Project Story Time Project Storytime is an initiative taken to spread morally valuable and entertaining stories and make them easily accessible for our community, especially the youth. The idea is that people can suggest, record, or write their own stories and share them with us, which we will then group and filter. We will then make our collection available to everyone, which will have stories in different languages and from different cultures. This project, once it becomes widespread, will be able to help a lot of people, starting with those recording the stories (increases confidence and encourages creativity) and those listening to the stories (positively impacted by the good messages our stories send while having fun). There are many different roles that everyone can take part of in this project, sending us your own stories being the most fruitful and easiest way to contribute! We will also be recording sample stories and ones written by others, advertising our project, filtering the stories, compiling them into one easily-accessible place, reaching out to others to guide them through the process, and many more! Please reach out to projectstorytimevts@gmail.com with your story ideas or if you would like to volunteer to lend your voice! Thank you!

Cricket Summer Camp organized by MSK Cricket Academy and VT Seva! Unleash Your Cricketing Potential, Create Lasting Memories, and Make a Difference! 🔥 Get ready for an action-packed summer of cricket like never before! Train with renowned coaches, fine-tune your skills, and experience the thrill of the game firsthand. 🌍 But it's not just about cricket - it's about making an impact. By joining us, you'll be part of a charitable initiative that uplifts underprivileged children, making a difference both on and off the field. 🎯 Spaces are limited, so don't miss out! Enroll now and secure your spot at the MSK Cricket Academy and VT Seva Cricket Summer Camp.

Atlanta Winter Cloth Drive For Special Needs Kids - VT Seva Atlanta youths collected new & gently used clothes in Dec 2023 & Jan 2024 for the Special Needs Kids of the Laurel Heights Hospital. Some of the children who came to the hospital in the summer months for their treatment are still in the hospital and they don’t have any winter clothes. Thus, our youths collected more than 350 coats, jackets, pants, shirts for them to help them stay warm during recovery process. The CEO of the Laurel Heights Hospital, Mr. Corey Jackson appreciates VT Seva youths for their generous donation of winter clothes. He & his team will facilitate interactive session soon for our youths to understand how they take care of the Special Needs kids of the hospital. VT Seva is building strong relationship with the Laurel Heights Doctors and it will be strengthen even more through collaborative projects in 2024! Visit of May 19, 2023 Atlanta VT Seva Team visits Laurel Heights Hospital May 19th, 2023. Corey Jackson, CEO of the Laurel Heights appreciated the work that Atlanta VT Seva does and also looking forward for the Summer Camp collaboration with the VT Seva youths. Dr. Smitha Batulla and Dr. O also appreciated the service work done by Atlanta team in last couple of years since 2021. Sonya Rice, Business Development Director of Laurel Heights truly appreciated the thoughtful cards for Special Needs kids and Laurel Heights Doctor’s and staff members. VT Seva and Laurel Heights collaboration has taken a new dimension by starting summer classes for the special needs kids of the hospital to engage them productively during their treatment at the hospital.

“Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them-a desire, a dream, a vision.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi The mindfulness establishes a certain grounded quality, a sort of calm abiding. And in that grounded quality, one is able to observe what’s going on in the mind and to allow spontaneous insight as it arises. Class Journey : Unleash your creativity through Mindfulness 2. curiosity 3. Imaginations Topics covered : Learn how to set your short term goals. Guided imaginary story writing. Mindful eating. Open to all ages. Story guiding is based on age and imagination level. Payment : During registration pay $50 to VTSeva through credit card/paypal. another $50 zelle the amount to account 480-273-1385 registered as Nayana Lahoti for the welfare of women in Rajasthan, India . Note : Registration fee is considered as donation and will not be refundable. Click here to register.

“Celebrations infuse life with passion and purpose. They summon the human spirit.” - Terrence E. Deal VT Seva Detroit Youth Board formed on May 19, 2019. The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board celebrated our fourth 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 with an evening of family, fun, and festivity! We all met virtually and reminisced about many of the amazing volunteering events that the youth board has run over the past 4 years. We have come together as a diverse group of individuals, united by a shared purpose, and fostered an environment that embraces inclusivity, collaboration, and personal growth. Traditionally, 4th Anniversary is celebrated with Fruits & Flowers, We celebrated our 4th youth board anniversary with all the wonderful flowers which are our (you the youths) and the fruits which are (your accomplishments). Organized successful events, summer camps, walkathons, outreach programs, workshops, and initiatives that have not only enriched our own lives but have also positively impacted the broader community. Most importantly we established 2 school clubs in this last year. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board like to express deepest gratitude to our Youth Board members, parents, sponsors, and core people who have supported us throughout this journey. May the 4th be with you!!!! 😊 We celebrated the YB anniversary with a special webinar from arranged a webinar to get insights of College Admission Process from the 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫. Its the webinar for both parents and students. Ashleigh Taylor is a college application strategist and the founder of Empowered 4 College, an educational consultancy. Ashleigh reviewed tens of thousands of applications for a variety of programs including the liberal arts (LSA), engineering, nursing, and kinesiology. In her role as senior counselor at UofM, she managed recruitment and reviewed applications for territories in the U.S., India, China, and Hong Kong. Many parents and students participated in this wonderful webinar and got lots of insights on the college admissions process. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board, Parents, and students expressed many thanks to Ashleigh Taylor. Blog Written By: Priya Jaisankar Blog Posted By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

