VT Seva Houston team came forward to work for the community during this time of COVID-19 crisis. VT Seva Volunteering organization always supports Houston community on a regular basis partnering with other non-profit organizations such as Lunches of Love, Houston Council for Blind, Blood donations drives etc. We also provided financial assistance when it is hit by calamities such as hurricane Harvey. During this COVID-19 stay at home, there is no stop to the services provided with humble gratitude. Spreading love with Lunches of Love As part of VT Seva nation-wide drive to raise funds to support local charities funds were raised in Houston and several supporters came forward to donate for the cause. We partnered with Lunches Love to provide 7600 meals to children of low income families. Lunches of Love is committed to helping end childhood hunger in Fort Bend County by providing a free nutritious sack lunch during extended school holidays and weekends. VT Seva Volunteers have been volunteering from past 2 years serving 5000 lunches with 30 volunteers coming together. Protecting our Healthcare Professionals With an appeal of urgent need from our VT Seva North Jersey branch for medical supplies, since its one of the heavily impacted cities, VT Seva Houston provided with medical supplies to Saint Claire's Hospital. This donation helped them procure N-95 masks to protect Doctors and medical staff treating COVID-19 patients. VT Seva supported donation of 540 masks for Saint Claires and other hospitals in heavily impacted cities. Our sister organization Vikasa Tarangini is taking several relief measures in India whether it is on duty police, and other essential daily front line workers, feeding stranded migrant workers, providing grocery, providing medical supplies to boost immunity to vulnerable population in the communities during the lock-down period. Thank you gesture with Pizza Providing lunch for the medical staff at Response Unit of Methodist Hospital to show our gratitude for the endless hours they are putting in for the community during the time of crisis. Go online with VT SEVA We are in this together, providing free online classes to everyone during their safe stay at home. Please find more details here Our heartfelt gratitude for your support!

In wake of COVID-19 pandemic, VT Seva Tampa team came together to support the local community as part of VT Seva’s nation-wide campaign to provide relief aid to local communities. VT Seva Tampa donated 900 masks Northside Health Center and other local hospitals to protect our heroes - doctors, nurses and other front line health care professionals. The global pandemic COVID-19 is making the safety of health care professionals much harder and it is only justified we as community provide any support we could. With record number of lay-offs and furloughs, schools on indefinite close downs, the need for free food has exponentially grown. To support our partner Feeding Tampa Bay help feed the hungry, VT Seva Tampa has donated $ 1500 which would help provide 4500 meals. Feeding Tampa Bay provides food to the hundreds of thousands of food insecure families in the 10-county area of West Central Florida. VT Seva Tampa has been volunteering with them for the past three years with a frequency of twice a month. VT Seva Tampa has also partnered with Metropolitan Ministries which provides food and shelter to the families in need. In addition, they also provide Education, life skills with various educational programs they do in the community. VT Seva Tampa donated $ 1500 to help them serve the community benefiting 4500 more people in need. Helping those in need is not charity, it's humanity - If you would like to support our COVID-19 response activities, please consider donating. Pictures from volunteering prior to COVID-19 outbreak.

Hospitals everywhere have been experiencing shortage of face masks, specifically the N-95 masks. These masks are important for the safety of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals risking their lives every single day to treat those afflicted with COVID-19. VT Seva NJ has chosen to donate $ 4,000 to St. Peters University Hospital towards masks / protective equipment, for health care providers, in hope that less are exposed to the danger of COVID-19. According to the hospital spokesman our donation helps them for procuring nearly 1333 N-95 Masks. VT Seva NJ has donated to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) and Franklin Food Bank enabling 6000 free meals available for the needy. VT Seva NJ has dedicated many hours to volunteering at TASK over the last 3 years, serving food to those in need within the Greater Trenton Area. Additionally, VT Seva has provided monthly brown bag lunches to TASK for those in need to take home for past 3 years. Pictures are taken before COVID-19 break-down. With the current COVID-19 pandemic and the lives being displaced, the requirement for free food assistance has been surging at food banks. VT Seva stepped up to provide our humble support. TASK Executive Director Ms. Joyce Campbell who kept kitchen open for the community with limited volunteers during this crisis said “Thank you so much VT SEVA for your donation- we are feeding more now so it will help to feed many.” Ms. Ellen Zimmerman , HR Director of the Franklin Food Bank said ”This is so wonderful and so generous. We appreciate the support of your organization!" Franklin Food Bank is set up for neighbors helping neighbors in Franklin community. VT Seva donated non-perishable food to Franklin Food Bank on several occasions in the past. We thank you for your continued support. Your Support Is Our Strength To Serve!

