"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future" Franklin D Roosevelt VT Seva presents First Annual National Youth Award Ceremony . VT Seva is a volunteer driven organization and youth volunteers are our huge asset. Working closely with adult volunteers, they lead, plan and own several events locally while supporting VT Seva service projects in India. To appreciate the accomplishments of our youth for the year 2020, VT Seva would like to present awards to youth volunteers and we are very excited to invite you to the First National Youth Award Ceremony on Feb 6th, Saturday at 3PM PST /5PM CST / 6PM EST. Award Categories include: * 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 * 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 * 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 * 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 * 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 Join us on Feb 6th, Saturday at 3PM PST /5PM CST / 6PM EST. Click here to Join the Meeting Join the Award Ceremony

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Our Youth Volunteers from Dallas - Sahana and Sahiti Peechara and Sriram and Lakshman Vennamaneni researched and presented a wonderful step by step Guide to Composting for healthy gardens while protecting the environment. They did an awesome job of walking through the importance of composting, what can and can't be composted, the process of composting and finally the usage of the compost and the liquid fertilizer. At the end of the presentation, they answered questions by participants patiently and utilized the opportunity to raise awareness about various activities of VT Seva. We are sharing the Presentation and Notes for your reference and hope you take advantage of this and grow wonderful home garden. .Environment Protection of one of the four major service pillars of VT Seva. Several branches across US celebrate Earth day to raise awareness. Every year thousands of volunteer hours are spent on creek, street and park cleaning, planting at various community gardens, in addition to awareness camps.

