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“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pele Congratulations to the Nethra Vidyalaya students who competed in th e National Level Para Champaionship-2021 . Every day our students work extremely hard to continuously break the boundaries that were placed on them at birth. We are very proud of their dedication and hard work and will continue to support them in their efforts to achieve their dreams. Nethra Vidyalaya will continue to empower students across all disciplines. Athletics is not only an investment physically, but it also builds a strong mind and heart. WINNERS Thanks to all the teachers and volunteers who support our athletes. Your support gives our kids the tools, confidence, and resources to succeed. How you can help: To produce the next generation of inspiring athletes, we need your help. Our athletes need funding for equipment, coaches, and athletic facilities. Your support will go a long way in making their dreams come true.

For many of us, toilets are ordinary, everyday items that we take for granted. Can you imagine yourself without a restroom? No, right? Wanted to share this inspiring project VT Seva has taken up to solve sanitation problem for an entire village, Yes, we built a total of 52 toilets. How is poverty fought? Well, there are many different approaches that are currently being tried and some may seem more self-explanatory than others. For example, there are micro-lending, education aid, anti-corruption efforts, and attempts to create jobs and industry. But what about sanitation? Specifically, what about the toilets? Toilets, and the access to toilets and established sanitation standards, are actually a very, very important issue in much of the developing world. Toilet use is essential to the survival and development of all children in India and around the world, as exposure to human waste causes diseases such as diarrhea. More than reducing levels of infection and disease, however, the sanitary importance of toilets offers an increased sense of dignity. The availability of toilets is even shown to increase the school attendance of teenage girls, who may not go to school during their menstrual cycle. Although VT Seva has previously taken many projects in the areas of education, health, environmental sustainability, disaster recovery.etc, but when this opportunity showed up, it was a no brainer to take it up. Kulathupudur (Pollachi Taluk) is a small village near Coimbatore where the downtrodden have absolutely no toilets, they would have to use open fields to relieve themselves and for that they would have to either get up early in the morning or late in the nights for this purpose. This created another issue of dealing with snakes and insects in the fields during those odd times in dark and not to mention about all the infections and diseases that spread due to this. Hearing about this opportunity, we had do a lot of background work to evaluate what it takes to plan and execute this project. VT Seva Coimbatore branch lead Ms.Shyamala evaluated the conditions on ground, consulted with the authorities and also corresponding engineer to come up with plans and estimates for solving this sanitation issue. This project was then proposed to VT Seva donors and as always they stepped up to support this initiative. VT Seva's generous donors and specially Mr.Sreenivasan Kanagasubramaniam from Seattle have stepped up to fund this project of building of 52 toilets with complete water facility. The village is now fully endowed with toilets and the villagers expressed their gratitude to everyone who supported this project. What next? Having seen the success of what we can do to solve basic humanitarian issues like sanitation and water, few more projects are being considered in the similar lines. We urge you to stay connected and continue being part of these initiatives that addresses basic needs and increases human dignity.

𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 "𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆. – 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗖𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀" VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members celebrated this labor day by expressing their appreciation to the essential workers who makes our life goes smoothly every day even during the pandemic. Either rain or shine, pandemic or non pandemic, we all got our mails, we all got our trash picked up, we all got our groceries, all of our kids went to school by bus. Can't even imaginge not having any of those services accessible to us. They came to our door steps to provide services to us. Our YB members gave thank you notes to 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄, 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄 and many more 𝟯𝟰 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 surprised the essential workers by giving thank you notes, choclates, gifts and gift cards to all the essential workers. They did made a change in their life, workers were so grateful to be appreciated. Some workers even had a tears of joy. This project taught our YB members the value of Gratitude and how much it impacts the giver and receiver positively. All the members who participated in this project was really happy for the opportunity and start noticing whats around them 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Oviya, Harish, Sravya, Eesha, Rachana, Kaavya, Sai, Hiba, Rashmitha, Advaith, Chakrika, Abhinav, Saisha, Udhayaa, Srihari A, Anurag, Sai Sahasra, Shruthi, Rishi, Nitya, Aditya, Ananya, Kausthubh Amogh, Pranav M, Dhruthi, Teja, Arya, Siddharth, Ishani, Akshay, Varshini, Aneeshwa, and Vibha Thank you so much for all the members who participated in this project!!!! Please visit our Facebook Page to like, Share to support VTSeva Detroit efforts. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5046002875426701 Blog Written by Priya Jaishankar Published by Nandini Cheemalamarri (Detroit Communications)

VT Seva Dallas conducts an annual walk to raise funds to run cancer awareness and early detection camps. We would like all of you to register and participate in this virtual walk this year to support the nobel cause.