The entire world stands by in hope of some respite from the unprecedented scale of the pandemic. New Jersey is among the most heavily impacted regions in the world. Those on the front lines are putting themselves through a physical and psychological gauntlet to serve the rest of the community, sacrificing their safety and time with their families to pull us out of this mayhem. They need help. Dr. Ramya who works at St. Claires Hospital shared that “Doctors need N-95 masks as they get even visibly dirty within couple of hours and we are wearing the same mask all day long.” Dr. Santosh from Newton Medical Center responded by thanking North Jersey VT Director, Ms. Anjani Ji for offering to help them in this critical situation and stated how the doctors are getting affected by the virus, getting critical within no time and were being on Ventilators because of the scarcity of the PPE equipment. With your support, VT Seva, North Jersey was able to rise to the occasion and provide the following support to the community: 6000 meals to children of low income families through Parsippany Food Pantry 4413 N-95 masks to Newton Medical Center, St. Claire Hospitals, and other local hospitals 1350 meals to most vulnerable daily wage workers in India VT Seva North Jersey team actively partnering with Parsippany Food Pantry since January 2020. We donated 1200 lbs of food and personal supplies in January 2020 and look forward to partner with them to help fight hunger in North Jersey community. Thank you for your continued support and we hope you join us in serving in these times of need!

VT Seva Dallas team has chosen NTFB as its beneficiary as the Covid-19 crisis is making their services that much more critical. VT Seva is providing 7350 meals to children through North Texas Food Bank. Hundreds of VT Seva Dallas volunteers have been volunteering at North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) for the past 7 years. As part of our volunteering at NTFB, we have logged over 4000 volunteer hours, sorted and packed more than 300,000 pounds of food that provides 250,000 meals. Through food drives, we contributed more than 20,000 pounds of food to support senior citizens and meals for school pantries . Note: Pictures taken before Covid-19 Because of the lock-down in effect, the schools in Dallas Metroplex are closed. This disruption is causing strain on low-income families as many of them are also without work. Their children who rely on free and reduced-price school meal program are heavily impacted because schools are not open . There are more than 11,000 chronically hungry children across 300 schools in Dallas who depend on 'Food 4 Kids' and 'School Pantry' programs for food during weekends also throughout the school year and the summer months. NTFB has taken up the task of distributing and serving nutritious food to them by working with local school districts to ensure continuity of mentioned programs. NTFB is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), their national partner Feeding America and local entities including the Dallas County Health & Human Services (DCHHS). The Food Bank is considered critical infrastructure, and is open during this challenging times. In order to safely meet the need for food assistance in North Texas region, the Food Bank has asked for support from the Texas National Guard. The food bank's volunteer and distribution efforts are continuing thanks to the support of the Texas National Guard. Note: Picture taken before Covid-19 VT Seva Dallas also provided 750 N-95 masks to Newton Medical Center and other hospitals in highly affected cities to support our Doctors, Nurses and medical staff serving patients of COVID-19. Our sister organization Vikasa Tarangini in India has been providing meals to migrant workers stranded due to COVID-19 lock down in India. VT Seva Dallas supported 6000 meals. We thank you for your continued support.

For the latest details on our VT India Covid-19 relief activities, please visit https://vtsbharath.org/covid-19/ In light of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and lock down imposed in India for safety of everyone from the spread, Vikasa Tarangini, our sister organization is relentlessly serving the needy. We are serving thousands of Daily Wage workers, Lorry Drivers, Traffic Police, Doctors/Nurses on a daily basis. VT Seva CEO, His Holiness Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji is actively guiding all the activities. Some of the services include providing- Fresh nutritious meals to professional on duty, daily wage workers,migrant workers, and others in need. Milk, fruits to children. Face masks Distributing grocery and hygienic supplies. Immunity booster supplements. Raising awareness about the precautions to be taken to stay healthy. Thousands of our volunteers are continuing to play their part representing Vikasa Tarangini as a responsible NGO service oriented organization. Many places, our volunteers are pooling their own money and supporting the causes as the need is huge.