VT Seva Dallas conducted its 10th annual Cancer Walkathon, where participants walk every October to increase awareness of Cervical Cancer. With the unprecedented times this year the event was unique as it was conducted virtually. Every year we would have 5K - 10K walk but this year we had an unprecedented accomplishment of walking about 20,000 miles, putting in the order to double our goal of 10,000 miles walked! What is the primary Goal ? Spread awareness on different types of cancer and aid globally with prevention. This year awareness for Cervical Cancer was the main goal, as about 300,000 women in 2018 alone suffered and died from this disease. How is the cause supported? Over the last ten years, VT Seva Dallas has raised funds to support women in need and organize health screening camps in remote villages of India. Thus far we have made a difference by conducting 200 camps which have screened more than 50,000 individuals. Funds raised are also used to support procure infrastructure such as mobile diagnostic bus, digital colposcopes, screening kits, blood cell counting equipment and many more to support the camps. To help improve and procure more we have successfully raised 100,000 USD from the 2020 Walkathon. Who participated? By the end of our 10th annual walkathons, we have more than 3,000 people engaged who strived to express their solidarity in the fight against cancer; there’s truly no words for the dedication and perseverance with which our participants walked, bringing forth an astounding total of about 30,000 miles!! To everyone’s delight, the visionary founder and CEO of VT Seva, Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, participated in the event with his run on October 22nd and encouraged us in our fight against cancer as part of this 10th anniversary milestone. What were the categories & who are the winners? All participants were divided into 3 categories as Men, Women and our four legged friends . In order to track said progress of the participants, VT Seva actually created a website in which they can log the respective miles walked and compete with each other for the most miles walked. We’ve had many winners that showed impressive drive and motivation and helped make this event a tremendous success! Men's Category Winners: Papaiahgari Vishnuvardhan - 515.14 miles Jagan Siva - 331.71 miles Poosarla GeethaPrasad – 275.72 miles Women's category Winners: Peechara Shobha – 363.57 miles Koduri SriGowri – 328.52 miles Shreya – 272.77 miles Four Legged Family: Cooper (Pet Dog of Shreya and Srivas) – 272.9 miles Julie (Pet Dog of Sriram and Lakshman) – 105.2 miles Arjun (Pet Dog of Radhika and SriNitya) – 28.5 miles All the winners received an amazing virtual medal to celebrate their accomplishments. These virtual medals were created by Aditi. Experience of winners in their own words Vishnuvardhan: “ I walked in the memory of my uncle Kamatam Ramakrishna Reddy, who inspired me to be selfless and “Serve all Beings as a Service to God”. I also walked for Aparna Akka as she could not walk as much as she really wanted due to a foot injury. I walked in support of VT Seva’s for all the great work they do in keeping the general health of the women via cancer awareness programs. Jai Srimannarayana!” Sivaji: “ I have always been empathetic towards cancer patients and as soon I was told by the VT team about the Walkathon and its purpose of increasing awareness of Cervical cancer, I was very happy to be part of this great cause. Though I usually walk a couple times a week for my personal fitness, this noble cause did encourage me to go extra miles every day for the past month. I would like to thank the VT Seva team wholeheartedly for organizing such a great event.” GeetaPrasad: “I am from Cary, NC. As part of my Engineering college Fitness group came to know about VT Seva virtual walkathon and wanted to be part of this great cause and contribute from my end. Wishing the very best for all your initiatives and truly inspiring work.” Shoba : “ I dedicate this walk to my mother who passed away due to cancer. I love walking and I feel very happy going out and enjoying nature. I was motivated to walk almost 30 years ago when I watched the movie “Aswani”, a biopic of Aswini Nachappa, a famous runner from India. I have been supporting VT Seva activities for the past few years. Inspired by VT Seva services, I sponsored a few cancer screening camps through VT Seva. Congratulations to VT Seva on its 10th anniversary.” Gowri: “Many thanks to VT Seva for providing this opportunity- 30-day journey to become my healthiest self while running for a cause I believe in. It all started with a GOAL. At first, I set myself a goal of 150 miles!! Gradually I realized I could do more and increased it to 250. I am Passionate about VT Seva – I have been volunteering with VT Seva from 2008. I have personally participated in the Women Healthcare camp (Cancer Screening camp) in India.” Shreya: “I want to thank VTSeva for holding a Virtual Cancer Walkathon this year! I really appreciated the opportunity to once again support VTSeva as well as compete with others. I would like to give a big shout out to my brother as he would skateboard while I walked and my dog for constantly reminding me that it is time for me to walk. Thank you VTSeva for hosting this event and making it an experience anyone can enjoy!” 6 Helpful tips that the winners followed to increase their step count: To set a routine and follow it every day to stay consistent with your steps. Walk/Run with a podcast if you usually can’t walk/run for long. Walk/Run with a group to push yourself to run more. Don’t run on a full stomach, otherwise you will feel some discomfort when walking/running and you won’t be able to walk as much. Most Importantly, Have Fun! When you do it with a good mindset even the longest walks will feel short. A Bonus Tip: If you do have pets, try to make it a fun filled walk, by having them come along with you. Throughout the ten annual walkathons, the importance of healthy lifestyle choices in preventing cancer was accentuated by oncologists offering their valuable and impactful insight. Additionally, hundreds of VT Seva's youth demonstrated active leadership and participation by working to contribute towards research, presentation, and spreading information with teamwork and philanthropy in mind; they made the process more enjoyable and motivating for those walking and steadily making progress. The milestone was a huge celebration as 10 annual walkathons involved numerous events and talks from popular oncologists to spread awareness and our Dallas volunteers raising money towards research and prevention of Cervical Cancer every year. The culmination of the month-long walkathon was conducted with a virtual event fun filled event with our branch director, Priyatham ji welcome note, followed by our your emcees talking about health care pillar achievements in the USA year 2020. Dallas health director Ranga Manthena ji provided the history of the 10 years of Walkathons in Dallas. Special interview was conducted by Padama ji with Madhavi Ravindra ji (below), who is the head for leading cancer camps in India. Fun activities were also conducted by the youth board to engage the audience. Finally, VT Seva invited the Education Director Phani ji to talk about the education pillar and the impact that we have on it, as well as announce our next Tarangini (VT Seva Dallas Annual Event). All of this was possible because of the hardworking youth volunteers like Shreya , Aditi, Lashman, Pranamya, Sriram, Trisha, Arnav and Nikhilesh. The youth team member Trisha also created a parody about walking and it's benefits, you can listen to the same here The Link to the Parody . Youth board also created infographics as below to socialize 10th Annual Cancer Walkathon has been a huge hit! The event was successful in raising awareness for cancer and motivate many to help save many lives by their wonderful donations. We would like to thank you all for your help and support towards this nobel cause. It’s greatly appreciated! We would like to also thank our youth board members for all their efforts and contributions in making this event a great success. Few members pics below Thank you for taking time and reading!! Keep walking and stay healthy !! Did you know you can host a camp in your chosen location? We can help you. dallas.director@vtsworld.org Here is an overview of how VT Seva Dallas made an impact over the past 10 years.