VT Seva Detroit presents its 4th annual Public Speaking Contest. In this modern world, people want everything fast. In a short period of time we should be able to explain and convince our ideas to the world. This competition is designed for that, all you need to do is prepare a speech for 2 minutes on any one of the topics listed below and present it to get feedback from experienced people such as teachers, Toastmasters, and senior management personnel. This competition is not only going to help you realize your potential, all the proceeds raised from this competition will support the Nethravidyala students' education. Last date for Registration : October 1, 2021 Competition Date : October 3rd, 2021 Three Groups : Group 1 : Grade 3-5 (As they are small kids, they can read from their notes if they want to) Group 2 : Grade 6-8 Group 3 : Grade 9-12 Choose any one topic during registration: Education is the best weapon against overcoming disability Impacts of remote learning Social effects of cyberbullying and how it can be curbed Please read the Rules and Register. Please read the Rules and Register.

VTSeva presents TEENAGE NUTRITION WORKSHOP by Sriteja Kataru, with the help and Material from Lifestyle Physicians and Nutritionists and Stanford professors. DATES: This workshop will be held on every Sunday of October (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th), from 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM. FEE: The fee will be 160 dollars for all four sessions. In these sessions, we will address many questions related to nutrition like the following. Session 1: FOOD / NUTRITION - 10/24/21 What is the secret 4th important food nutrient besides protein, carbs, and fat? How do foods you eat now affect your health twenty years from now? What is gut bacteria and why is it essential for good overall health? Session 2: SLEEP - 10/31/21 What exactly does your body do when you sleep? How does your body react when you pull all-nighters? What are the top sleep issues teenagers face and what to do about them? Session 3: STRESS - 11/7/21 What exactly are short-term stress and chronic stress? How stress affects your immunity and long-term health? How can you reduce your daily stress levels? Session 4: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - 11/14/21 What is metabolism and what factors control it? What is muscle hypertrophy and why do you care about that? What foods prevent you from building muscle and how? If you have any questions, please contact the following: Email me - sritejaraju7@gmail.com Phone Number - 408-444-4567

VT Seva Bay Area is organizing its 4th annual speech contest, in a virtual format! The goal of this event is to raise money to feed underprivileged and visually challenged students in India. All students from elementary through high school are encouraged to participate, regardless of speech experience. The tournament will be run using zoom rooms and communication will be facilitated through Slack. Please scroll down below to view logistics of the contest. Cash Prizes and Certificates will be awarded to winners! For anyone new to public speaking: We will be holding a seminar to teach important skills and answer any questions! The time will depend on the number and availability of our registrants. Date: Nov 6, 2021 Time: 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM PST Fee: Competitors are required to pay a $25.00 entry fee. Topic: (Suggested - you can talk about anything!) What is something you are passionate about? Why? ANYONE IS WELCOME : We have categories for grade/ skill level Open: 7-10:30 min Novice MS and HS: 3-6 min Novice Elementary: 2-3 min For any information, please contact us at speakurvision@gmail.com Why we’re running this contest We are running this contest to raise funds to feed visually challenged and underprivileged students in India. All proceeds will be donated to provide the students with necessary nutrition. Each student requires only 33 cents a day, or 120 dollars a year for their needs to be fulfilled. Our goal for this event is to support 20 students for a year. For more information on our cause, visit: . Logistics of the competition: **Specific Times, and Zoom and Slack links will be updated as we get closer to the tournament.** Date and Time: Saturday, Nov 6, 2:00 - 5:30 P.M. Fee: $25 Cash Prizes: Cash Prizes will be given to the winners of each category, along with certificates! The amounts will depend on the number of entries and the level of donations received. Times: Open: 7-10:30 min Novice MS and HS: 3-6 min Novice Elementary: 2-3 min How We are Going to Run the Tournament: Communication will be facilitated through Slack . (It’s an app/ website where you can make workspaces, channels, and direct messages to communicate with large numbers of people.) After you register, and before the tournament we will be sending a link out to join the Slack. The tournament will be fully run through Zoom. While we would optimally be in person, this is the best we can work with now! We will have about 10 to 11 rooms, our breakout rooms running throughout the day for competition and Tab room.