VT Seva North Jersey is working closely with local hospitals and is responding to the need of Face masks and PPE. New Jersey is one of the hard hit states and is in dire need of protective gear for Health care professionals. Several professionals who are fighting COVID-19 risking their lives are getting infected and need immediate support. Dr. Ramya, ER Doctor, Newton Medical Center shared that Doctors need N-95 masks as they get even visibly dirty within couple of hours and we are wearing the same mask all day long. VT Seva is raising funds to provide 2000 KN-95 masks for St. Claire Healthcare and other local hospitals. We will continue to monitor and provide support as needed to other highly impacted cities. Thanks Anjani garu for contribution, it’s a great help, We all from newton hospital would like to thank you VT Seva. I am treating couple of ENT physicians and couple of Primary Care Physicians in our hospital who are exposed to COVID-19. ENT physician is in verge to be placed on ventilation. Any contribution toward this good cause will be helpful. Thank you every one supporting in this crazy situation, Be safe - Dr. Santosh from St. Claire. 100% of the funds donated go towards providing medical supplies in North Jersey. The need is more, the time is NOW! Let us support and protect our Health care professionals.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Although a small quote made by Winston Churchill, this is a quote that I’ve always carried around in my heart. Not because I knew what it meant, but because I didn’t know what it meant until now. As children of immigrants brought up in a luxurious lifestyle, courage is a word that is simply defined by a teacher, symbolized in the novels studied, and applied as a characteristic of an ideal, perfect personality. Yet as we grow older and struggle to maintain our identity, the true meaning of courage becomes more nebulous and distant. Success becomes our goal and courage becomes a by-product of it. We aspire “to go to the best college and become the richest [respective profession] no matter what” and as a result, there's a group of us who achieved that and aren’t quite satisfied, and on the other hand, a group of people who failed to achieve that and are utterly disappointed. But perhaps none of these people know about the struggle someone is going through just to get to the position they are at. Through volunteering for VT Seva, I was blessed with the opportunity to learn about students like Uma Bharati, Jyothi, and countless others who studied in School for Tribals, which crafts copious opportunities for the less-fortunate based on their aptitude. Many of these students come from tribal communities, or communities where, forget education, even basic necessities are things that they have been robbed of. Almost 90% of India’s tribal people live in incredibly remote areas, and by now it is a known fact that many doctors and hospital corporations are averse to serve in rural areas alone, signifying the numerous challenges involved for indigenous people to gain adequate healthcare and food. Ignored by society, potential victims of Naxals, deprived of basic human necessities, and plagued by malnutrition, one can only imagine how grim the future of these innocent children is. Therefore, with this fore knowledge in mind, as I read about these children and the accomplishments they paved their way to, I was astonished. For example, Uma Bharati, the daughter of tribal parents, native to Mesalabhoomanna gudam, Kaddam mandal, Nirmal dist., Telangana, studied in Jeeyar Gurukulam at Allampalli, and worked her way to studying at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) . While most of these students aspire to reach greater heights in their lives and go through so many hardships to grasp their dreams, their fellow mates (who do not attend the the school) struggle to earn a living, herding cattle and doing daily labor work. I felt overwhelmed. Despite being abandoned and harshly oppressed by society, all these kids, who are my exact age, get up every morning determined to learn, whatever the circumstances. The amount of courage, resilience, and preservation needed to go on such a journey is fathomless, prodigious, and immeasurable. And on the other side of the globe, here we are, privileged enough to have an education that our parents worked so hard to give us, selfishly worrying about gaining more and becoming more. We don’t just aspire to be wealthy and well settled professionals, but we take for granted and don’t appreciate what’s right in front of us. What we have and they don’t have is the same thing- the ample latitude of opportunity. It’s not something we are unaware of; but it is something we aren’t well aware of. When asked what courage is, I can only point in the direction of these children. These children, who rise above the injustice they face. These children, who aren’t scared of failing and aren’t dying to succeed, but simply desire the chance to try. No, Courage isn’t a by-product of success. Nor is it the path of success. It’s waking up everyday with the determination these children have, and it’s the patient diligence they face the world with. And if there is anything these valiant fellow students have taught me, it is that the journey is more important than the destination. And that is the true, raw definition of courage. -Naimisha, Atlanta, GA

On February 8th, 2020, VTSeva Dallas hosted our 11th Annual Tarangini Program. Our main theme for the program was fundraising for Women Health Camps (Prevention and Early detection of Cancer). Taking inspiration from the women health camps conducted by VT Seva's sister organization in India – “Vikasa Tarangini Mahila Arogya Vikas” for past decade impacting a million women through 1000 camps for free, a Government Order (G.O) was issued by Telangana State Government, Women and Child Welfare Ministry in June 2019 to collaborate with us and conduct health camps all over the state. To honor the above announcement and to multiply our positive impact,  our VT Seva Dallas team decided to raise funds to conduct as many camps as we sponsored for the past 10 years in just a year of 2020! Our goal was to raise funds to support 100 Women Health Camps. To date of this article, we have raised funds to conduct 70 camps and we are positive that with pledges to be realized and corporate matching to be completed, we will meet the goal of 100 camps. Our Tarangini program raised awareness about Women Health Camps with effective video presentation, slide deck and emceeing. We focused on various regions of India that camps were conducted and informed our audience of where they all were conducted as well as what goes into conducting a camp. Our youth educated the audience throughout the event to help raise more to reach our goal about our service activities throughout the year all over USA and India. Our stage performances during the program were also based on cultures from the same Indian regions that the camps were conducted at. Our programs ranged from North Indian regional dances, to South Indian classical dances, a few multi-lingual singing performances, and even an all-world fashion show! We invited the Pro Tem Mayor of Plano, Mr. Rick Smith as a Chief Guest to attend the event. Mayor Smith spoke a few noble words about VT Seva and the importance of community service. At the end of his speech, the Mayor, presented VT Seva with a certificate of commendation as a token of appreciation. Following the program, he extended partnership on behalf of City of Plano for new initiatives to serve the community through VT Seva. VT Seva Dallas Branch Director Mr. Priyatam Burgadda gave energetic vote of thanks to appreciate the volunteers, supporters and sponsors. He announced and introduced the new VT Seva team for 2020 to carry the torch of service.Our program would not have been possible without our dynamic volunteer team. From youth to adults, we all worked together to make it happen. Apart from our core volunteering team, we had almost 50+ volunteers helping with event management, decoration, serving food, and helping anywhere else needed. We also had many new members who showed interest in taking part in our monthly/quarterly activities and signed up at the venue itself! VTSeva Dallas would like to thank all our volunteers, for making the 11th Annual Tarangini a grand success. We hope to organize many more events throughout the year to do more service. More pictures