VT Seva Detroit 2023: Novi Police Department Appreciation Lunch followed by Tour of the facility "Law enforcement officers are never 'off duty.' They are dedicated public servants who are sworn to protect public safety at any time and place that the peace is threatened. They need all the help that they can get." In order to commemorate the National Police Week, during May 15 – May 22, VT Seva Detroit organized a Police Appreciation lunch with a meet & greet and a short tour of the Novi Police Department on May 13th, 2023. VT Seva has always appreciated America’s law enforcement departments in keeping us safe and their endless sacrifices to protect our community. Officer Meyer & Officer Jusino welcomed us warmly and thanked us for the appreciation lunch we provided for them. As a token of appreciation, VT Seva Detroit also handed a ‘Plaque’ and appreciation ‘Thank You’ framed poster to the officers as well as Statue of Equality Memento. In turn, both the officers were appreciative of VT Seva’s community services and all the activities we do to uplift the needy people locally and internationally. Right after that we began the tour of the facility with Officer Meyer leading our way and Officer Jusino backing us up to ensure that all of us are in the group throughout the tour. They walked us through the holding cells, arraignment area, dispatcher area, Sergeant’s office, Lieutenant’s office, Briefing area, Conference Room, Parking area, Garage for repairs, Training room, Records area, Officer Cubicles, Mailrooms, Gym, and Lunch area. The officers were so kind to explain various areas of functions within their department right from the Records Clerk to Dispatch, Sergeant Training Camps, Detectives, School Resource officers, SONIC, DEA, Traffic and On-the-road officers, Property officers and much more. Our Youth and Adult Volunteers had many AMAZING questions for the officer regarding the Police department’s public relations with the community, law enforcement methods, the equipment and firearms the officers carry, what it takes to be a Police Officer, how the officers determine their reactions to adverse situations, various promotional opportunities to move up the ranks in their department, difference between State and City Police departments, their Benefits and Pay, and so many more interesting topics of discussion that gave us all a broad understanding of how the department works and how much it takes to keep all of us safe and sound. We had great participation today from VT Seva Detroit. Couple of our Youth volunteers explained all the activities and community services we do to benefit the underprivileged people locally and internationally. Both the officers admired the fantastic efforts of our organization. These are our volunteers who attended Youth: Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor, Yathi Shekar Debbata, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Aditi Jethri, Abisrishti Ram, Jishnu Kandalam, Sohan Kancharla, Nikhil Aerabati, Rakshan Samynathan, Nemish Debbata, Sathvik TirumalaKanduri. Adults: Suresh Rajan, Srinathbabu Karnati, Sreenivas Cheemalamarri, Ram V Ramanathan, Durga Nalini S, Asha Puranam, Poojitha Bollineni, Shobana Balasubramanian, Samynathan Thirunavukkarasu, Niveditha Mavatoor, Swati Debbata, Vanitha Gopalan. All in all, it was a very enriching experience for all of us to gain the knowledge of the operational activities of the 75 personnel strong Novi Police department that has been protecting our city since its inception in 1954. VT Seva Detroit sincerely thanks the Novi Police Department for providing us with this great opportunity. We all owe them a debt of gratitude, so let’s make sure we take time out of our day-to-day lives to recognize their efforts and give back however we can! WE SALUTE OUR BRAVE POLICE OFFICERS. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!! Here are the pictures from today’s event: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1nCSNPTD38KcyAWecGAIVisZOc8M-waKq YouTube link https://youtu.be/9zOwhlBVIXo FaceBook link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02Q8uVpHSx6RrNuixJDejyBE8H8EoQJ54icJnnP95ZeBkMfprNxD9KCpeWm7NxQoJSl Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CsR1axYuDTv/ Blog Written By: Suresh Rajan Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

VT Seva Columbus is so excited to conduct 1st Annual Walkathon!!!! Date : June 4th, 2023 Time : 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Venue : Ted Kaltenbach Park and Community Center, 5985 Cara Road, Dublin , OH - 43016 Join us as we walk to raise awareness about the physical health and learn about Nethra Vidyalaya Schools & Students All proceeds benefit Netra Vidyalaya, a VT Seva supported school with a state of the art technology for visually challenged children empowering them to be self-reliant

Author: Sriteja Kataru Have you ever thought about the actual path you are walking on, as you stroll along a trail? It's always there, guiding your steps, yet rarely does it garner attention amidst the surrounding greenery and scenic views. Still, without that path, we'd lose our way. It silently underpins every step of our walk, much like mental health guides every moment of our daily lives. Think about it. Mental health too stands silently in the field of our overall well-being, waiting to be recognized. It's only when we veer off the path that we truly understand its importance. This realization propelled us at VT Seva to host a walkathon along the Los Alamitos Creek Trail at Almaden Lake Park, turning each step into a statement of recognition for mental health. So, in that sense, this was not a mere walk in the park. It was a journey towards illuminating the often overlooked 'path' of mental health. Overall, it was a great success, with over 100 people attending the event to walk for a great cause. Many more people donated to the event, raising tens of thousands of dollars. The event took off at 9 am with insightful words from two distinguished guest speakers. First to share her wisdom was Dr. Kalpana Nathan, a renowned doctor in the field of mental health. As a clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Nathan emphasized the significance of mental well-being. She enlightened us about understanding and responding to stress - a common facet of life that can, if not addressed properly, have detrimental effects on mental health. She explained how simple social acts such as sharing a meal with friends and family can enhance one’s mental wellness. Following Dr. Nathan was our second speaker, Ms. Kala, who is an integral coach. With her empathetic demeanor and relatable anecdotes, she effectively conveyed the challenges faced by high schoolers. Discussing issues such as rejection and other difficult situations, Ms. Kala offered supportive advice on how to navigate these stressful times. As the clock struck 10am, we found ourselves standing at the start of the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, surrounded by splendid views of the lake. The day was partly cloudy, the sun playing a game of hide and seek behind the clouds, casting a soft, filtered light on the trail. Walking together, we held signs echoing powerful messages like “Mental health matters!” and “It’s okay not to be okay.” The solidarity we felt was overwhelming - a true testament to the importance of community in supporting mental health. On either side of the trail, nature had dressed the park in its best attire. The generous spring rains had given life to a vibrant display of wildflowers. Their colors appeared even more intense under the shifting light, their beauty accentuated by the cloudy sky. At every turn, we’d come up to the creek flowing along the trail, its rhythm a calming presence. We walked two and half miles before making our way back to the starting point, but not before passing through a grove of fragrant eucalyptus. However, we weren't alone on this journey. The trail was a hub of activity, with joggers and cyclists enjoying the day, their faces animated by the invigorating effect of the cool, fresh air. Among the passing faces, one caught our attention - David Clifford, the founder of Brain Ablaze, a non-profit organization dedicated to epilepsy advocacy. Upon noticing our group and the cause we championed, he slowed his pace, intrigued. We shared our VTSeva’s mission, our passion for mental health awareness and how we use events like this walkathon to bring attention to it. His eyes lit up at this, and he voiced interest in collaborating for future events. His enthusiasm added a new layer of excitement to the day, leaving us with the anticipation of what such a collaboration could achieve. Overall, our second annual walkathon was more than just a morning stroll; it was a testament to the power of community, and an affirmation of our shared commitment to mental health. The shifting play of light and shade, the vibrant blossoms, the ebb and flow of the creek, and the meaningful encounter all made for a day to remember.