Hi folks! Interested in cooking or wanting to learn how to cook? We invite you to join our virtual cooking workshop! Come learn some fun and simple recipes that you can make with the most basic ingredients and minimal heat! There will be four sessions conducted in October Every Saturday, 4 - 6 PM PST. You will learn from several young hosts on how to make easy appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks. It will be interactive, as we'll all be cooking as well! No experience is required. Step-by-step, our hosts will lead you through the process of making super easy and enjoyable recipes from the comfort of your own home! By Cooking for a Cause, you will be helping provide meals for underprivileged students in India (All the proceeds (including fees and donations) go to those students!) We hope to see you there! Event : Cooking for a Cause Date : Every Saturday in October - November 2021; 10/30, 11/6, 11/13 & 11/20 Time: 4 - 6 pm PST Ticket Price: Per person, the participation fees are $12 per class, but if you pay forward for the entire workshop, it's only $40! *Participant Details Needed: First and Last Name Age Email and Phone Number Which sessions can you attend? (We suggest attending all four! It’ll be super fun!)

Welcome to VT Seva’s Charity Game Night! Thanks to those who attended last year and donated, we raised around $1500 for underprivileged children in need in India. We deeply appreciate all of your help to achieve this goal and we couldn’t have done it without you! Our Mission This year we hope to make VTS Game Night even bigger and better, raising more funds to help underprivileged communities. This year, we are running this contest to raise funds to feed visually challenged and underprivileged students in India through the Feed-A-Student Program. A $200 donation is equivalent to providing enough resources for one child. Our goal for our game night event is to support 12 students, so around $2400, so we would greatly appreciate any donations as well as registrations! About the Event: The main event will be a fortnite tournament with prizes, and If you don’t want to participate in the competition, please feel free to join our game night zoom meeting to have fun by playing many virtual different games with others, such as Jackbox Party, Uno, and skribble.io! Other games that you think we should add? When you register, you can suggest any other free games that can be accessible to anyone and we’ll consider adding it. Specific Event Details: Game Night Event Date - Dec 4th 2021 Event Time : 4:00-8:00 PM Main Event: Video Game competition Fortnite tournament Bracket-Style Tournament Prizes for the winners Gift cards prizes Other potential prizes might be given away! Casual Zoom Game Night Event: Gimkit Jackbox Party Skribble.io Spyfall Mafia Leave any suggestions for other video games on the registration form! For any information, please contact: vtsgamenight@gmail.com . Thank you!

Wonderful opportunity for kids to learn and brush up their knowledge on Ramayana & Mahabaratha. We encourage all to register at the below link. All proceeds will go to Visually Challenged schools.

A true sense of commitment and passion is seen when things don’t go per the plan or when circumstances don’t support an existing model. The year 2020 has been a tiring year for almost every person on Earth and specially for children. Many were blessed with an option to continue their education online, but for few who can’t afford a proper house or facility or who depend on schools run by non-profit organizations, online education was not an option. As the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates mentioned, “ Desperate times call for desperate measures ”, our schools in the tribal villages of India have taken that desperate measures of going to the homes of the students to provide them continued education. The staff of our schools have taken up the task of assigning a teacher to a group of the children according to their grade levels and the villages(Thandas) they live in, The teacher’s responsibility is to coordinate this group with a study plan. All the students had a single point of contact at any point of the time for any consultation or guidance. This model has been very successful in ensuring that the children were getting the education needed and graded accordingly instead of merely promoting them to next grade as suggested by the government. This reveals our teachers compassion and deep care towards these children whose only hope is continued education, this demonstrates our commitment to our donors for the trust they have in us to empower these children and grow them to be responsible citizens of the community, this establishes the desire of these children to become someone, to become successful and say ‘Thank You’. As Darling-Hammond wrote, “ When all is said and done, what matters most for students’ learning are the commitments and capacities of their teachers ” . This is so true in our journey, these desperate times made us see those commitments and capacities of these incredible teachers. Everyone one of us has a role to play in this success, and that pivotal role is YOU, without the donor, all this would not have been possible. Thank you for your continued support and trust in us to empower these children. As we continue making strides in providing education and transforming communities, we look forward to your continued support. Below are the pictures from School for the Tribals from Beersaipet and Allampally.