Great opportunity to present your talent in various areas such as Rangoli, Story Telling, Public Speaking etc. "Talents are meant to be shared" - Carol B Thomas" Date and Time : Jan 23 - Jan 24, 2021, 2:00 PM -5:00 PM EST January 23rd - Dance, Public Speaking, Story Writing January 24th - Singing, Painting, Rangoli Details & Rules as below Rangoli : Participants will need to be ready with their Rangoli prior to the contest During the contest, participants will be required to show their Rangoli and talk about it. Cannot exceed 2 minutes No Age limit, all are welcome to participate Story writing : All participants will be divided into the below two Categories Story could be on any topic Story should be written prior to the contest and should be submitted before the submission deadline On the day of the contest, participant would need to read the story out Story reading cannot exceed 3 minutes Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years, Seniors - Ages 12-18 years Topic - Write a story of any genre and read it to the audience on the day of the event. Note: Story should be emailed prior to Jan 20th. email parsippany.director@vtsworld.org Painting : All participants will be divided into the below three Categories A theme will be provided after registering Participant will complete their painting and email it prior to the submission date On the day of the event, participants will need to talk about their painting. Cannot exceed 2 minutes. Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years, Seniors - Ages 12-18 years, Adults: 18 years+ Singing : All participants will be divided into the below three Categories The song video will be played on the day of the contest and judging will be done the same day of the event The song should not exceed 3 minutes Detailed guidelines on how and when the video needs to be sent will be provided after registering Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years (English), Seniors - Ages 12-18 years (English), Adults: 18 years+ Indian Regional Movie Songs Dance : All participants will be divided into the below Categories Classical Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years, Seniors - Ages 12-18 years Non- Classical (Indian Movie Songs any language) Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years, Seniors - Ages 12-18 years Recording of the dance video should be submitted before the submission date Dance video should not exceed 3 minutes Dance videos will be played on the day of the contest Judges will decide the winners based on the dance videos a Detailed guidelines will be sent after registering Public Speaking : This will be a live online event Participants will be required to speak on the topic provided for 3 minutes Age Categories: Juniors - Ages Up to 11 years Martin Luther King Jr Historic - " I have a dream speech" is an integral part of his legacy. Topic - What are your dreams for yourself and the world? Seniors - Ages 12-18 years Martin Luther King Jr once said - Life's most persistent and urgent question is "what are you doing for others?" Topic - What does this quote mean to you Time limit for both groups is 3 minutes. Participants cannot use any notes or aid. Winners for all categories will be announced after after the contest on the same day. All proceeds will go towards the education of visually challenged and underprivileged kids. We invite you to register and make show your talent while supporting a great cause. For any further questions please contact Madhavi ji @ parsippany.director@vtsworld.org

Dance is an art, paint your dream and follow it. - Steven Thompson If you love to dance and would like to learn some quick moves for 6 weeks, your search ends here!! All classes will be online and will be conducted on Google Meets. Lessons will be conducted by Laasya Vemparala . For more details on her please check her YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoJ_LQUAUdM You can choose either Monday or Friday for the class. Slot 1 - Jan 4 - Feb 8 , 2021 - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Slot 2 - Jan 8 - Feb 12, 2021 - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM If you have any questions or for more info please contact the below: Laasya V - 978-761-1521 or Mahesh Jemolla - 415-351-9093 All proceedings go towards education of under privileged kids in India as part of our Tribal schools initiative.

VT Seva presents Subhada 2020 and Annual Fundraising Event This year’s virtual event is being conducted by the VT Seva Youth team on December 27th, 2020 @ 3 PM. Please join us to celebrate the spirit of service this holiday season. Event Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81983893020?pwd=VlRtM1RzS21SV1MyOVppYzNnSHJadz09 In conjunction, we are underway to complete our 2020 annual fundraising. VT Seva makes a difference to lives of thousands of people in need and we need your support to make it happen. So far VT Seva has supported Netra Vidyalaya (School for Visually Impaired) and Gurukulam (School for the underprivileged) to make a meaningful impact on the lives of 2,500 visually challenged students and 10,000+ underprivileged students. Many of the alumni from these schools are now leading an independent lives and contributing back to the society. We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many young children. Please sponsor and educate a kid for one year ($365=$1 per day) or any amount that can change their lives. Every penny you donate, goes to supporting these kids and all donations are 100% tax deductible. Thank you for making an impact! Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!

