Over the course of the second quarter of 2023 (April - June) VT Seva volunteers have made a huge impact. Participating in over 15 projects, VT Seva volunteers have made sure to make this world a better place. Every project was great and allowed youth and adult volunteers alike to extend their time to further such a noble cause. VT Seva’s volunteers did everything from litter cleanup on earth day to helping package food for people in need. VT Seva’s wide-ranging scope of projects has made sure to enrich the community, empower positive change, and enhance the world. Below are the projects we have done from April to June this quarter:
Youth Board Projects:
CASS Community Social Services Centers Kitchen Volunteering – April 8th
Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant Center Tour – April 16th
Mother’s Day Cards – May 10th
Troy Nature Center – May 13th
VT Seva Detroit Youth Board 4th Anniversary Celebration & College Planning Webinar - May 19th
Walkathon Kickoff – June 16th
Father’s Day Cards – June 18th
RRRASOC Recycling Webinar – June 26th
Detroit Projects:
Ford Wellness Center – April 1st
Forgotten Harvest – April 15th
VT Seva Table Tennis and Badminton tournament - April 22nd
Earth Day Litter Cleanup Walk – April 29th
Novi Police Department Appreciation Lunch – May 13th
Stamp Out Hunger – April-May
Forgotten Harvest – May 20th
Mercado Food Hub – June 10th
VT Seva Soccer Tournament - June 24th
4/8/2023 - CASS Community Social Services Centers Kitchen
At this event, VT Seva volunteers helped the CASS community serve meals for 200 to 300 people. The volunteers helped make bagged lunches, make sandwiches, organize the pantry, clean spice racks, organize kitchen shelves, cut up vegetables, and then cleaned up afterward. They worked so hard and well, in fact, that they finished all the jobs early.
Project Lead: Oviya JaiSankar
Youth volunteers:
Amogh, Eesha, Hajanthan, Hrudya, Lalitaditya, Rishabh, Shraya, Siya, Yana, Varshan
Adult Volunteers:
Komathy ji, Neha ji, Vanitha ji, Nalini ji, Ravi ji, Kishore ji, Deepak ji, Muhinthan Murugesu ji,
4/16/2023 - Ann Arbor Waste Water Treatment Plant Tour
In this activity, VT Seva volunteers got the amazing opportunity to learn a lot about Wastewater treatment. The volunteers toured a number of treatment units in the facility and learned what wastewater treatment is as well as how it is done. For example, the volunteers learned that wastewater treatment is a process to remove waste materials from the wastewater, to enable the resulting clean after to be reused. The waste that is removed from the water is sent to a landfill or waste-handling storage facility.
Youth volunteers:
Aditya P, Deekshitha R, Hajanthan M, Harish J, Hrudya K, Nidhi R, Oviya J, Rishi A, Samhith E, Shraya V, Shruthi A, Vahini M, Varshan M, Veeksha S
Adult Volunteers:
Manjunath, Murukathas, Nalini, Komathy, Neha, Ranga Rao , Priya, Jaisankar, Kishore
5/10/2023 - Mothers’ Day Greeting Cards Project
To celebrate Mother’s Day VT Seva volunteers created beautiful cards to wish all the moms at 3 senior centers: Oakmont Communities, Woodhaven, and Manoogian Manor. All of these cards displayed incredible passion and creativity and were sure to put a smile on their recipients. Through this event, VT Seva volunteers created 170 amazing cards to share in the old age centers.
Project Lead:
Rishabh Mavatoor and Oviya Jaisankar
Youth volunteers:
Aadya, Aanya, Abisrishti, Adithi, Akshith, Akshita, Amogh M, Anirvin, Ankita, Chakrikaa, Deekshitha, Harsh, Hrudya, Jishnu, Kushal, Nidhi, Nikhil, Oviya, Rakshan, Rishabh, Rishi A, Rishi C, Ruthvi, Sohan, Sai Sahasra, Sai Sri Ram, Sanjana, Sathvik, Shraya, Shruthi, Sriraam, Supraja, Tanay, Vahini, Varsha, Varun, Vedhya, Veena, Yathi
Adult Volunteers:
Asha, Jisha, Jyothi, Keerthi, Mythili, Nalini, Neha, Niveditha, Priya, Swathi, Vandana, Srinath.
5/13/2023 - Troy Stage Nature Center
During this project, VT Seva Volunteers went to the Troy Nature Center where the volunteers learned about invasive species and also helped to clear an area of trees that were invasive in order to help the ecosystem.