We're proud to announce that Atlanta VT Seva celebrated World Earth Day by making a difference in the lives of those in need. We organized a project to create plastic sleeping mats for homeless people using recycled plastic bags. Our event at the East Roswell Library saw a fantastic turnout of 40 VT Seva youth and adults from Atlanta. Our volunteers collected plastic bags from their homes and neighbors to create comfortable sleeping mats for those who are experiencing homelessness. In addition to making a difference in the community, our participants shared their views on how to reduce plastic pollution and make the best out of waste. It's inspiring to see so many young people take action and work towards a cleaner, healthier planet. We're proud of the hard work and dedication of our Atlanta VT Seva team, and we look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in our community.

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future" - Franklin D. Roosevelt VT Seva Detroit youth board is celebrating 4th anniversary with the much needed college admissions webinar!!! Over the past four years, the VT Seva Detroit Youth Board has grown from just a handful of students to over 150 members! With this growth, we have had hundreds of events and began opening clubs in local high schools to promote our cause. Many of these events are organized and led by our own youth volunteers. These amazing kids implement lots of charitable projects and summer camps, spending their time giving back to their community. Through the VT Seva Detroit Youth Board, these young volunteers are both serving their community and building valuable organizational and leadership skills. Their work impacts many underprivileged students in our tribal and Nethra Vidyalaya schools and helps provide them with a quality education. Come join us on Friday, 5/19/2023 @ 7:30 PM EDT, with the key presentation college application webinar We are hosting an amazing college application webinar during our celebration. Our wonderful host Ashleigh Taylor, founder of Empowered4College (https://www.empowered4college.com) and former University of Michigan Admissions Officer, will cover application essentials including academics, testing, resumes, recommendations, and essays. Join us to both celebrate our youth's amazing contributions this year and teach them about the college application process. Please register to join. Once the form is submitted, you will receive an email in couple days with the webinar link.

‘’The way to bring about change is to be proactive and active ‘’ - Octavia Spencer The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board conducted its first waste water treatment plant tour in Ann Arbor, MI on 4/16/2023 with 25 youth and adult volunteers participating. It was such an interesting and eye-opening tour about what it takes to treat water that we consume and waste every day and the resources it takes to run the facility and amount of water that's treated each day. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟖𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝟏𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲! Kyle, who is the supervisor there, guided the tour of a facility. He explained the full process very well and answered all of our questions clearly. It was amazing to see how waste water becomes clean water again. The whole process takes over 24 hours. After the tour, Kyle presented a slide show and went over more of the technical details. A huge thanks to Kyle and Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant for giving us this opportunity! This tour did leave an impact on each one of us about how much water gets wasted every day and how many resources are needed to clean it again. Everyone who participated decided to make a change in their everyday routine to consume water more consciously. Youth Volunteer Reflections: I will not flush any disposable wipes as it will increase the amount of solids in the waste water. I will also not let water running when washing my hands, cleaning bowls, taking a bath (will not bathing for a long time), and not wasting water in general. I will also tell my friends about this and limit the water usage! – Deekshitha Ravu I will change myself by limiting the water usage whenever I am taking a bath. – Hajanthan Muhinthan I will try to take shorter showers to reserve water - Hrudya Kishore One thing that we should change is to avoid polluting the water and dumping waste into it. We need to use biodegradable and eco-friendly things. – Nidhi Rao I will take shorter showers to save water and reduce wastage – Oviya Jaisankar I was able to see a real world example of all 3 forms of science(chemistry, biology, and physics) and how they work in order to clean the water we use. I was able to take away that we need to be more mindful of what we put down our drains, as the smallest things can make the biggest impact in terms of sustainability. – Rishi Adduri I learned today is that we should use wet wipes because they aren't really biodegradable and will stop using them – Shruthi Adduri I would make sure to limit the amount of water I use. – Vahini One thing I will change is not disposing anything that I think is not biodegradable and may affect the wastewater treatment process, such as wipes. – Varshan Muhinthan I will try to be more conscious in daily my water use, like taking shorter showers and not leaving on the water when brushing my teeth. - Veeksha *************************** One of our parent volunteer Mr. Ranga Rao, captured all the technicalities in detail, so that any one can understand the process Wastewater Treatment. It is a process to remove waste materials from the wastewater (household, industrial and commercial), and the clean water can be used or returned into the regular water cycle. Whatever the waste removed from the sewage can be sent to landfill or the waste handling storage facility. This process involves multiple stages: 1. Bar screening. It is a preliminary level of filtration, being installed at the influent to a wastewater treatment plant. The simplest bar screens only have vertical bars that let water pass through while stopping big objects. It is a filtration process used to remove large objects, such as cloths, diapers, wipes and big metals and plastics from wastewater. 2. Grit chambers. Grit chambers are long narrow tanks that are designed to slow down the flow so that solids such as sand, coffee grounds, and eggshells will settle out of the water. Settled down solid material can be removed easily. 3. Primary clarification. It is a physical treatment process of removing solids, oil and grease materials before biological treatment. After the grit chamber process, water enters the clarifier tank and floatable solids (scum) are removed from the surface by skimmers while settleable solids (sludge) are collected on the bottom by a rake and removed via a sludge removal system. 4. Secondary treatment. This process is performed by Bacteria and Protozoa in a managed aerobic or anaerobic process depending on the treatment technology. Bacteria and Protozoa consume biodegradable soluble organic contaminants (e.g., sugars, fats, and organic short-chain carbon molecules from human waste, food waste) from the sewage water. In this process air is pumped into the water. 5. Disinfection of Wastewater. Ultraviolet light (UV), Chlorination, Ozone, and Chloramines are primary methods for disinfection of wastewater. UV light irradiation of wastewater would change the microorganism's DNA and they will not produce any harmful chemicals. After the UV light treatment, water can be safely released into the rivers. Blog Edited By: Harish Jaisankar Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