The year 2020 has been challenging on many fronts for the whole world. It is not an exaggeration if we say there is no family that was not impacted in some way or the other due to the social, financial, health and emotional challenges it brought. It is also a year where the need to help each other and heal together the most. VT Seva volunteers have demonstrated the same as always. Several youth volunteers have come together to plan, lead, and execute several COVID-19 relief activities working along side VT Seva leadership team in all the branches across USA. A few of the highlights from our activities for year 2020 for you. COVID-19 Relief Aid Under the guidance of our CEO, Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, all the branches of VT Seva came together to help local communities as the pandemic started spreading in USA in mid March. We tapped into our supporters, raised funds to support the local Food Banks, Hospitals in every possible way we could. Food Banks and Hospitals at the following cities were supported for COVID-19 RELIEF AID Gratitude To Our Frontline Heroes VT Seva supported with 17,000+ N-95 masks to various hospitals in highly COVID-19 impacted hospitals - Newton Medical Center, Saint Clares Hospital, Robert wood Johnson University Hospital, St. Peter's University Hospital, St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, Atrium Medical Center, Metropolitan Ministries, Multiple Hospitals in Tampa and many other hospitals in highly affected cities. VT Seva Detroit Youth created a GofundMe page and raised funds to support Hospital. Several youth volunteers hosted lunch for the Medical staff at Hospitals and other City officials to convey Gratitude for their support to community during the pandemic. VT Seva Dallas youth volunteers created GofundMe page to support Health care during COVID-19 as well. Several branches have hosted events to convey gratitude to health care professionals and essential workers of the city by providing warm lunches. Volunteers from Cary, Atlanta, and Boston made reusable face masks that were distributed in their local senior centers and others to use. Innovation During COVID-19 Free Professional Seminars in Health Care, Personal Finance, Career Exploration, College Preparedness, and Real Estate events. Art for Equality VT Seva conducting "Equality Depicted through Art" competition in 2020 to provide a platform for all to express what Equality means to them. We had a great response with 400+ entries and people from 40 countries participating in voting. More info Several branches across USA have come up with innovative ways to virtually engage students who were getting used to virtual learning environment by providing various interactive fun workshops, while supporting Schools for Visually Challenged and Tribals. 60% of the planning, execution and coordination was handled by youth at each of the branches. Public Speaking Contest- Detroit, MI Teaching Refugee Children - Charlotte, NC Chess Competition - Dallas, TX Musical Event in collaboration Swaravedika, Detroit, MI Quiz Contest, Detroit, MI Summer Camp, Boston, MA Robotics Class - Houston, TX Career Exploration Series, Houston, TX Go Online with VT Seva - Houston, TX - Yoga, Music, Dance, Reading, Coding, Creating Writing and many more Science in Action, Pittsburgh, PA Seattle Summer Camp - Coding, Reading, Dance, Music, Cooking, Charlotte, San Antonio and Dallas Summer Camp for Youth, Coding, Math, Reading, Public Speaking, Debate and many more Solving Rubik's Cube, Tampa, FL Fun with Lego Workshop, Tampa, FL Little MD Workshop, Houston, TX Virtual Yoga for Health - North Jersey North Jersey Virtual Camp - Programming, Public Speaking, Calligraphy, Dance, Science Experiments, Scratch Programming, Stories, Origami and More, North Jersey, NJ Katy Youth Workshop - Music, Creating writing, Coding, Robotics, Public Speaking, Katy, TX Speech and Debate Workshop - Virginia,VA Our Bharath and Her Story - Seattle, WA Fun and interactive Cricket Camp - Seattle, WA 13 Day Shred Event by Seattle, Seattle,WA A Guide to Composting - Workshop by Youth - Dallas,TX Annual Events Annual Fundraising Events - Tarangini, Raas, Utsav, Prerana, Alok, Vasantham, Teja, Subhada, Utsav International Yoga Day Celebration By New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, Katy, Cary Centers Mother's day Celebrations by Katy Team Virtual Walk-a-thon by Boston, Bay Area Public Speaking Contest, Boston Virtual Music Event, Detroit 10th Annual Walk-a-thon by Dallas Team This year due to COVID-19 the Annual Cancer Awareness Walk-a-thon has been switched to a virtual one and was made open to everyone around the world. The event was used to encourage healthy physical fitness practices to be followed by all for physical and mental well being while supporting Cancer Awareness Camps in Bharath. The event was concluded by recognizing three top participants who put in the most miles, Vikasa Tarangini Mahila Arogya Vikas Team virtually participated to provide insight into the events being conducted in India. Together the participants completed 20,000 Miles by doubling the goal of 10,000 miles to mark the 10th Annual Cancer Awareness Walk-a-thon. VT Seva CEO Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji participated in walk-a-thon virtually and lead us in this amazing event . Read more VT Seva stands by to Fight over the Hunger Our volunteers participated in sorting, packing, making sandwiches and donating food at 32 events prior to lockdown - here are a few : FMSC Minneapolis, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, New Jersey, Somerset Food Bank, New Jersey, Forgotten Harvest Food Bank, Detroit, MI, Central Texas Food Bank, Austin, TX, Food Bank at Raleigh, Cary, North West Harvest, Seattle, WA, Houston Food Bank, Houston, TX, Lunches of Love, Houston, TX, Food Drive for Parsippany Food Bank, North Jersey, Operation Sandwich Program - Soup Kitchen of Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, North Charlotte, Morristown Food Bank, North Jersey, Food Bank, Chicago, IL Feed My Starving Children - Libertyville, Chicago, IL, Bay Area Homeless Shelter, San Jose, California, Food Banks of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Child Hope International, Metro Ministries, Tampa, FL, Gleaners Community Food Bank, Detroit, MI Annual Food Drives by Virginia, Houston Teams Our volunteer from Bay Area shares about volunteering at a monthly Burrito Wrapping event. Volunteering at Senior Living Centers Our youth volunteers visit senior living homes at various Centers to spend sometime and entertain them with games, presenting a song or skit, reading a book for them. It is a great way to give back. Veranda House Visit - Katy Lifecare Transition Hospice Hospital - Cary VT Seva Dallas Volunteering at Senior Living Center LSS - Lutheran Senior Services - St Louis MacArthur Hills Senior Living - Dallas Villa at Riverstone- Assisted Living - Houston Parsippany Adults Old Age home - North Jersey Environment Protection One of the core pillars of service of VT Seva is Environment Protection and raising awareness. Many branches globally celebrate Earth Day by hosting awareness events, planting, helping clean the creaks and adopted several streets , parks across USA to clean up. Serving the Differently Abled / Special Needs Children/ Adults VT Seva serves at Houston Council for Blind, Houston, FCSN, Bay Area and Camp Sunshine and Camp Snowflake, North Jersey. The teams visit and spend time engaging, entertaining, assisting, coaching. Celebrating Volunteerism VT Seva Houston, Atlanta, New Jersey, Seattle branches celebrated volunteers who won President's Volunteer Service Awards for the year 2019. Our Volunteers utilize their time and talent, sometimes cultivate a skill to support Ananya Suthram, Seattle Team a middle schooler raised funds by stitching and fixing clothes to support education of a student. Meghana Madhura Kavi a middle Schooler raised funds hosting a lemonade stand in New Jersey. Sandhya Yellapragada, Atlanta raised funds through donating all the proceeds from a book she authored and published VT Seva Seattle, Charlotte, San Antonio, Virginia, Dallas, Cary, Pittsburgh, Houston, volunteers raised funds by hosting Summer Camps Detroit Youth by hosting a GoFundMe page New Jersey Team collaborated with Sadhaka Sadhana - 15 days virtual musical concerts to raise funds Detroit collaborated with Swaravedika Team for 3rd consecutive year to raise funds. These are a few examples how their passion to support drives them. Our humble gratitude to each of you for your support - together we continue the journey of joyful volunteering. You are our strength to serve

