who would present on what, ranging from the highly successful blankets for the homeless initiative to the high impact summer camp for younger children to make productive use of their summer. Overall, this park clean up event was a hit!

Atlanta VT Seva has launched Youth-led Summer Camp for the Special Needs Kids of the Laurel Heights Hospital on June 19th,2023. Our Atlanta youths will wear Tutor hats for the first time for the Special Needs kids and take Elementary classes consisting of Math & ELA on alternate days from 10.40 am to 11.10 am. In addition, they will also take Fitness classes consisting of Taekwondo and Dance classes on alternate days from 9.15 am to 9.45 am. These Special Needs kids are in the hospital for treatment and summer camp classes will help them change their mood, encourage positive behavior, and learn something new at hospital. We’ll follow hospital privacy protocol all the time. It’s a great opportunity for our Atlanta youths to be the tutors for the jewels of Laurel Heights and support in their enrichment program!

VT Seva Atlanta has organized a Yoga session today for our youths & adults in collaboration with Isha Foundation to embrace ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ principle which is this year Yoga theme on International Yoga Day on June 21st, 2023. Atlanta youths enthusiastically participated in the yoga session and were able to connect to the cause today - One Family! * ‘Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is the theme for this year's International Yoga Day, June 21, 2023, which beautifully captures our shared aspiration for “One Earth, One Family, and One Future.” From the United Nations headquarters in New York, Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modiji will lead the global celebration of yoga this year on June 21, 2023. Being a working day, Atlanta team decided to organize yoga session today so maximum people can take advantage of it. *It’s a wonderful yoga session today to take care of our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being!

Atlanta youths had a Father’s Day activity & CEO Prep activity on June 17, 2023. Youths made surprise gifts for their fathers - cards and special artwork to show their love and affection for their dad. Children also created Father’s Day art work in their Art class of the summer camp. In addition, they also brainstormed youth presentation options for the CEO visit in Atlanta. They are working hard in putting together VT exhibits & skit presentation for the Big Day in July - July 19th.

VT Seva Atlanta has organized a Superior Court visit today, June 9th for our middle schoolers and high schoolers to have hands-on experience in the field of Law / Political Science. Our youths had a great interactive session with Judge Rachelle Carnesale and her team of public defenders and prosecutors. Judge Rachelle Carnesale took time out from her busy day and explained everything in layman terms to our VT youths which is really commendable. She was highly impressed with what we do in VT Seva and told me to share VT Seva logo so she can put on her website. This is just the beginning and we’ll go again to the court house and support her drive - ‘My Journey Matters’ campaign to support innocent child abuse victims going through legal proceedings. She also appreciated how we support Special needs kids of the Laurel Heights hospital and blind / visually challenged kids of Nethra Vidhyalaya India. A great friendship bond is built today with Judge Rachelle Carnesale & her team of prosecutors and VT Seva team.

VT Seva Robotics Workshop was an incredible hands-on experience for Atlanta youths today. Robotic surgeon, Dr. Ravi and his staff demonstrated how they leverage robots in surgical operations. All youths were able to touch, feel, and program robots. This visit is a hands-on experience of the Robotics course for the VT Seva Summer Camp. Dr. Ravi was highly impressed with the VT Seva youths inquisitiveness about robotic surgery. This visit to the Robotic lab was organized by Bob Erramilli, Johns Creek City Councilman. We have build good relationships with the Johns Creek city council members.

Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” – Heather French Henry On June 1st, 2023, the VT SEVA Atlanta Team embarked on a transformative journey with the launch of Summer Camp 2023. This initiative is rooted in three fundamental objectives: Engaging Education, Youth Empowerment, Supporting the Visually Challenged: We are dedicated to raising funds for the Visually Challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya in India, extending our commitment to a noble cause. In the Laurel Heights Summer Camp, our dedicated youth volunteers undertook the responsibility of teaching online Elementary classes encompassing Math and ELA, as well as Fitness classes covering Taekwondo and Dance. These classes were designed to cater to the Special Needs children of the Laurel Heights Hospital who sought treatment during the summer months. Our young volunteers not only excelled in their roles but also played a pivotal part in uplifting the spirits of these children, infusing positivity into their lives, and facilitating their learning journeys during the healing process. In the VT SEVA Summer Camp for Atlanta's children, our youth volunteers continued to shine, receiving accolades from numerous parents who expressed their admiration for the camp's unique offerings. Many pledged to spread the word about this exceptional experience and eagerly anticipated enrolling their children in the 2024 VT SEVA summer camp. Here are some of the camp's remarkable highlights: >> Over 150 enthusiastic students enrolled in the summer camp. Atlanta's vibrant youth community took charge of teaching a >> diverse array of Elementary Classes, spanning Chess, Art, Robotics, Math, ELA, Dance, and Taekwondo. >> For those seeking more advanced learning opportunities, we offered classes in Web Design, App Building, Advanced Robotics, Advanced Art, Advanced Dance, Python programming, and Business Entrepreneurship. >> More than 50 passionate youths embraced the role of tutors, honing their skills in effective communication and lesson delivery. The camp successfully raised over $18,000 in support of blind and visually challenged children.

In the Laurel Heights Summer Camp, our youths taught online Elementary class (Math & ELA) and Fitness class (Taekwando and dance) to the Special Needs kids of the Laurel heights hospital who came to the hospital for their treatment during summer months. Our youths did a fantastic job in cheering them up, brining positivity, and helping them learn something new while going through the treatment process. In VT Seva Summer Camp for Atlanta children, our youths also did a fantastic job and we got appreciation from many parents that they have not seen a summer camp like this before and will definitely spread the word out about it & register their kids in 2024 VT Seva summer camp.