Are you wondering how to navigate today's busy world and shape our next generation of youth? There is a webinar to address your questions in help raising the youth, address self care from Board certified Psychiatrist and from Assistant Director of Education. When: May 6, Saturday 9AM - 10 AM PST Register at: tinyurl.com/vts-parenting Who: Free and Open to all Parents

College preparation for your child is a multistage, years long process that involves building a holistic and compelling profile of your child for the college admissions committee. Best outcomes for college admissions means getting an admit in the preferred college, in the major of your student's preference, and with the maximum possible funding, grants and scholarships. As part of our awareness and informational activities for VT-Seva parents, we have arranged for a webinar on a guidance session for parents who are interested to learn how to plan for best outcomes for college admissions for your child. Please complete the form if you would like to join. Once the form is submitted, you will receive an email with the webinar link. Thank you Jupiter Education Services for sharing your expertise and your guidance on the admission process.

This April, VT Seva Dallas has been committed to volunteering in honor of Mother Earth! This included activities such as: Keep Texas Beautiful Trash off As part of the Great American Cleanup volunteers joined the city of irving to clean up the streets in Trinity View Park. In conjunction with other volunteers from Irving 1,230 pounds of trash and 1,140 pounds of recyclables were removed from the city. Problems with Plastic Youth Virtual Workshop On April 8th VT Seva conducted the "Problems with Plastic" virtual workshop with the City of Plano. The virtual workshop provided an interactive education to middle and highschoolers on how to help the environment. The participants were taught the '3Rs - Reduce, Reuse and recycle, and how to minimize usage of our favorite plastic items to help make a positive impact on the environment. Earth Day VT Seva celebrated Earth day with the City of Frisco as part of the "Clean it and Green it" program, a city wide cleanup. On a beautiful Saturday morning VT Seva Dallas had 70+ adult and youth volunteers come out to celebrate Earth Day and participate in multiple activities. The celebration started with an Earth prayer by Mr. Vinayak, the adult lead for all environmental related projects in Dallas, followed by Mrs. Lakshmi teaching the youth how to make crafts using plastic bags. The Youth then gave presentations on how we can save the Earth by keeping it clean and unpolluted. Finally, all of the volunteers joined together to clean the street and keep the streets beautiful. In addition to all this, Vounteers collected plastic bags and donated them to the Metrocrest Food Bank where they will be used to pack hygeine products for those in need. Ms. Juliana from the Frisco Environmental service department was our chief guest and she was very appreciative of how VT seva is one of the very few organizations who have still been in partnership with the city for over 10 years now and is continuing to keep the streets clean! A big thank you to Youth presenters - Sai, Sahasra, Rithya and Medha and all the adult and youth volunteers who joined us on Earth Day! Speech from Ms. Juliana: Pictures from Earth Day:

VT Seva Seattle and Enso center together collaborating to conduct this workshop. Excited to host a Women's Safety & Self Defense Workshop. It is an excellent opportunity for us to come together and raise awareness about the importance of Self-defense which builds self-esteem and allow us to find safety in difficult situations. Proceeds will go to Cancer screening camps for rural women in India.

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"Every day is an Earth day and Every day is Mothers day" for VTSeva volunteers. VTSeva Austin will be celebrating 2nd annual Earth day at Veteran Memorial Park. on Apr 22nd - 8:30-10:30am It was a amazing experience and great efforts shown by our VTSeva adult and youth volunteers for the earth day celebrations. Our volunteers have been serving the earth through out the year with multiple environment protection activities. Adopt-A-Park : Over the year, volunteers have done park clean up to make it beautiful and enjoyable by the neighborhoods around. Seeds For Tomorrow : With the "Seeds for tomorrow" initiative growing plants and teaching kids to grow plants in their backyards. Earth Day : On Earth day VTSeva volunteered at city community gardens in various activities. Cleaning up the compost pile and made it useful with out disturbing the habitats there. During the event volunteers have learnt tips on growing different vegetables, composting tips. It was wonderful families joining and seniors volunteering too. Some pictures and a appreciation video from city parks and recreation departments for the VTSeva service over the years Earth day Pictures.