While VT SEVA has a vast global footprint, it also supports many local organizations and two such organizations from Houston are - Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and Houston Council of the Blind (HCB). Friedreich’s Ataxia is a life shortening disorder which has symptoms such as vision impairment and muscle weakness and many more. Only about 15000 people in the world have this disorder, which currently has no cure. During Alo:k Fundraising event by VT Seva Houston in November 2019, Houston team invited two patients of FARA who are teenagers, and current member of the Governing Board of the Texas School for the Blind, and visually impaired Reverend Michael E Garrett to accept Scholarships. FARA has been handed a check of $1000 and HCB received two checks of $1000 each by Mrs. Aparna Kamatam, Advisor, VT Seva. The scholarship recipients are Ignacio Osbaldo Suarez, who will be earning a Business Associate in Arts and Shaheen Sadrialaei a rising undergraduate majoring in Finance and Accounting. The mission of the Houston Council of the Blind (HCB) is to improve the independence, security, equality of opportunity, and quality of life for visually impaired aligns very closely with VT Seva's service activities in educating visually challenged to give them a independent and dignified life. Some of HCB events or activities include an ongoing mentoring program for students, member support, exchange of ideas, fund raising, and distribution of annual scholarships to qualified students to assist them in their college careers. VT Seva Houston team also assists HCB in their monthly meetings.

Meet Gopalachari, member of Andhra Pradesh Cricket Team, Champions of IndusInd Nagesh T20 National Cricket Tournament for the Blind held on January 22, 2020 at Chinnasamy Stadium at Bengaluru. VT Seva is proud of his accomplishments and wishing him all the very best with his future endeavors. "I am K. Gopalachari. I have completed graduation in B. COM ( Computers ) in Nethra Vidyalaya Degree College (Schools for Visually challenged) supported by VT Seva." I lost my eye sight in the early years of childhood in an accident while playing with my sisters. My father is a daily laborer and my mother is a home maker and we belong to under developed area in Rayalaseema. After losing my vision I continued studying in regular school. It was very difficult for me to follow the lessons and understand due to my eye condition. With the help of my friends and teachers, I have completed my 10th class with difficulty. After passing my 10th grade, my vision gradually started fading, I lost my hope for further studies. But suddenly I got hope and optimism after knowing about the Junior College for Visually Challenged (Nethra Vidyalaya) from one of my relatives. I have joined the college in 2012 for studying Intermediate level education. There I have learned many things like Spoken English, Operating the computers, chanting slokas, playing games. I still remember the special classes conducted by VT Seva CEO and Netra Vidyalaya Visionary Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, through which I learned many morals and ethics. Subsequently I have improved my playing skills specially in Cricket. Teachers at the college encouraged me to learn various things. At the college for Visually challenged, I have appeared for exams by using laptop, which gave me the utmost satisfaction and self confidence - previously I used to write my exams with the help of scribe. Writing exams on laptops is one of the unique thing in Nethra Vidyalayam and first of its kind in India. This makes me independent and confident. In Netra Vidyalayam we have been provided with free laptop, free education and free accommodation. In 2014 I have completed Intermediate in CEC and I secured more than 85%. Then I have continued my graduation in Netra Vidyalaya Degree college. During my graduation days my focus was mainly playing cricket for my country. This wish paved me to focus more on cricket, at this critical juncture, Swamiji and my teachers gave ultimate encouragement and propelled me for playing at various levels including local, state and zonal competitions. With the blessings of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, I performed well at various tournaments. Then I have been selected for the National Blind Team from the state of Andhra Pradesh as all rounder for my best performance. Indian Blind Cricket team captain Mr. Ajay Kumar and other prominent players in the team encouraged me to play for the National team. In this way Nethra Vidyalaya has given me good career in cricket. Nethra Vidyalaya is helping by sponsoring and providing financial assistance to pursue my profession as a cricketer. I have completed my graduation in the year 2017 and I secured 86%. After graduation I have joined as a Computer operator in Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Vijayawada to support my family financially. Now I got another opportunity to play for Ranji matches at domestic level. I am playing Ranji matches with the help of Baby madam and Madhuri Madam. I am grateful and thankful to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji for the support and cooperation in the form of education provided through School for Visually Challenged. Now I have a goal to play first class and International cricket for the blind on behalf of my mother land (India). Till today and days to come, I am indebted to Sri Swamiji as He gave my life a meaning with of his generosity and everlasting blessings, and pushing me forward in my life. I take this opportunity to thank all the teachers and Management of Netra Vidyalayam for making my life worth living and giving new hope in my life. My deepest gratitude to my hope and guiding light - Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Read about T-20 Championship