Tarangini's motto is " One kind act can cause a ripple effect! Let's join in making one!! " Instead of cursing the darkness, we believe in lighting a lamp. The path we chose to accomplish this goal is to engage youngsters from Dallas community in Tarangini preparations and presentation to volunteer their talent (singing, dance, music, emcee skills etc) and time to raise awareness. Most of our youth leaders have firsthand experience in volunteering in local activities such as Cancer Awareness, Adopt a Street, Serving food to Homeless and at outreach projects in India such as schools and colleges for visually challenged and schools for underprivileged tribals. Because of these encouraging gestures by youth for the past 12 years, many kind hearts and philanthropists responded positively by pledging their support. This act of giving enables us in dispelling the darkness through Education. Our goal for this year is to support the education of at least 250 students from schools for tribals. Please donate by clicking HERE : Optionally you can also donate through Zelle. How ?: Please login into your bank portal, then choose Zelle payments and send your donation of $365 to treasurer@vtsworld.org. Please make sure to add a note stating the cause, "VT Seva Dallas Tarangini 2021". Although the event is virtual, we have an excellent collection of performances to enthrall the audience. Stay tuned for the virtual meeting details. For any questions, please contact us at 214-733-0805 or 469-601-4888. Click here to join the event Alternate ways to join https://www.facebook.com/100000156903567/videos/4286735148008340/

In partnership with VT Seva Virginia Branch and her local middle school, Hrishita Mareddy, 14, conducted a Virtual Public Forum Speech and Debate Club Workshop open to all children in grades 6-8 for free. This debate club started on 10/13/2020 and ended on 10/31/2020 with a total of 9 sessions. Over this 3.5 week period, Hrishita taught over 30 middle school students public forum debate free of charge for 1.5-2 hours each session. “ Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi Debate is expensive : Many students in low-income earning families do not have the resources nor the financial security to partake in certain extracurricular activities. Speech & Debate happens to be one of them. Debating coaching centers are expensive, researching is time consuming and may cost money, and to enter national competitions, debaters often pay hefty entry fees. The students that are fortunate to be practicing debating, myself including, know that trying out for the high-school debate team is scary-enough even with experience. Giving these kids the exposure they need early on can give them an upper-hand when competing against others, and improve their speaking skills Speech & Debate gives students: Advanced public speaking skills Practice with researching/finding credible and reliable sources A strong understanding of how to develop a clear line of argumentation Essay-writing skills Argumentative and oral skills Vast general knowledge A steady foundation to base a high school debate career Ahead of the game when competing with others for a spot in debate team tryouts College applications/resumé My sincere thanks to Abhishek Chennamaraju, VT Seva, Virginia and VT Seva National Communications team for their continued support before, throughout and after the workshop sessions. By the end of the club, students were able to create their own Pro and Con cases on a given resolution. They then battled their peers in a debate match, and gained firsthand experience in public speaking and debating. They also received individualized feedback and were given all of the resource slides used in the workshop sessions. Our suggested donation fee for this club was $20, and all proceeds went to VT Seva, an amazing organization. More on their wonderful charity and volunteer community service work here: https://www.vtsworld.org/ ~ Hrishita Mareddy More About Hrishita Mareddy Hrishita Mareddy (14) is a sophomore that attends Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. She is currently in the International Baccalaureate Magnet Program, and will graduate in 2023. She has been debating for well over 4 years. Her initial interest in teaching debate began when she realized she wanted to start a club to help young students gain important skills for their college career. Speech and Debate improves presentational and oral skills, researching and argumentation, and general knowledge. She wants to thank the wonderful directors at VT Seva for giving her the opportunity to mentor. She had a blast teaching the young middle schoolers about Public Forum Debate, and cannot wait to continue the club next semester! VT Seva encourages and empowers youth to give back to the community and is very proud of volunteers like Hrishitha for utilizing their time and talent to help fellow students.