3 students from Nethra Vidyalaya part of India's first International women's cricket team for visually challenged The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has announced the selection of India’s first-ever women’s cricket team for the blind, which will represent the country in the upcoming Bilateral Series against Nepal. The selection was made based on the players’ performances in the recently concluded selection trials held in Bhopal. The Bilateral tour is scheduled to take place in Nepal from April 25 to April 30. Sandhya, Satyavati & Ravanni are the 3 players representing Nethra Vidyalaya in India's first women's cricket team for visually challenged ! Congratulations to all of them! The Team A match is played between two teams of 11 players comprising a minimum of four B1 players, a minimum of two B2 players, and a maximum of 5 B3 players. The Sight Categories B1: No light perception in either eye up to or including light Perception but inability to recognise the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. B2: From ability to recognise the shape of a hand up to and including Visual Acuity of 2/60 and/or Visual Field of 5 Degrees or less. B3: From Visual Acuity above 2/60 up to and including Visual Acuity of 6/60 and/or a Visual Field of more than 5 degrees up to and including 20 degrees. The composition of the team throughout the match will be as per the ratio of the three categories mentioned above. The officials closely monitored the players’ performances, including Selection Committee Chairman E John David during the selection trials. The 17-member squad selected from the trials will go down in history as the first-ever Indian team to compete in the T20 Bilateral Series for the Blind. The 17-member squad will participate in an intensive national cricket coaching camp at Sarda Sportscube Foundation in Gurugram from April 17, 2023, to April 22, 2023. On April 23, 2023, the Indian team, along with officials, will depart from Delhi to Nepal to compete in 5 T20 matches in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Following the success of Cricket for Visually Impaired Men in the last decade, the T-20 National Trophy for Visually Impaired Women was introduced in 2019, with 150 women from seven different states participating.

VT SEVA AUSTIN RAISES AWARENESS FOR BREAST CANCER AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE “Communities and countries and ultimately the world is only as strong as the health of their women.” – Michelle Obama The VT Seva Austin chapter Launched a 30 day Walking challenge on Mar 3rd to honor Women's Month and to promote a healthy lifestyle concluding with 5K- "Walk for HER" on Apr 1st. It’s all about highlighting the important role early detection and exercise can play in the risks associated with breast and cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 250,000 US women are diagnosed with breast cancer and when detected at early stages can be treated. Studies have found that two to three hours of exercise per week resulted in 40% to 67% reduced risk of death. Through 5K- "Walk for HER" 2023 VTSeva Austin has raised funds for 10 camps which would treat 50 women in each camp. Our goal is to support 50 camps through out this year. Thankyou for your support, your participation and donations on the event day helped funds to test 500 women in rural parts of India and Nepal. Thank you to all the participants, Donors, Volunteers and well wishers of our VTSeva Austin 5K-”Walk for HER” Breast cancer awareness annual walkathon. VTSeva Hike for a cause is another initiative by VTSeva Austin to encourage family outdoor activity for healthy living and connecting with nature. Click here to join us on our Austin hikes. Impact of donations and time. One of the major pillars of VTSeva is Women Health and breast cancer Awareness. VTSeva has been conducting Breast cancer awareness walks in the US and camps in India under the banner name Mahila Arogya Vikas (MAV). Ever since its inception in 2007, MAV has served over 1.9million women (and counting) in over 1200 screening camps till day across rural parts of India and Nepal. Roughly about 50/100 women are screened free of cost in each of the medical camps. We conduct at least 200 camps every year. Free Medicines and treatments are also provided to women diagnosed with abnormalities. All these initiatives are made possible by hundreds of selfless and compassionate volunteers, engaging partners and donors with a vision of creating awareness among women thereby nurturing a healthy society. How can I be involved? Your participation in our annual 5K and other initiatives like Hike for a cause will help us spread the mission and keep our local communities strong and healthy. Your monetary donations would help us continue our awareness camps in India and Nepal to reduce breast cancer victims. Sponsor for Breast or cervical cancer kit ($25/kit) Sponsor for medicines ($10-25 /head ) Sponsor a camp ($250-$1000/camp) depending on how many are screened and treated. Donate Here VTSeva Austin chapter would like to take this opportunity to Thank all our donors, participants, partners, and volunteers of the 5K event for your unwavering support , and look forward to your participation in every annual 5K walkathon with your families and friends. A small encouragement from your side can bring a huge change in 1000 women in each Mega Health Camp. VT Seva invites you to come forward and bring a change in hundreds of families.