Jan 22, 2020: VT Seva congratulates Gopalachari K and Ravindra Vangapandu who represented Andhra Padesh at the IndusInd Nagesh T20 National Cricket Tournament for the Blind held on January 22, 2020 at Chinnasamy Stadium at Bengaluru. VT Seva is very proud of his accomplishment and would like to take you through his journey of of becoming a Champion. In Ravindra's words: "I joined (Nethra Vidyalaya) School for Visually Challenged in 2009 to continue my studies. I joined 7th class in Nethra Vidyalaya. Before joining this school, while my other friends were able to understand the lessons being taught I used to struggle to learn due to my eye sight. " After seeing my struggle, my father decided to join me in blind school. He came to know about Nethra Vidyalaya from my relatives. After joining in Nethra Vidyalaya, every teacher took care of me and helped in every aspect. Now I am playing for Andhra Pradesh Cricket Team. When I joined in Nethra Vidyalaya, I didn’t know how to play cricket. My teachers encouraged me to play the cricket. Without disturbing my studies I started playing cricket simultaneously. My parents annual income is 55,000/-. It is very difficult to maintain family with that. We are three and I am the younger one. Luckily I got an opportunity to study in School for Visually Challenged (Nethra Vidyalaya). We are very much thankful to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji for giving us hope to lead a happy life. After joining in Netra Vidyalaya entire staff helped me a lot especially Baby madam. Every student has a dream, with Swamiji’s blessings my dreams are fulfilling. It is not very easy to be selected in Professional team. I tried many times and went for selections. In 2019, I got selected in Andhra Pradesh team as an all rounder. Because of my economic status I struggled a lot for going to selection all over India. My 10 years hard work and my teachers encouragement made me finally a successful man. My ambition is to play in International format. After the completion of my school education, I joined in Nethra Jr. College which is unique in India. After Intermediate I got seat in University of Hyderabad, done my graduation there. Then I got seat in Pondicherry Central University for MBA program. Every day I say thank you to Sri Swamiji because if he did not establish Nethra Vidyalaya Institute, children like me can’t stand on their own feet and have a financially independent life. Once again thank you Swamiji, Nethra Vidyalaya and Baby madam for helping me till date." Read about T-20 Championship

VT Seva Boston is conducting a public speaking contest. Come join us for this contest conducted for children from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and win exciting prizes. Location 1: Shrewsbury, March 14th 2pm - 4pm Shrewsbury Public Library 609 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 Location 2: Billerica March 21st 2pm - 5pm 267 Boston rd, #9, North Billerica, MA 01862 Location 3: Walpole March 21st 10 AM - Noon Walpole Public Library 143 School Street - Walpole, MA 02081 Last Day for Submission : Friday before the contest date at each location Winners will be announced on 04/05/2020 and best of each category has an opportunity to receive trophies (04/11/2020, Sruthilayalu event). Participants will be provided with Fruits and water Category 1 Kindergarten- 2nd grade. Topic: Who is your role model and their impact to the community ( (Time limit) 3mins Category 2 3rd grade – 5th grade Topic: What would you do if you were a President for a day (Time limit) 3mins Category 3 6th grade – 8th grade Topic: Innovative Business idea to prevent global warming (Time limit) 3mins Category 4 9th grade to 12th grade Topic: Growing up as a teen in USA (Time limit) 3mins Projector is allowed Presentation can be Poster board, Poem, Song, Skit, Rap, props. So get creative Points will be given for the following: Creativity Organization Content Presentation Time Management Rubric: Usage of prompts Organization Content Presentation Time Management Video contest Video contest topic: Mother Earth, Registration fee: $50 Teams of 3 to 5 people, no age limit Entries due by March 6th, 2020 Please email your entries to boston.director@vtsworld.org Time limit: 3 mins