“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela As the old quote from Nelson Mandela describes, it is human nature to be resilient in tough times. Although, the world saw the unimaginable effects of pandemic last year, there always was light at the end of the tunnel and rightly so, we all are being resilient to come out of it slowly but steadily. The epitome of resilience is demonstrated by the visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya & the underprivileged Tribal area school children every day by their persistence, perseverance & patience. They go through unimaginable situations in their lives, yet these gifted & talented kids come out of it with great success. ​ You could be the helping hands to make their lives a bit better with your generous donations. In 2021, VT Seva Detroit has pledged to support the education of over 200 visually challenged and tribal students . We are committed to raising the appropriate funds for the 200 children by our Annual Fund Raiser program of RAAS 2021 which is scheduled for October 30th 2021 at 25335 W Nine Mile Road, Southfield, MI from 5:00 PM onwards. Be a part of this noble cause to bring smiles to the faces of over 1500 school children. You can make a big difference in their lives. Give the gift of education by sponsoring a child for just a $1.00 a day!! Guests gracing the event : HON. POPPY SIAS - HERNANDEZ, Executive Director, Global Michigan. Hon. Poppy Sias-Hernandez, a brilliant Latino was born and grew up in Muskegon, West Michigan. She went to school in Muskegon, West Michigan, received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and her master's degree from Western Michigan University. Ms. Sias-Hernandez has served in the executive office since day one of the Governor Whitmer’s administration in two roles, first as the West Michigan Regional Director of Community Affairs and currently, as the Michigan State’s Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer. Recently Ms. Sias - Hernandez has been appointed as the Executive Director of Global Michigan by the Michigan Governor, Whitmer. Ms. Sias-Hernandez has spent her life working on behalf of youth and families in West Michigan. She has tremendous knowledge of her childhood experiences that not only propelled her into careers advocating for equity and social justice who can speak the numerous languages of community but, which are informing her current position as the Executive Director of Global Michigan. With deep roots in the region’s public health and public education spheres, she’s worked for Planned Parenthood of Michigan in Grand Rapids and the Muskegon County Health Department, as well as served as the assistant to the Superintendent and the Director of Special Projects for Muskegon Public Schools. As a “Master Trainer” in the National Adverse Childhood Experiences study , she has fought to improve public health outcomes here—and across the country. She’s led a nonprofit ( Good for Youth ), overseen a Muskegon County Farm-to-School initiative, advocated for state policy, and more. In new role working for the governor, Ms. Sias-Hernandez is advocating for Muskegon, championing equity & social justice throughout West Michigan. HONORABLE JIM RUNESTAD, Member of the Michigan State Senate , representing the 15th district . In November 2018, residents of Michigan’ 15th Senate District elected Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, to the state Senate, representing the cities of Northville, Novi, Orchard Lake, South Lyon, Walled Lake, and Wixom and the townships of Commerce, Lyon, Milford, Novi, West Bloomfield and White Lake. Sen. Runestad is committed to looking out for the most vulnerable, fighting fraud and corruption in government, and defending western Oakland County families to the best of his abilities. Sen. Runestad has been appointed by his colleagues to serve as the assistant majority caucus chair. He also serves as chairman of the Finance Committee. Prior to joining the Senate, Runestad served four years in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 44th District. There he led the efforts to reform child abuse and neglect investigations to better protect children, and passed a law to crack down on felons who took