April Tour 2023 VT Seva Atlanta facilitated 2nd Waste Water Facility Tour on April 4, 2023. More than 70 plus VT youths and parents participated in this educational tour. We had a warm welcome by the organizers, David Horton and Camilla Russell and were led into the main conference room. Their we learned about trash, debris, etc are present in waste water and what prices it goes through to get clean drinkable water again. We understood how important it is to use the water responsibly without wasting it during brushing the teeth and taking long showers. We had a wonderful Q&A session in which VT youths participated actively and got to know information like how this facility cleans 12000 tons of water every day and send that water to residential areas, businesses and finally, extra water to Chattahoochee river. Later, we were taken inside to see the waste water plant and we got good insights on architectural design, monitoring system, and how they control the odor and sound of this big plant. This waste water tour was facilitated by Jeya, Hithesh, and Madhu, Atlanta VT Seva core members. Overall, Atlanta youths had a great interactive session where they got the insights on waste water treatment process, dewatering, recycling, wastewater landscape and much more… We have build good relationship & partnership with the Johns creek environmental officials and they were thrilled to see our youths participation and feedback from the last tour. We all had fun, got color changing water bottles as a gift from them, and went home with some really good take-homes. As a VT Seva team, we gave them VT Seva Calendar, Brochure, and hand-made Thank you cards. They have never heard about VT Seva before, but now it’s in their minds and they want our youths to come forward and collaborate & help them in their research projects. Its’s a great learning, enriching, and rewarding experience for us as Atlanta VT Seva team. March Tour 2023 Have you ever thought about where your water goes from the sink and toilet once it flows down the drain? VT Seva Atlanta inspired youth to know what goes behind a water treatment facility and how to use water responsibly and take action to make a difference. At the amazing Johns Creek Wastewater treatment facility on March 10th , 2023, around 30 Atlanta youth toured the facility to learn the importance of water. The facility staff had been extremely professional and showed us all the processes that go on in the facility. The first process Bar Screening takes away all the big items like rags, plastic, and other big items. Then it goes to the grit chamber where this whirlwind takes down all the grit, rocks, and sand. Then the water goes to a place where they let the water sit because the small particles will slowly sink to the bottom allowing the top water to be cleaner. After that process, the water reaches this chamber where small microbes and membranes will break down the harmful bacteria in the water. Before the UV light process it is taken to a tank where this membrane technology called Zeeweed has microscopic holes that will transport only the clean water to the top so the treatment can continue. Next it is sent to this UV light that is able to destroy the rest of the harmful bacteria. Last but not least they add chlorine and other helpful chemicals to make it extremely clean. All that water that has been made will go back to the Chattahoochee River for further uses. The tour was very educational and helped us learn about water and how to treat it before sending it back into the river. This is a sustainable way of recycling important Mother Earth’s natural resources which is water, and keeping the Earth clean for other animals, aquatic, plant life and future generations.

Do you like to read story books to others? Then this is the project for you ! We have 5000+ story books all the way back from 1950s like, Chandamama books that many of us would have read in our childhood. Through this project, we will be converting all of them into accessible audio books and then uploaded into online library from which any visually impaired person can download and listen. With 700+ VT Seva volunteers, we converted 175+ books (50,000 pages) for Digital Library project. These are school and college textbooks, we converted All the books that we converted so far (About 175 books and 50000 pages) are school and college textbooks. We converted many CBSE school textbooks (grades 1-10), B.Com / BSc college textbooks, IAS examination textbooks that are now available to tens of thousands of visually impaired students across India. All these books were requested directly either by the schools, colleges or individuals for their curriculum, so the adoption rate is 100%. With the success of ongoing Digital library project, we are pretty sure we will get all of your help with Lend Your Voice project to convert the story books and make this one also an impactful project. Requirements Hardware/Software: * Computer: PC or a Mac * External Microphone: optional, but recommended * Software - Audacity: optional, but recommended (https://www.audacityteam.org) Recording Requirements: For each story: * Record in a separate file * Read the Story/Chapter name and Author name * Read the disclaimer at the beginning of each file * Save the file as .WAV or as mp3 * Upload the audio file at the bottom of this page Once the registration is completed, expect to receive a welcome email in 2-3 days which has further details. Please make sure to check in all folders including spam folder in your email within a week of registering to watch out for the Welcome email with details. Audio Recording Guidelines Identify a quiet place without any external or background noises (large appliances like refrigerators, heating & air conditioning vent fans, running water...) * Read every word and pronounce all the text clearly and aloud * Maintain a steady pace and volume levels * Eliminate any "mouth sounds" and audio gaps * Pause the audio recording if you have to take a break and continue the recording when you are ready * Use nuances and appropriate emphasis and emotions that best deliver the story * Read out the book loud before recording to: - identify your rhythm and narrating flow - practice difficult words and phrases - avoid tripping over the sentences * Record a demo and play it back to: - make sure that your recording has no glitches and can be played back - make sure there are no background noise, h

VT Seva’s 16th Annual Earth Day Celebration is coming up on April 22nd. VT Seva being a proud partner with many Dallas metroplex cities is celebrating Earth Day with city of Frisco Clean it & Green it, by participating in Spring trash off as part of Keep Texas Beautiful - Great American Clean-Up. This is a good opportunity for all volunteers to get engaged in street cleaning community service activity, trash and litter cleanup to keep our Earth clean and beautiful. Volunteers also pick up plastic bottles, recycle items by the sides of the street to recycle and and make an impact on the environment. Mother Earth Day Saturday, April 22. 8:30 am to 10:30 am. Address: 9090 1st St Frisco, TX 75034 1st street and Main. Volunteers will meet at Frisco Environmental service office parking lot. All ages can volunteer. It’s an outdoor fun event so we advise you to wear closed-toe shoe, dress appropriately. If students have to submit volunteering hours for school please bring in your volunteer/school form to sign. Any questions, please contact: Vinayak Devulapalli 214-727-6983 Youth Lead: Shriya Aviur Happy Volunteering!! VT Seva Dallas Team Email: dallas.youth@vtsworld.org www.vtsworld.org/dallas Your support is our strength to serve!

