Join VT Seva Chicago

VT Seva Chicago volunteers recently spent time volunteering as part of an Adopt-a-Highway cleanup in Long Grove, Illinois. During our time there, we worked together to clean up the road and surrounding areas by picking up trash and helping make the area cleaner and more pleasant for everyone. It was a great experience because we got to work as a team while giving back to our local community. We walked along the road, collected trash, and made sure the area was left cleaner than we found it. Although picking up trash took a lot of time and effort, it was rewarding to see the difference we could make by working together. Everyone did their part and worked hard throughout the cleanup. It was a simple but meaningful way to help keep our community clean and take care of the environment. A big thank-you to all of our volunteers : Tanmai, Kai, Ani, Sarvika, Ashita and Rohith who came out to participate!

VT Seva Chicago volunteers recently spent time at the *Buffalo Grove Farmers Market raising money to support people affected by the devastating floods in Nepal*. Throughout the event, we worked together to spread awareness about the situation and encourage members of the community to contribute to the relief efforts. We spoke with people at the farmers market, shared information about the flood relief efforts, and collected donations from those who wanted to help. Every contribution, big or small, made a difference and helped us feel connected to the larger effort to support families and communities in Nepal during a difficult time. A big thank-you to all of our volunteers for their time and helped make the fundraiser a success. *We truly appreciate everyone who supported to raise $328.68 for this cause!*

VT Seva Chicago volunteers recently spent 2.5 hours volunteering at Bernie’s Book Bank. During our time there, we worked together to check around 5,000 books and make sure they were in good condition. We looked for books that were damaged, worn out, or not good enough to be given to children. It was a great experience because we got to work as a team while helping an organization that provides books to kids in need. Though checking thousands of books took a lot of time and effort, it was rewarding to know that our work would help make sure children receive books that they can enjoy and learn from. Everyone worked hard and did their part to help us get through so many books. A big thank-you to all of our volunteers: Aadityan, Humaid, Vishnu, Sid, Lakshmi, Ananya, Mohisha, Sahithi, Bhamini, Namish, Saikrishna, Vaibhav, Abhiram, Advika, Manasvi, Srilu, Raji, Sridavi, and Krishna! We really appreciate everyone who came out to volunteer and give back to the community.

Hello everyone, Blue Forget-Me-Nots are a powerful symbol of remembrance, originally used after World War I to honor the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. This weekend, we are crafting paper Forget-Me-Nots to honor Veterans. We invite people of all ages to join us in crafting for this meaningful cause. On Sept 6th, few of the Chicago youth volunteers gathered to crafts the paper flowers. Thank you to all the volunteers who participated!!

On Aug 22nd VT Seva Chicago volunteers spent a wonderful afternoon bringing smiles and laughter to the residents at Sunrise Senior Living Center in Buffalo Grove, IL. Our volunteers kicked off the afternoon with a lively game of bingo, where residents enjoyed the excitement of the game and the fun of winning snacks as prizes. We also shared treats with everyone and had plenty of opportunities to chat, laugh, and get to know the residents. To wrap up the afternoon, our volunteers helped set up a fun and energetic game of balloon volleyball. It was wonderful to see both the residents and volunteers having such a great time together! A big thank-you to our amazing volunteers—Veda, Sudheeshana, Sahiti, Ani, Vivek, and Rohith—for giving their time and energy to make the afternoon special. Their enthusiasm and kindness helped create an afternoon filled with smiles, connection, and memorable moments. We’re grateful for the opportunity to spend time with the residents and brighten their day, while also learning how meaningful a little time, attention, and companionship can be. It was a fun and rewarding experience for everyone, and we look forward to more opportunities to serve and connect with our community!

On Sunday, Aug 9th, our volunteers came together to craft a batch of Forget-Me-Not flowers, a heartfelt project supporting Disabled American Veterans (DAV). This is just the first batch! We'll be scheduling a couple more crafting sessions to finish the remaining flowers before sending them off. A big thank you to our wonderful volunteers: Veda, Sudheeshna, Sarvika, Kailash, Rithvik & Sahithi Your time and care for this project means a lot, thank you for honoring our veterans through VT seva!

On Aug 8th, our volunteers joined for VT seva activity at Northern Illinois Food Bank for sorting and packing potatoes (large, medium, small, and tiny!) for families in need. Together, each participant packed an average of *125 lbs* of potatoes, all headed to the community through the food bank's donation network. A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers: Tanmai, Kai, Venya, Ashita & Apurva!! As always, your time and effort made a real difference , thank you for showing up and giving back!

On May 30th, VTSeva Chicago volunteers came together to reuse plastic bags into yarn for an organization called The Gratitude Generation. Using the yarn, they will make mats and donate them to the homeless shelter. Overall VTSeva volunteers made 8 balls of plastic yarn. Thank you to everyone who showed up and participated.

On Monday, May 25, VTSeva volunteers came together to help clean the highway (Aptakisic Rd) adopted by VTSeva. Spending the morning picking up trash and helping keep the community clean, their hard work made a meaningful difference. Thank you to everyone who volunteered with us!

On May 9th, 10 volunteers from Vtseva Chicago participated in a sorting/packing activity at Northern Illinois Food Bank. Volunteers spent their summer morning with packing 2000 pounds of green apples. We had couple new volunteers as well, who enjoyed the volunteering session and planned to be in future activities.

Thank you to the VTSeva volunteers who spent their Friday evening on April 24 at the SRALC Groovefest. Helping out with decorations and setting up along with taking pictures and helping with cleaning up in the end, your efforts made a meaningful difference. Attendees had a good time dancing and participating in other activities. Thank you for those that volunteered with us

Thank you to the volunteers who joined us on April 19th to make Forget-Me-Not flowers for our Veterans. It was such a meaningful way to give back, and seeing everyone—from the kids to the adults—put so much care into their work was truly inspiring. As a special bonus, we were joined by four internationally trained dentists! They led a fantastic session on oral hygiene, giving us all a much-needed refresher on preventing dental diseases. Thank you Yuktha, Imran, Unseba & Naina for presenting the session!! It was the perfect blend of a "feel-good" activity and practical health wisdom for everyone! Thanks again everyone for showing up, working hard, and learning together. See you at the next one! 🌟

Big shoutout to the 9 volunteers who joined our session at Community Threads on Saturday Apr 11th! We worked hard to get the summer collection ready and organized the furniture and media sections. It’s amazing to see how a few hours of work can make such a difference. By volunteering here, we’re helping the store stay efficient so they can continue their mission of giving back to local charities. Efforts today directly helps our neighbors! Thank you for your hard work and for showing up for our community!!! 🙌

VT Seva Chicago conducted waste water treatment plant tour on 04/03/26 with 11 volunteers participating. We visited the plant in Deerfield. We got a "behind-the-scenes" look at how our waste water goes from raw intake to crystal clear. It was such an interesting and eye-opening tour about what it takes to treat water that we consume and waste every day and the resources it takes to run the facility and amount of water that's treated each day. Supervisor there, guided the tour of the facility. He explained the full process very well and answered all of our questions clearly. It was amazing to see how waste water becomes clean water again. He also gave us the tour of their lab and went over more of the technical details. This tour did leave an impact on each one of us about how much water gets wasted every day and how many resources are needed to clean it again!!! Thanks everyone who were able to join the tour and get educated about water!

Thank you everyone who were able to join FMSC session on Saturday Mar 28th. Because of their efforts, we were able to make a great impact by making a total of 14 boxes, which means nearly 3,000 meals are on their way to kids in the Dominican Republic. Once again, extra-large thank you to the volunteers who were able to join!!