bribes while in government. As a foster parent himself, Sen. Runestad spearheaded legislation to require foster care quality standards statewide. As the son of two educators, Runestad chose to pursue studies in the field of education. Runestad earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan University with a concentration in history, economics and politics. Upon graduation, he spent time working with at-risk students in classrooms all across the state. For the last 15 years Jim has been operating his own insurance company, Runestad Financial Associates LLC. Runestad was an active member of the North Oakland Board of Realtors Legislative Affairs and Grievance Committees, as well as having been involved with other various activities with the local Chamber of Commerce, including Meals on Wheels. The Honorable Padma Kuppa, Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 41st House District . Hon. Padma Kuppa is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 41st House District , which encompasses the cities of Troy and Clawson . Kuppa is an Indian-American . She is the first Indian immigrant and Hindu in the Michigan Legislature. She is from Hyderabad, in Telangana State , India. She speaks very good Telugu. She has been named Assistant Whip in Michigan. Kuppa is currently President of the Troy Historical Society and a board member of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion Honorable Padma Kuppa is serving her second term representing Michigan’s 41st House District, which encompasses the cities of Troy and Clawson. The first Indian immigrant and Hindu in the state legislature, and a Michigander for more than 20 years, she is focused on serving the people of Troy and Clawson in the Michigan House of Representatives. Throughout her life, Kuppa has sought to bring people together to solve problems both in the professional world and in the community. Kuppa is a mechanical engineer and project manager with a career spanning the higher education, marketing, automotive, financial, and IT sectors. Kuppa has been a civic leader, volunteering with the PTA throughout her children’s K-12 education, founding the Troy-area Interfaith Group to bring people of all faiths together, and serving on Troy’s Planning Commission. She is currently President of the Troy Historical Society, a board member of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, and on the Advisory Councils for South Asian American Voices for Impact and the Great Lakes Political Academy. She brings her small business, nonprofit, and civic experience to the committees she currently serves on in the House: the Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee, the Tax Policy Committee, and the Rules and Competitiveness Committee. Beyond her committee work, Rep. Kuppa has introduced and co-sponsored legislation and resolutions advocating for election reforms, earned paid sick leave, ensuring health care for those with preexisting conditions, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting Michigan’s water, promoting polluter accountability, and calling for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act to support senior wellbeing. In her first term, Rep. Kuppa was appointed to the Prescription Drug Task Force and the MiSTEM Council. She continues to serve on the Council in her second term, encouraging a focus on STEAM in our public education, as it is a critical foundation for a strong economy. VT Seva sincerely thank Hon. Sen. Jim, Hon. Kuppa and Hon. Poppy Sias-Hernandez for graciously accepting our invite. All Proceeds to benefit Schools for Tribal, Visually challenged ! Sponsorship Opportunities  SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS FOR RAAS Event Sponsorship - 20 or More Student's Education 50 Tickets Diamond Sponsorship - 15 or More Student's Education 30 Tickets Gold Sponsorship - 10 or More Student's Education 20 Tickets Silver Sponsorship - 5 or More Student's Education 10 Tickets Bronze Sponsorship - 3 or More Student's Education 4 Tickets Sponsorship for 1 or 2 Student's Education 2 Tickets Please join us and support for this noble cause!! Annual Cultural Event on October 30th , 2021. Venue : 25335 W Nine Mile Rd, Southfield, MI 48033 at 5:00 PM