Jan 22, 2020: VT Seva congratulates Gopalachari K and Ravindra Vangapandu who represented Andhra Padesh at the IndusInd Nagesh T20 National Cricket Tournament for the Blind held on January 22, 2020 at Chinnasamy Stadium at Bengaluru. Both Gopi and Ravindra are alumni of Schools for Visually Challenged supported by VT Seva. They both moved from regular schools to Schools for Visually Challenged as their vision deteriorated in childhood. The schools for Visually Challenged not only provided them with education specially designed for the Visually Challenged, but also proud to sponsor their education, sports, food and boarding for the past decade. The teachers and staff encouraged them in extra curricular activities including Cricket. Gopi and Ravindra both developed a great interest for the sport and were highly encouraged by Sri Swamiji and the Teachers to pursue their dreams. They started playing at several local and district level Cricket tournaments. Their perseverance and passion for the sport coupled with the encouragement and financial support from VT Seva helped them find an opportunity to play with Andhra Pradesh Team at National level, and made them champions today. The Tournament was conducted by Cricket Association for the Blind in India. Cricket for Blind [C4B] is a version of the sport of cricket adapted for blind and partially sighted players. Gopi and Ravindra expressed their heartfelt gratitude to VT Seva for helping by sponsoring and providing financial assistance to pursue their dream of playing professional cricket and also represent India at International level. Let us wish them all the very best in their endeavors. In Gop'is words: "I am K. Gopalachari. I have completed graduation in B. COM ( Computers ) in Nethra Vidyalaya Degree College (Schools for Visually challenged) supported by VT Seva." I lost my eye sight in the early years of childhood in an accident while playing with my sisters. My father is a daily laborer and my mother is a home maker and we belong to under developed area in Rayalaseema. After losing my vision I continued studying in regular school. It was very difficult for me to follow the lessons and understand due to my eye condition. With the help of my friends and teachers, I have completed my 10th class with difficulty. After passing my 10th grade, my vision gradually started fading, I lost my hope for further studies. But suddenly I got hope and optimism after knowing about the Junior College for Visually Challenged (Nethra Vidyalaya) from one of my relatives. I have joined the college in 2012 for studying Intermediate level education. There I have learned many things like Spoken English, Operating the computers, chanting slokas, playing games. I still remember the special classes conducted by VT Seva CEO and Netra Vidyalaya Visionary Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, through which I learned many morals and ethics. Subsequently I have improved my playing skills specially in Cricket. Teachers at the college encouraged me to learn various things. At the college for Visually challenged, I have appeared for exams by using laptop, which gave me the utmost satisfaction and self confidence - previously I used to write my exams with the help of scribe. Writing exams on laptops is one of the unique thing in Nethra Vidyalayam and first of its kind in India. This makes me independent and confident. In Netra Vidyalayam we have been provided with free laptop, free education and free accommodation. In 2014 I have completed Intermediate in CEC and I secured more than 85%. Then I have continued my graduation in Netra Vidyalaya Degree college. During my graduation days my focus was mainly playing cricket for my country. This wish paved me to focus more on cricket, at this critical juncture, Swamiji and my teachers gave ultimate encouragement and propelled me for playing at various levels including local, state and zonal competitions. With the blessings of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, I performed well at various tournaments. Then I have been selected for the National Blind Team from the state of Andhra Pradesh as all rounder for my best performance. Indian Blind Cricket team captain Mr. Ajay Kumar and other prominent players in the team encouraged me to play for the National team. In this way Nethra Vidyalaya has given me good career in cricket. Nethra Vidyalaya is helping by sponsoring and providing financial assistance to pursue my profession as a cricketer. I have completed my graduation in the year 2017 and I secured 86%. After graduation I have joined as a Computer operator in Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Vijayawada to support my family financially. Now I got another opportunity to play for Ranji matches at domestic level. I am playing Ranji matches with the help of Baby madam and Madhuri Madam. I am grateful and thankful to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji for the support and cooperation in the form of education provided through School for Visually Challenged. Now I have a goal to play first class and International cricket for the blind on behalf of my mother land (India). Till today and days to come, I am indebted to Sri Swamiji as He gave my life a meaning with of his generosity and everlasting blessings, and pushing me forward in my life. I take this opportunity to thank all the teachers and Management of Netra Vidyalayam for making my life worth living and giving new hope in my life. My deepest gratitude to my hope and guiding light - Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. In Ravindra's words: "I joined (Nethra Vidyalaya) School for Visually Challenged in 2009 to continue my studies. I joined 7th class in Nethra Vidyalaya. Before joining this school, while my other friends were able to understand the lessons being taught I used to struggle to learn due to my eye sight. " After seeing my struggle, my father decided to join me in blind school. He came to know about Nethra Vidyalaya from my relatives. After joining in Nethra Vidyalaya, every teacher took care of me and helped in every aspect. Now I am playing for Andhra Pradesh Cricket Team. When I joined in Nethra Vidyalaya, I didn’t know how to play cricket. My teachers encouraged me to play the cricket. Without disturbing my studies I started playing cricket simultaneously. My parents annual income is 55,000/-. It is very difficult to maintain family with that. We are three and I am the younger one. Luckily I got an opportunity to study in School for Visually Challenged (Nethra Vidyalaya). We are very much thankful to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji for giving us hope to lead a happy life. After joining in Netra Vidyalaya entire staff helped me a lot especially Baby madam. Every student has a dream, with Swamiji’s blessings my dreams are fulfilling. It is not very easy to be selected in Professional team. I tried many times and went for selections. In 2019, I got selected in Andhra Pradesh team as an all rounder. Because of my economic status I struggled a lot for going to selection all over India. My 10 years hard work and my teachers encouragement made me finally a successful man. My ambition is to play in International format. After the completion of my school education, I joined in Nethra Jr. College which is unique in India. After Intermediate I got seat in University of Hyderabad, done my graduation there. Then I got seat in Pondicherry Central University for MBA program. Every day I say thank you to Sri Swamiji because if he did not establish Nethra Vidyalaya Institute, children like me can’t stand on their own feet and have a financially independent life. Once again thank you Swamiji, Nethra Vidyalaya and Baby madam for helping me till date."