Project lead:
Saisha Srivatsam
Youth volunteers:
Aakash S, Abhiram, Akshay, Ishan, Lalit Aditya, Nishant, Praneel, Tanay, Saisha, Saiabhiram, Saichakrika, Shrinidhi, Sneha, Varnika
Adult Volunteers:
Chandrasekar, Jaisankar, Priya, Ravinder, Shreya
5/19/2023 - VT Seva Detroit Youth Board 4th Aniversiary Celebration(College Webinar)
To celebrate the 4th anniversary of VT Seva Detroit, VT Seva hosted a College Guidance webinar. Ashleigh Taylor - founder of Empowered 4 College and a former University of Michigan Admissions Officer - covered application essentials: academics, testing resumes, recommendations, and essays. Both parents and youths joined and the event was a huge success!
Adult volunteers attended this event to help it run smoothly.
6/16/2023 - Walkathon Kickoff & 4th Youth Board In-Person Celebration
This event started VT Seva’s 4th annual walkathon, it was a grand celebration that got the event off to a great start! The proceeds of the walkathon go to Angles of Hope – A family cancer foundation.
Both Detroit youth board members and adult volunteers attended this event to make it a great success.
6/18/2023 - Father’s Day Greeting Cards Project
VT Seva volunteers handmade beautiful cards and distributed them to the seniors at Manoogian Manor and Oakmont Senior Communities as a celebration of Father’s Day. What a way to touch the hearts of so many on such a special occasion!
Project leads:
Rishabh Mavatoor and Oviya Jaisankar
Youth volunteers:
Aanya, Deekshitha, Nidhi, Oviya, Rishabh, Rishi C, Rishi A, Sai Sahasra, Sai Sriram, Shruthi, Kushal, Veena & Sriram
Adult Volunteers: Nalini, Niveditha, Priya & Srinath
6/26/2023 - VTS DET YB Webinar About Recycling By RRRASOC
During this webinar on recycling and how it can help the earth, the volunteers learned a lot about how recycling works, why to recycle, and why some things can and can’t be recycled. This webinar also taught the volunteers how to be more conscious of what they are throwing away. It was overall a very informative webinar and a great opportunity as well.
Youth volunteers:
Adithi, Adhip, Deekshitha, Durga, Eashan, Jonath, Harsh, Hiba, Lalitaditya, Nirvan, Rishi A, Rishi C, Saisha, Saisahasra, Shruthi, Sneha, Sreenika, Sudeshna
Adult Volunteers:
Archana, Architha, Vanitha, Priya, Nalini
4/1/2023 - Ford Wellness Center Volunteering
VT Seva helped Destined for Greatness in sorting clothing, books, food, kits for women, baby products, and oral hygiene assessment kits, the volunteers also helped clean the areas and move things from one place to another to help organize the center. All of this was done for their 13th annual Easter Basket and Easter clothing giveaway and completed in a span of 3 hours. The work that VT Seva has done here will benefit more than 500 Detroit families in need.
Youth volunteers:
Hrudya Kishore; Nikhil Aerabati; Lalitaditya Akkaraju; Tejas Raja; Vedhya Raja; Leo Schmidt
Adult Volunteers:
Raghunath Aerabati; Kishore; Rajesh Raja; Ravinder Akkaraju; Suresh Rajan & Vanitha Gopalan
4/15/2023 - Forgotten Harvest Volunteering
VT Seva volunteers are on the cause of fighting hunger. Through this project, the volunteers sorted and packed food to be distributed to people in need. They also loaded the pre-sorted boxes onto the correct pallets, dismantled the boxes that the food came in, cleaned and sanitized the tables, and stowed them away just to name a few. Through all of this hard work, the volunteers had a huge impact – packing over 7500 pounds of food all within the span of 3 hours!
Youth volunteers:
Nikhil Aerabati, Kushal Durga, Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor, Aditya Prayagi, Nitin Ramkumar, Saisha Srivatsan, Sathvik Surapaneni, Siva Suravarapu
Adult Volunteers:
Vandana Durga, Vaishnavi Aerabati, Shalini Musunuru, Meena Ramkumar, Srivatsan Santhanam
4/22/2023 - VT Seva Table Tennis and Badminton tournament
VT Seva hosted a tournament for both youth and adults to play badminton or table tennis as a fundraiser to promote their main cause of helping visually challenged children and tribal school students’ education. This event was held at SPARC Arena in Novi and was a huge success!
Adult volunteers attended this event to help it run smoothly.
4/29/2023 - Litter Walk Annual Spring Cleanup Earth Day Activity
For Earth Day – the day in which we bring awareness to the earth and its needs – VT Seva teamed up with the city of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and cleaned up the city roads. This is their 10th annual earth day cleanup. Not only did the volunteers make a huge impact on their community but they also learned a lot about littering and being community and environmentally-oriented citizens.