This fall, 30 VT Seva youth members from Michigan joined forces to raise thousands of dollars for underprivileged children in India. They created an online fundraiser using GoFundMe to collect donations towards the cause. VT Seva is a non- profit volunteer organization which is mostly run with the help of the youth board. "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."—Oscar Wilde A team of 30 , an ambitious goal, and a total of more than $7,000 raised. This fall, 30 members of the Michigan youth board started a fundraiser to raise money for the blind and tribal children of India. Due to the obstacles of COVID-19, RAAS, an annual fundraiser to raise money for these children, was canceled. We had to manage everything online in the form of Webex meetings, online fundraisers, and online group chats. All of the participants had to do most of the work alone due to the pandemic, which made it quite challenging. The main goal of their outreach project was to spread awareness about all the work that VTSeva does to help the visually challenged children in India. Our donations help the Nethra Vidyalaya schools for the visually challenged. It is a group of institutions focused on providing a value-based quality education, technology-assisted learning, and a self-reliant lifestyle to visually challenged kids. This fundraiser helps the students get high quality education and presents them with a better opportunity for success. The idea was thought of by 16 year old youth member Harish Jaisankar . By informing people about these students and VT Seva's mission to the people who are not aware of VT SEVA, the VT Seva Detroit Youth Board helped raise money for Nethra Vidyala students, their team raised $7,100. The cost of helping one blind child receive education for an entire year is $365, which means that together they helped over 19 visually challenged students. Just like any other great cause, it started out fairly slow. A goal was set that each participant must raise at least $50 which enabled them to encourage each participant to raise money. Their initial target was to raise $3000 in three weeks but by the eighth day of fundraising, they had already surpassed their goal. This led them to increase their goal to $6,600. However, they also exceeded their goal again on the 18th day. Finally, they increased their goal to $10,000, campaign is still going on. Every member who committed to the cause made sure they reached their personal goals. Their outreach project helped contribute to this cause as they put together their efforts to spread the word. The fundraiser lasted over the course of 21 days. Over the course of this time, members asked many people for donations through gofundme.com. It was a great way to gain experience, and be an active part of society. Our fundraiser and message reached well beyond the United States’s borders. For example, we got a number of donations from India and Australia. This project helped bring attention to our service group from foreign countries. All our participants helped spread the word of VTSEVA. Some of our participants took initiatives at school to spread the word even more. They hung up posters around their schools as well as asked their teachers to donate. Many teachers were incredibly interested and impressed by our generous cause. By doing this, our participants brought so much more attention to the visually impaired in India and VT SEVA's contribution. This project was supported by Youth Board members as young as eight years old . Adhip , Jansi , Chandini , and Ritvija are our youngest members and they helped raise a ton of money and bring awareness to our cause. We believe that leadership should start young and by helping collect donations, our four young members proved that leadership in youth is attainable. Youth is the backbone of our nation and it is our job to encourage them from a young age to grow and become responsible citizens. The members of our team shared their personal experiences and explained the feeling of being able to change lives and bring smiles to many faces . It took a lot of phone calls, text messages, and emails to reach people. Volunteers reflect on their personal experiences: Oviya , Saisha , and Risha talked about how rewarding the experience felt. Teja , Yasaswini , and Shreya explain how great the experience was for them. Sathvik , Abhinav , Nikhil , and Harish say they are grateful for the opportunity. Teja , Yasaswini , and Shreya explain how great the experience was for them. Sanjana , Rashmita , and Jansi explain their joy of giving “During the journey of Go Funding I found true generous donors who gave silently without hope of reward!! I appreciate them!”— Niharika , Chandini , and Arya “I am very happy that I was able to contribute towards the education of the students in Netra Vidyalaya. The experience has made me become more compassionate towards not so privileged people.” discuss Adhip , Aishani , Amogh “This project taught me how to reach out to people. I am very proud that I was a part of something that helped so many kids.” — Shrikha , Nikita , Ritvija “Even during this time, I was really glad that I was able to reach society and explain to them what VTSeva is and how we help. Every time when I got the donation it made me feel really happy.” as written by Kaavya , Soham , and Srihari Siddharth , Sohan , and Vaibhav reflect, “This fundraiser gave me the opportunity to raise awareness for a great cause. I am really grateful to be part of this wonderful organization.” “Being a part of this fundraiser made me realize how much one person can impact such a big society.”— Anagha , and Srujan Overall, our outreach program helped bring a lot of awareness to VT Seva and our cause, enabling us to help visually impaired children attain better education and future. Seeing all the smiles on these kids's faces brought joy to all of us. “ Giving is not just about making a donation, it's about making a difference.” - Kathy Calvin . The experiences of our participants show that each and every one of them are very grateful to the donors and VT Seva for giving them this opportunity. Detroit Youth Board Members Thanking the donor Special Thanks to: Blog Written By: Nikitha Talwar , Shrikha Atchutuni Collage Made By: Rashmitha Ragunathan Video Made By: Oviya Jaisankar, Harish Jaisankar