Singing Competition Guidelines Only Solos. No Group singing. Songs can be in any of the genres s.a., Semi Classical, Folk or Light. It can be private or movie songs, but strictly NO Carnatic or Hindustani classical numbers. Contestants are allowed to sing with or without a karaoke track. If a karaoke track is not used then the singers are required to use a shruthi box (In this case, we will provide the Shruthi box). The Maximum time duration for each song SHOULD BE 3 minutes. TIME LIMIT WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. And Please adhere to neat lyrics (Participants will need to send the tracks to the VTSeva cultural team for prior approval on the duration.) All karaoke tracks need to be sent to the following email address: amitavijay@gmail.com Songs can be in Telugu/Hindi/Tamil/English languages. English will be judged as a separate category. Winner and Runner-up from each category will be recognized with Trophies. If we do not have minimum 3 participants in any category that category might be combined with other category. If we have only 3 participants there will be giving only one trophy for that category. There will be ONLY ONE Round for the competition. All performances will be judged based on the criteria (Shruthi, Laya, Bhavam, Diction, Clarity etc) Judges decision is FINAL. Please maintain silence in the room when the kids are performing. Participants please be there by 2:30.

Jan 20, 2020: By Sriteja Kataru (7th grade) In today’s burrito wrapping, we did a lot of productive work. We made approximately 100 burritos along with a full meal of chips, juice, and fruit. All the burritos go to the San Jose homeless shelter, where they provide a home to the low-income and after they find a job they can move out. These people need our help, and they need food to eat, which is why we are coming and wrapping burritos for them. We made 100 burritos for homeless ! Along with that, you can make new relationships and friends at VTSEVA. Coming together and making a burrito is a good bonding activity in addition to making an impact in our society. We have the opportunity to help other people, and I thought that when I have all the necessities to have a happy life. Why not give to the people who have barely anything? I stand by this cause and I want to contribute as much as I can. When I joined VTSEVA I saw many activities being held to make the world a better place, and burrito wrapping was one of those activities I enjoyed very much. I stand by this cause and I want to contribute ! I get to see people eating the food that I prepared for them and I get immediate satisfaction by seeing that I am helping my community and helping the poor. In conclusion, the burrito wrapping was very fun volunteering activity along with giving food to the low-income people of San Jose. Author: Sriteja Kataru (7th grade, San Jose, CA) Sriteja is an active volunteer from San Jose and is passionate about helping causes supported by VTSeva

VT Seva Cary has been a part of FS Series events for over a year. FS Series, a non-profit organization, distinguished for their marathon events raises funds benefitting the REX Hospital and other organizations. The participants not only benefit from a well-methodized workout, but also feel great knowing they gave a child or a family hope for a cure. Since Health Care is one of the four core outreach areas of VT Seva, it is a very relatable cause for VT Seva. The youth team is excited to participate in FS Series events by supporting activities right from setting up the event infrastructure, distributing water to the participants and cheering the runners as they run for a cause. Even if it’s cold to stay Youth Team loves to participate in this event, and get highly motivated to see little kids to elderly people running for a cause. VT Seva Cary participated in 6 events during 2019 for FS Series. The volunteer coordinator of FS Series, Dawn Dixon, always supports VT Seva Youth Team by giving wonderful opportunities and great motivation. Dawn recently sent a letter to VT Seva Cary honoring the efforts with a $700 donation towards the Schools for Visually Challenged run by VT Seva. we give heartfelt thanks to all to our supporters and to Dawn Dixon for memorable opportunities to VT Seva. - Rohitha Sanka, Cary

