WIHI VTS Board members created gift bags and thank-you letters for lunch staff, custodians, and tech employees

𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝟏𝟒 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐖 (𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤), 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐲𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐡𝐮 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Our volunteers worked on two important projects. First, they packaged over 200 large rolls of garbage bags. These rolls are placed into cleaning and outdoor buckets that are distributed to families when disaster strikes. In addition, the group created over 5 large buckets of plarn (plastic yarn) using recycled grocery bags. This plarn will later be crocheted into durable, reusable bags that serve as a practical resource for survivors during recovery.

WIHI VTS Club made handwritten, welcoming notes for freshmen on the first day of school

𝐎𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝟏6 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬. Our volunteers split into two groups, each taking on important behind-the-scenes task to help bring comfort and hope to children facing hospital stays. One group dove into 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠✔️𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, making sure each one was soft and secured with love. Over 30+ blankets were carefully inspected—each one receiving the time, attention, and care it deserves before it reaches the arms of a child. Meanwhile, the second group took on the 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟐 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, transforming the storage space into an efficient and spotless system ready to support ongoing efforts.

On Aug 13, VT Seva Detroit volunteers teamed up with Fleece & Thank You to do some service, preparing colorful fleece blankets to bring comfort and joy to children in hospitals across Michigan. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: By the end of the day, volunteers had helped prepare around 𝟭,𝟰𝟬𝟬-𝟭,𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗲 & 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻. Volunteers took part in different stages of the process: 1. Sorting & Quality Checking – Inspecting blankets, retying loose strands, trimming edges, and ensuring each one met hospital standards. 2. Folding & Packaging – Neatly rolling blankets, wrapping them in protective plastic, and getting them ready for delivery. These are our wonderful volunteers who participated.

VTS IAE board members created special welcome cards for the incoming freshmen! Each card was designed to share encouragement and positivity as they begin their journey at IAE. The freshmen expressed that they felt welcomed and happy to be part of such a warm and encouraging environment.

On 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, VT Seva Detroit hosted its 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, bringing the community together for an exciting day of sportsmanship and competition. The event was inspired by a spark of an idea from one of our dedicated Youth Volunteers, Tejas, which led to a thorough exploration of the possibility of organizing such the tournament last year and we were able to continue conducting the event this year as well. With the exceptional support from our volunteers, sponsors, supporters and the enthusiasm and cooperation of the players made this event truly memorable. With all the funds raised from the event, we were able to 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝟒 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 of Nethra Vidyalaya school. We had 24 participants organized into 8 teams. The tournament showcased impressive talent and enthusiasm, with players demonstrating their skills and passion for the game.

VT Seva Detroit , in collaboration with Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh , SVTCC , and DTF , celebrated 𝐑𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧 at the 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 on 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐮𝐠 𝟗𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 , as part of 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲. This heartfelt initiative expressed gratitude and unity, as our youth and adult volunteers tied Rakhis to Novi’s police and fire personnel, honoring their dedication to safeguarding our community.

𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝟒 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 & 𝐆𝐨 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞 & 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐲𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: With our help, Fleece & Thank you could quality check over 77 blankets! We got this great remote volunteering activity from Fleece & Thank you whereby our youth took the blankets kit bags home & did a thorough Quality check based on the guidelines given by the Fleece and Thank you. During this 2 weeks Project , our VT Seva Detroit youth volunteers engaged in various quality inspection tasks . Special thanks to all the youth parents who helped the youth to pickup & dropoff these blankets at dropoff locations on time.! These are our youth volunteers who participated

𝗩𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐢 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝟐𝟎 Impact: We sorted through 1,536 pounds of food donations that will be delivered to families in need, supporting the fight against hunger in our own community! We all worked hard quality checking perishable items to be sent out to over 150 partner organizations as well as maintaining a clean sorting environment. We are incredibly grateful to Food Gatherers, a Washtenaw County nonprofit that rescues over 10 million pounds of food annually, for giving us the opportunity to help out. With 1 in 7 people facing food insecurity, and that rate rising, every pound of food sorted makes a huge difference.

We had our 2nd visit of the summer to Manoogian Manor Senior Center on Monday, July 21! Yet again, the weather did not cooperate with us and it was far too hot to host the bonfire outside. Despite the rough start, we still wanted to make sure we spent our time there entertaining the seniors and making this an evening they won't forget! We started playing games like cornhole, ladder toss, connect 4, and protect the penguin with the seniors, and as time went on, we even moved onto some bowling 🎳. The seniors loved all the games and were so happy to see us again! Overall, this was yet another wonderful evening spent with the seniors, and we can't wait to come back in August! Project Lead- Oviya Jaisankar

On July 20th, VT SEVA Detroit along with JET MI had the amazing opportunity to host an informational & promotional stall at the ISKCON Ratha Yatra Festival. It was a record turnout for the festival this year with over 15000 people coming to the event. Our VT Seva youth & adult volunteers walked around the event with posters and flyers, spreading the word about VT Seva Detroit’s 10th Annual RAAS 2025, an event celebrating the resilience, independence and achievements of the visually challenged students of Nethra Vidyalaya & tribal school students in India.

𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐌𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝟏𝟓 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Our volunteers were able to 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝟖𝟐𝟓 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲! . All of our volunteers worked hard in various areas such as: • Packing & sorting various items into each box • Removing food from various packaging • Helping maintain a clean sorting environment We are incredibly grateful to Focus: HOPE, a Michigan-based nonprofit that battles food insecurity for senior citizens all over Michigan.

VT Seva Detroit proudly hosted its 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡-𝐋𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 on 7/12/2025 – a day filled with energy, compassion, and community spirit! 31 Team Leads, 37 days, 177 Participants, 8985 Miles, $4270 raised, helped families impacted by cancer by partnering with Angels of Hope, Michigan

Volunteers from IAE and Troy High went to read books to children at Troy Preschool. 5 different days our students went to the school to read the books. Little kids in the school enjoyed the reading time with our club volunteers.