A team of Art lovers from youth club has started this adventure. Their main goal here is to evoke their creativity and come up with a way to portray the feelings achievements and accomplishments of the kids from Netra and Jeeyar Gurukul. Through Art work we want to tell the stories of Thrinadh, Gangajala and many others to the community. An example of the work is shown in the flyer. For more information please email Seattle.director@vtsworld.org

VT SEVA Seattle branch conducted a 6-week Cricket Coaching Camp, August - October 2020. 26 children ages 5-13 participated in the fun filled program from Seattle Area. Trainees were invited to sign up to attend a virtual orientation, followed by a trial session open to participants and parents to get a feel for the program. Precautions were taken and the best hygienic practices were enforced through out the program. Participants were given a choice to choose between taped tennis ball, and a slightly harder tennis ball. The six-weeks were split into three 2-week sprints, where we focused on basics, techniques, and game scenarios, respectively. Closing ceremony was conducted with a scrimmage between all the kids. In the ceremony, VT Seva Youth and Seattle Board shared about VT Seva's activities, and invited the families to join to help serve more people in need. Because the need is huge and we need everyone to step forward. Participants were presented commemorative wristbands for the program followed by nice refreshments. Cricket Coaching was an opportunity for the kids to get a safe, active outlet during the pandemic which was enjoyed by the participants and Youth Volunteers while knowing their effort is leading to support Schools for Tribals and Schools for Visually challenged in India raising $ 2500 towards the cause. We thank Varnon Srinivasan, Neha Aitharaju, Pavan Kotti, Vivek Chilakala, Samvit Garg, Kavya Yeremelli, Arnav Thappesandra, Sumedha Kanumuri, Adam D’mello, Rishi Sharma, Shyam Ramesh and VT Seva Seattle Leadership Team for collaborating on planning and execution of the program. - By Srihari Krishnaswamy, Hi All, I’m Srihari Krishnaswamy, I’m the Sports Lead at VTS Seattle, and have been with the branch for the past 2 years now. I first joined near the end of 2018, and like many of the volunteers at VTS Seattle, I was captivated by the branch’s effectiveness in accomplishing goals and wanted to help them make a difference. I was first exposed to JET at a very young age, and had the opportunity to meet Swami Ji. I have always loved the game of cricket, whether I was playing in leagues in the US, or watching India dominate from thousands of miles away. The sport has allowed me to make so many meaningful connections and learn how to be accountable and lead effectively. I started playing when I was about 9. Along the way, I learned meaningful drills, strategies, and techniques that I knew I could pass onto others. VT SEVA Cricket gave my peers and me an opportunity to do that, and we could not be more thankful. We knew that we had potential to provide an increase of outreach and donations for VTS and are glad that we were able to do that in our own type of way. Reflecting on the fact that we were able to further the game with younger kids, while also enabling the underprivileged in India learn in school was truly heartwarming.