Youth Volunteers:
Jishnu Kadalam, Kushal Durga, Hrudya Kishore, Haji Muhinthan, Varshan Muhinthan, Aditya Prayagai,
Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor
Adult Volunteers:
Priya Prayagai, Niveditha Mavatoor, Kishore Anam, Vandana Durga, Vanitha Gopalan
5/13/2023 - Novi Police Department Appreciation Lunch Followed By Tour Of The Facility
In order to honor National Police Week, VT Seva Detroit brought lunch to the Novi Police Department and a plaque expressing their “Thank You” for the officers and everything they do. We were fortunate enough to get a tour of the police department. This tour showed us a lot about the facility: places such as holding cells, arraignment area, dispatcher area, sergeant’s office, lieutenant’s office, briefing area, conference room, parking area, garage for repairs, training room, records area, officer cubicles, mailrooms, gym, and lunch area.
Youth Volunteers:
Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor, Yathi Shekar Debbata, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Aditi Jethri, Abisrishti Ram, Jishnu Kandalam, Sohan Kancharla, Nikhil Aerabati, Raksha Samynathan, Nemish Debbata, Sathvik TirumalaKanduri
Adult Volunteers:
Suresh Rajan, Srinathbabu Karnati, Sreenivas Cheemalamarri, Ram V Ramanathan, Durga Nalini S, Asha Puranam, Poojitha Bollineni, Shobana Balasubramanian, Samynathan Thirunavukkarasu, Niveditha Mavatoor, Swati Debbara, Vanitha Gopalan
April-May 2023 - Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
VT Seva volunteers packaged up non-perishable food items and mailed them to gleaners' foodbank via the postal service. This at-home project had a massive impact, causing 1600 bags of nonperishable food to be folded and mailed to gleaners where they will be given to people in need.
Youth volunteers:
Kaustubh Dingari, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Samhith Enganti, Varshan Muhinthan, Nikhil Aerabati, Varun Aerabati, Bindhya Suriyanarayanan, Sruthi Adduri, Rishi Adduri, Nithin Ramkumar, Siva Suryavarapu, Akshitha Mylavarapu, Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor, Kushal Durga, Adithi Jeithri, Sriram Hebbar, Akshita Narla,Abisrishti Ram, Supraja Pattangi, Shraya Ved, Pranav Kota, Sai Sri Ram Karnati, Rohan Patil, Veeksha Somula, Vrishnak Somula, Sathvik TirumalaKanduri, Chakrikaa kurapati, Hrudya kishore
5/20/2023 - Forgotten Harvest Volunteering
VT Seva volunteers went back to the forgotten harvest to package up food, clean and sanitize tables, took the garbage out, dismantle the boxes that the food came in, and much more. In fact, this time the volunteers made a 4500-pound increase in the food packaged, totaling over 12000 pounds.
Youth volunteers:
Lalitaditya Akkaraju, Eesha chigullapally, Rishabh Mavatoor, Sai Sahasra Nammuduri, Akshith Ashwanth, Yana Panchal, Siya Sandeep, Saisha Srivatsan, Siva Suravarapu, Shraya Ved.
Adult Volunteers:
Vandana Durga, Vanitha Gopalan, Raghunath Nammduri, Nirmala Srivatsan, Suresh Rajan, Ravinder Akkaraju
6/10/2023 - VT Seva Detroit Mercado Food Hub Volunteering
During this event at the Mercado Food hub VT Seva volunteers performed a wide range of tasks which had a massive impact! Some of the tasks that were done are: prepping the warehouse for the packing of food, packing produce into carts to be loaded into cars, packing emergency carts, loading the carts into the cars, sweeping and mopping the floors, and taking the garbage out. All of this hard work by the volunteers resulted in 7400 pounds of food being packed for 123 families in a span of 5 hours.
Youth volunteers:
Jishnu Kandalam, Saisha Srivatsan, Shraya Ved
Adult Volunteers:
Vandana Durga, Srivatsan Santhanam, Vanitha Gopalan, Neha Ved
6/24/2023 - VT Seva Soccer Tournament
VT Seva hosted a tournament for youth ages 6 and above to play soccer as a fundraiser to champion their main cause of helping visually challenged children and tribal school students’ education. This event was held at total sports in Novi and is the 4th annual soccer tournament for a cause that VT Seva has held.
Adult volunteers attended this event to help it run smoothly.
Blog Created by: Lalitaditya Akkaraju
Video Created by: Shreya Shetty
Blog Edited and Published by: Nandini Cheemalamarri