When I first heard about VT Seva and how I can earn volunteer hours by participating in events from this organization, I immediately volunteered in one of their events. The first event I participated in was vegetable picking during the scorching summer of 2018. During the day of the event, I was astonished by the great number of volunteers that came to volunteer. I also noticed that there were a lot of adults volunteering and that got me surprised as I was thinking that most of the volunteers would be high schoolers looking for volunteer hours. After leaving the event, I understood that maybe people didn’t volunteer for personal gain such as volunteer hours, but volunteered to give back to the community and the people came together to serve the community under VT Seva. Additionally, I really liked volunteering with friends in events because VT Seva brought us together to spend time helping the community while having fun. I have had many great experiences from VT Seva and this organization has put awareness into me and taught me many things as I continued volunteering. One such example is when I volunteered at a concert by music schools and dance schools hosted by VT Seva. I was responsible to raise awareness at the concert about School for Visually Challenged in India, their various accomplishments in academics and sports. Me and four of my friends were able to raise $ 300 which was contributed towards the cause. From participating in VT Seva’s events, I earned something more valuable than the volunteer hours, I gained the honor of serving my community and making it a better place to live! - Nisval Patel, Parsippany

Hunger is something that affects many people and there are only fortunate people who get to never experience it. US is not an exception, even though it’s a rich Country. Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that works its hardest to make sure that in the near future no one needs to experience hunger. The North Carolina Food Bank has been working very hard at this goal and has distributed twenty-three million meals and fourteen million pounds of produce in 2019. VT Seva Cary is humbled by the opportunity to partner and put in significant number of hours of service at the Food bank. The youth volunteers were very much encouraged by a very warm note received from the CEO of The North Carolina Food Bank NC for being a big part of reaching the goal in 2019. The joy of giving back to the community through service and the friendships made along the way will keep the team coming back for more service in the years to come. VT Seva Centers across the United States partner with local food banks/non profit organizations heavily to serve communities ensuring more people get food. The events happen year round, if you would like to volunteer your time and feel great about giving back to the community, join our enthusiastic team. - Suvid Thungathurti, Cary

This summer I got the opportunity of a lifetime. Through the organization I have been actively volunteering with - VTSEVA, I got the privilege to travel to India to give back to the community. I got to volunteer my time in 3 different schools, in Allampally and Hyderabad, Telangana, Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad. There, I got to work with so many amazing kids, 2 of the schools were Schools for Visually challenged, and the other was School for Tribals. I have made so many memories and this will be an experience I will never forget. We got to play games with the kids, interact with them, teach their classes and do homework with them. The first leg of our trip was to the Nethra Vidyalaya, School for Visually challenged, Hyderabad where most of the students were from the ages of 18 to 22 years old. At first I wasn't sure how to interact with the students because they were visually challenged. But the students were so excited to talk and they had so many questions about America, what is school like, the Government system and the Presidential election. Their English was so good that I felt like I was talking to one of my friends back home in America. They were so excited to talk and I had such a normal conversation with them that I forgot that I was talking to someone blind. I left the classroom with a smile on my face and my heart filled. I don't know what about it, but talking to those students and answering their questions made me feel so good inside. From there we took a 6 hour bus ride to Allamally where the School for Tribals is. When I first met the kids in Allampally I knew right away that I was going to have a lot of fun. As soon as we got out of the bus, they came over running saying “sister, sister, brother, come play with us” These kids were so sweet and kind, they wanted to buy us stuff from the market even though they had so little themselves. Even though their pockets were empty, their hearts were full. The time I spent in Allampally, I will never in my entire life forget. Even though at times it was difficult to understand them, and they couldn't understand me at times, I had so much fun that words can’t even describe how I felt. I've never felt so happy in my entire life. From the moment I first met them, they treated me like I was their sister, held my hand, watched out to make sure I didn't step in puddles or cow dung and invited me in their houses for chai. Saying goodbye to those kids was so hard. I had to fight back tears because I didn't want to cry in front of them. I grew so attached, that I didn't miss the internet, or my phone, or even a decent bathroom. I didn't even mind sleeping on the floor with bugs everywhere. At home I complain about the smallest things, I find enjoyment by being on my phone, scrolling through instagram or listening to music. But none of those things have ever gave be more enjoyment and happiness than spending time with these kids and seeing them so excited to participate in the activities we planned for them. - Nikita Chepuri