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” Oscar Wilde VT Seva team is proud to present one of our amazing youth volunteers - Ananya Suthram. This Middle Schooler proves, it is the intention to help others that matters, and you can easily find a way. Lets hear how she made a difference in her own words: This journey started with my interest in stitching, and the desire to help those in need, especially in these challenging times of Covid-19. I started sewing masks and taking orders for minor fixes and altering pant lengths, with the intention of raising funds. For every article of clothing I mend, I asked for a suggested donation of $5 or more. At the end of summer, I raised a total of $365, which was donated to support education of one student from Schools for Visually Challenged / Schools for Tribals supported by VT Seva for a year. Thanks to my mother, who was the inspiration behind this project, and the rest of my family who supported me through my journey. I would also like to thank all the people who donated and encouraged my efforts, for I couldn’t have reached my goal without them. I was delighted to know that my endeavors also inspired another person to stitch as well. Together we stitched masks and donated them. - Ananya Suthram – VT SEVA Seattle Wishing many more years of joyful service Ananya! Hello! My name is Ananya Suthram and I am at my last year in middle school at Issaquah, WA. My hobbies include sewing, coding, dancing, and skating. I have been serving with VT SEVA Seattle branch for seven years, through UTSAV, and many other volunteering activities. I originally joined VT SEVA because I found it amazing to see other people my age working hard to give back to the society, they live in. I am proud to say that I am a part of this great organization. VT Seva empowers youth to own and lead Volunteering events from a very young age.

Welcome to the VT Seva Visual Arts Talent Show! The VT Seva talent show will be an exciting event in which participants with a variety of wonderful talents will be able to perform. Visual art performances of each student can vary from cultural Indian to western and fusions. Registration is $12 per participant and all of the funds raised will directly go to Netra Vidyalaya to support visually changed students! We are excited to see what you can put together! Certificates will be awarded to all participants! Event Date : Dec. 5, 2020, 11 AM PST Onwards Entrance Fee: $12 For any questions, please contact us at vts.talentshow@gmail.com

Welcome to VT Seva’s Game Night! The main event will be a Fortnite tournament that people can compete in to win gift cards! Anyone of any age can also join our zoom meeting to have fun by playing different games with others, such as the popular game Among Us, and others such as Jackbox Party, and skribble.io! Any 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. 100% of the funds earned from this event will go straight towards visually-challenged children. Please join this event to not only have fun playing games, but also make a difference and help children in need!  Game Night - Nov. 27, 2020 Event Start Time: 4 PM  Event End Time: 8 PM  Main Event: Video Game competition Fortnite tournament  More details will be given during the event  Gift Card Prizes for the Top 3  Casual Zoom Game Night Event:  Among Us  Gimkit Jackbox Party Skribble.io Spyfall Mafia  Leave any suggestions for other video games on the registration form! For any questions, please contact us at vtsgamenight@gmail.com

VT Seva Bay Area is organizing its 3rd annual speech contest, this time in a virtual format! The goal of this event is to raise money for 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. Click to learn more... Cash Prizes and Certificates awarded to winners. For anyone new to public speaking: We will be holding a seminar to teach important skills and answer any questions, on Sunday, November 29th, 4-6 p.m. More info will be given out to those who register. Date: December 6, 2020 Time: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM PST  Fee:  Competitors are required to pay a $25.00 entry fee.  ANYONE IS WELCOME : We have categories for any skill level! Platform (Prewritten Speeches):  Novice: [For competitors with less speech experience] (A prewritten speech about any topic or issue that you are passionate about: 3 to 6 minutes) Open: [For more competitive speakers] (A speech for any of the platform events, OO, OA, Expos: 8 to 11 minute speech) Impromptu: [For competitors with any level of experience] A 3 to 5 minute speech given with 2 minutes of preparation. (You will be given a random topic to talk about) If we have enough entries, we will divide this by grade level For any information, please contact us at speakurvision@gmail.com Why we’re running this contest We are running this contest to raise funds for visually challenged and underprivileged students in India. All proceeds will be donated for students' education. Each student requires only one dollar a day, or 365 dollars a year for their needs to be fulfilled. Our goal for this event is to support 3 students each for a year. For more information on our cause, visit https://www.vtsworld.org/mydonation

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 November- Every Saturday, 4 - 5:30 PM PST. You will learn from several young hosts on how to make easy appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks. It will be an 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 education 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 November 2020; 11/7, 11/14, 11/21& 11/28 Time: 4 - 5:30 pm PST Ticket Price: Per person, the participation fees are $10 per class, but if you pay forward for the entire workshop, its only $35!

Do you enjoy reading? Why not Read for a Cause? Every book you read will help tribal children in India get education they deserve. The person with the most books read will EVEN win a prize! Our goal is to sponsor atleast 2 children which needs us to raise $730. 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. When you first register, input your name, parent’s name, and parent’s contact information. This Read-a-thon will go on from October 19 - December 19, 2020. You can input your donation for the number of books you plan to read during this period. If you have any questions, please contact us at readathonvtseva@gmail.com