VT SEVA DETROIT Food Drive for Gleaners food bank & Capuchin Soup Kitchen / Services with the help 🙏of KROGER NOVI STORES * DATE: Aug 22, 2021 TIME: 10 am to 4.30 pm( every 2 Hrs volunteering slots) Location: Kroger Store, 47650 Grand River, Novi, MI 48375* Please find all the details at the link below and appreciate🙏 whoever interested and available please signup asap🙏 We need both adults and youth volunteers help for each shift🙏 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c45aba723a75-vtseva5 Also, kindly please signup our In-person Covid waiver form link below as well, please mention the name of this event as "VTS Detroit Food drive at Kroger Novi stores" http://shorturl.at/ahAL8 *Your Support is our Strength to Serve for more details on how to get involved on VT Seva Detroit Volunteering Projects* Please contact : Vanitha Ji : Detroit.volunteercoordinator@vtsworld.org/ 248-227-3094 Priya Ji : Detroit.youthdirector@vtsworld.org / 313-529-0824 Srinath : Detroit.director@vtsworld.org / 949-232-9477 Thank You🙏✌️ Srinathbabu Karnati Detroit Volunteer Director

“All I have learned, I learned from books.” Abraham Lincoln On the occasion of 75th Independence day of India, we are glad to announce the launch of new initiative - Digital Book Library for the Blind & Print Disabled. The goal of the project is to convert print material (books) into digital format (epub) so that they are accessible by all the blind and print disabled individuals across the globe. The e-books will be part of Sugamya Pustakalaya, India's first and largest online library for the blind - with more than 20,000 ebooks available in 17 languages. Sugamya Pustakalaya is a collaborative effort of TCS, Daisy Forum of India and NIEPVD (National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities), Government of India to end the book famine faced by people with print disabilities. This is a wonderful opportunity for all to get involved and make a difference in the life of all the visually challenged individuals.

Do you enjoy reading? Why not Read for a Cause? Every book you read can also feed underprivileged children. During this fundraising activity, we request you to pledge a minimum of 5 dollars per book read. In addition to pledges, parents can make a flat donation to our cause. This fundraiser runs from Sept 1st to October 31st. Anyone can register and you can either pledge a certain amount of money for each book or just make a flat donation. Register below. All proceeds go to feeding underprivileged children and donations are tax deductible. If you have any questions, contact Read-a-thon Fundraiser lead, Parth Ganga, through email: parth.ganga@gmail.com.

VT Seva volunteers come together to celebrate India's 75th Independence Day by singing National Anthem. Another wonderful project done by a few centers lead by Detroit team is encouraging youth to pick one freedom fighter and present a brief infographic about them. These posts were done starting Aug 1st. Please don't miss the link at the bottom of this blog. “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. Where words come out from the depth of truth, where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it's way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit. Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action. In to that heaven of freedom, my father, LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!” ― Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali: Song Offerings "Every citizen of India must remember that... he is an Indian and he has every right in this country but with certain duties"- Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Tribute to Bharath More info

Elementary School Public Speaking Public Forum What is Public Forum? 2 teams debate against each other over a topic, called a “resolution” These resolutions are usually policy related What do we teach? Teach Debate Terminology (either separately or whenever we are teaching) Case: Cover CWI Method, Explain Speaking Etiquette, Argument Formation What skills will you learn? With Public Forum being a partner event, you'll surely learn communication, collaboration, and overall teamwork Organization Critical thinking PF will help you better understand vocab, arguments, and crafting essays –through building cases, and rebuttals, and countering your opponent's argument– which will help you on the SAT and in college!!! Lincoln Douglas Extemporaneous Speaking Humorous/Dramatic Interpretation What is HI/DI? This is a speech category in which the competitor will use a script from a book or movie and act it out! Pretty simple right? Well it's not so easy. Here's the catch, you have to be all the actors at the same time using different voice impressions, different body languages, and different attitudes to sell it off and for the story to make sense. What do we teach? We teach you how to control your tone, your pitch, how to improvise, to be more aggressive, to be LESS aggressive and everything else it takes to be a good actor and best of all how to be funny, or how to be dramatic. What skill will you learn These 2 events can greatly build public speaking skills and also confidence in situations under the spotlight It is also a great way to express yourself You can also gain tremendous skills in acting which can help you a long way and can get you into school plays and many more great opportunities! For information on our VT Seva supported Schools for Tribals - Tribal schools | Vtsworld If you would like to pay by Zelle - please transfer using treasurer@vtsworld.org and send the receipt to sanantonio.director@vtsworld.org - The Registration form also accepts PayPal.

This unique program offers a great opportunity for high school students to develop leadership skills and receive guidance from prominent and industry leading experts. This leadership program delivers an excellent learning experience for students to understand and gain perspective in the careers they like to pursue in future. During each session, two guest speakers will share and discuss their experiences in leadership. After a short Q&A with each speaker, the students will be presented with a case study and will have until the next day to solve and present the solutions as a team. Presentations will be judged by a panel based on guidelines that will be shared shortly. Eligibility Criteria: Must be in high school (Grade 9 - 12) Dates: 08/01 - 08/10 Timings: 1 PM - 5PM Total of 40 hrs training Fees: $75 (Fee collected is donated to local charities) Payment link will be shared post registration Thank you so much and we hope to see you soon!