One Act of Kindness can cause a ripple effect! The main goal for this year is to sponsor food for 500+ children studying at School for tribals (Jeeyar Gurukulam, Allampalli) for one year. We have accomplished the goal with the pledges and donations, thanks to the generous support of compassionate hearts. VT Seva Dallas conducted 14th annual TARANGINI, an entertainment for charity event on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, at the Grand Center in Plano from 3 PM to 6 PM. After almost two years, we had an in-person event, and it was exciting!! The preparations had been going strong for almost 2-3 months before the event as youth members worked tirelessly to perfect their performances. The event began with a peace prayer by PRAJNA (Personality development class) students and rendition of American and Indian national anthems. We had an assortment of dance and singing programs to entertain the audience. The highlight of this year’s Tarangini was “Allampalli Diaries” musical. With the musical gaining such an incredible, and positive reception, the members of the cast and crew will get a chance to reprise their roles on a much larger platform (more details on that to be released soon). The event was emceed by Ms. Mahathi Duggirala, Mr. Teja Papaihgari, Ms. Amritha Kasturi, Mr. Shreyas Vishwanathan, Ms. Srinidhi Surabhi, and Mr. Lakshman Vennamaneni, dynamic young volunteers of VT Seva Dallas. With high energy and loads of power to make this event a success, all six of the emcees raised awareness about the volunteering and service activities of the VT Seva with jokes, quizzes, entertainment, and more. VT Seva national youth director Mr. Phani Aduri inspired the audience as the keynote speaker. Quoting Dr.King "Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service", he mentioned that we are not who and what we are, but we are defined and identified by our actions and remembered by the impact of those actions on others. He urged the youth to not settle for success and happiness in life, but aspire for a successful and fulfilled life because happiness through success is an emotion that is momentary and temporary, whereas fulfillment is an ever-lasting and never-ending state of happiness and it can only be achieved by serving humanity. His passion for volunteering and this organization was felt by each audience member through his words and work as a national board member.Ms.Madhu Nemani, VT Seva Atlanta branch director was the guest of the honor. She shared about how their team of youth volunteers grew from less than 50 to more than 500 within a year. She encouraged youth to initiate and lead the projects to passionately serve the community. VT Seva Dallas Branch Director Mrs. Amita Aviur shared about her experiences of VT Seva and going to the tribal schools in Allampalli as part of VT Seva summer internship as a chaperone along with 15 youngsters from all parts of US. Amita talked about how she felt happiness that she could not find anywhere else while staying with the tribal people. Furthermore, she talked about the delight she feels everyday working with VT Seva and volunteering. She gave vote of thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors of Tarangini. The Tarangini digital souvenir was released by Mrs. Nemani. Click this to look at the Taringini Digital Souvenir As children are our future and VT Seva believes in empowering them with the values of volunteering and philanthropy, TARANGINI event was formulated in 2009. It provides an opportunity for local youth to volunteer their time and talents as a team, while supporting service projects of VT Seva. It has been successful in providing a foundation for them to grow into leaders through service. To motivate the youth to take leadership in making a positive impact on the society, young volunteers Mr. Sriram Vennamaneni and Ms. Meghana Aduri shared about the projects they have initiated. Sriram shared that throughout his volunteering time at VT Seva for the past 10 years, and having been involved in numerous activities, one that resonated with him, in particular, is women's health. To address issues surrounding women’s health, he has started an initiative to procure manufacturing equipment that makes high-quality and biodegradable sanitary pads to improve menstrual hygiene and prevent cervical cancer. These pads will be distributed by VT Seva Mahila Arogya Vikas (MAV) to women from slum areas and underprivileged students who can’t afford to buy them. The MAV will also employ local women to supervise the machines and distribute the products, offering sources of income for the underprivileged women. Visit this link to learn more about Sriram's Initiative and Donate to the cause: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/hygiene-has-no-borders Meghana shared about the special needs project she is leading to empower Prosper ISD. Hearing the impact that VTSeva was able to have upon these kids was such an eye-opening and moving movement. But, other than just the impact, the audience were also able to learn about how amazing these special kids were. The Prosper children had their dog treat business, in which they would handmake treats and sell them! And on top of that, they also ran a soap business that sold very high-quality soap. The schoolteacher mentioned that the soap cost just enough money to be able to make another bar of soap, and the kids gained no profit from the venture. It was truly amazing to hear that these kids were running such a selfless business, a venture, that many of us could not even attempt. One of the highlights of the night was the presentation of Presidential awards. These awards personified the commitment that volunteers had in serving the community and they are grateful to VT Seva for providing them the volunteering opportunities. The Deputy Chief of Police, Mr. Jon Skertich presented this award to the youth. This year’s recipients of the Presidential awards were Ms. Meghana Aduri, Mr. Shreyas Vishwanatha, Ms. Nigama Reddy, Mr. Ronav Avuir, Mr. Arnav Senapathi, Ms. Sahiti Peechera, Ms. Sanhitha Perkari, Ms. Keerthana Aduri, Mr. Neil Katta, Ms. Shriya Avuir and Ms. Shriya Kanjarla. A total of 11 recipients! In the words of one of the recipients, Neil Katta, “The moment we received the award was truly unforgettable, and only served to strengthen my motivation to continue volunteering”. Dances were performed by Nruthya Shakti Dance Academy and UDance group. Our long-time supporter Kashish band gave a singing performance. We would like to thank our Food sponsors – India 101, Sai Gayathri, and Dwaraka. We appreciate the services of Mrs. Sumana for creating the Photo Booth, Photographer Mr. Phanindra Pydimarri, Videographers Mr. Ravi Kadur & Mr. Gaurav Peechara Service leads – Mrs. Lakshmi, Mrs. Kalyani, Mrs. Lavanya, Mrs. Chithra, Mrs. Gunjan, Mr. Vinayak, Mr. Siva, Mrs. Maala, Mrs. Radha, Mrs. RaniPrameela and our amazing youth volunteers and parents for their continued support. Pictures from the Event:

Are you ready to showcase your innovative and creative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet? If so, come join us at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple on April 30th as we celebrate our VT Seva Annual Earth Day Science Fair! Winners of the competition will be announced on the day of the event!! Pick your topic from the following list of themes. The Earth Day Science Fair is for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Theme options for Science Fair Submissions are: 1. Water and Energy Resource Conservation 2. Recycle / Upcycle 3. Organic Farming 4. Climate Change & Global Warming The possible formats for Kindergarten through 5th Grade submissions are: 1. Costume with Slogan 2. Poster 3. Experiment The possible formats for Middle School & High School are: 1. Experiment (for Middle School only) 2. Power Point Presentation 3. Short Film Rules for Short film a. Time duration for the event is minimum 5 minutes to 7 mins max. b. If uploading ahead of time, please submit by April 29th 11:59pm CST. c. Credit goes to the creator and not the characters in the film. d. The film should introduce the topic and the maker of the film. e. Film must be original. Students of all ages are welcome to join and will have the opportunity to win prizes and most importantly learn many new earth day-related things! Come join us at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple and work towards and more sustainable future! Go green and live clean!! To register, please click here.

On April 1st, 2023 VT Seva Dallas volunteers went to Irving and cleaned up the streets for the 'Keep Irving Beautiful’ program (as part of the Keep Texas Beautiful program). Volunteers woke up early in the morning and got right to work, picking up litter and recyclable items from the side of the street. We are so proud of our volunteers for taking care of the streets, keeping Texas beautiful, and having a positive impact on the environment! Thanks to the volunteers' hard work the street looked beautiful at the end of the cleanup. Shoutout to our leads: Pranav Raju and Mrs. Kavita Raju, who showed up over the long weekend and worked hard on the cleanup. We are so proud of them!

VT Seva Detroit is organizing a soccer tournament, on June 24th, 2023 from 11:00 AM in Total Sports Novi East. Proceeds from this tournament will go to schools in India for visually challenged children. VT Seva supports Schools for the Blind in India such as Nethra Vidyalaya. These schools provide higher education to visually challenged students and enable them to be independent and compete with other students. VT Seva Detroit is conducting its 4th Annual Soccer Tournament this summer. All the proceeds go to VT Seva supported Schools for Visually Challenged Date: June 24th, 2023 from 11:00 AM EST Venue: Total Sports Novi EAST 41550 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48375 Kids from age 6 and above are eligible participate in this soccer tournament for a great cause. ¨ Group 1 : Age 6 yrs to 9 yrs ¨ Group 2 : Age 10 to 12 yrs ¨ Group 3 : Age 13 and above Come join us and play for cause!

Our VT SEVA Detroit Youth Board kicked off the beginning of the 2023 volunteering season with the closing of the 1st quarter! Every project was a great initiative and a way to help out our community and gratefulness extends to all the youth and adult volunteers that extend their time to such a noble cause! Here are the projects we have covered from January to March this quarter: Youth Board Projects: Rescue Animal Towel Drive Plastic Grocery Bag Drive CASS Community Services Word Teen Mental Wellness Day Brilliant Detroit Book Sort Detroit Projects: MLK Day- Destined for Greatness Center Gleaners Community Food Bank- Mercado Food Hub Forgotten Harvest World Medical Relief Volunteering Kroger Solicitation Stores Event Events: VTS Detroit 6th Annual Public Speaking Workshop 1/16/23 MLK Day- Destined for Greatness Center: This volunteering event was aimed at impacting over 200 families on MLK Day & volunteering at the Destined For Greatness Mentoring & Community Resource Center. MLK Day events give away to more than 200 Detroit families in need of clothing and hygiene kits. One group worked on painting a new space while the other group organized and cleaned donation items, and we were able to clear over 8-10 rooms and paint the entire hallway. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 Volunteers: Yana Panchal, Sai Karnati, Rishi Chowdhury, Kaustubh Dingari, Nithya Kannan, Veena Karthik, Shriya Kannan, Aditi Jethri, Jishnu Kandalam, Akshitha Narla, Amogh Mavatoor, Rishabh Mavatoor, Shraya Ved, Sriraam Hebbar. 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 Volunteers: Niveditha Mavatoor, Mythili Kandalam, Mandira Chowdhury, Srivardhan Dingari, Srinivas Narla, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan. FB Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02vnpAoqvE9GBBqMLoHsk8o7GY6g8kx4YGei1d6rV5Bph9m6RBrXy5uZHx9UDLdhghl&id=100064605402887&mibextid=Nif5oz 1/23/23- Mercado Food Hub: Most of the volunteers that were at Mercado today were first-timers but learned fast, and everything went seamlessly. The volunteers packed produce, loaded cars with food, stocked pantry shelves and freezers, arranged and collected food boxes, bagged food for senior citizens and cleaned up the entire space. Together, the volunteers were able to serve 101 families and pack 8,525 boxes. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Jishnu Kandalam, Rishabh Mavatoor, Shraya Ved, Sai Sahasra Namaduri, Siva Suravarapu, Nikhil Aerabati, Aditi Jethri Kompally, Leo Schmidt. 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Vanitha Gopalan, Raghunath Namaduri, Raghunath Aerabati, Vandana Durga FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.544790767684432&type=3 1/27/23- Rescue Animal Towel Donation: Project Lead: Oviya Jaisankar We all love pet animals, but unfortunately not all animals have a loving home. Animal shelters and foster volunteers help in bathing them, feed them, treating sick and injured animals. Last Day Dog Rescue volunteers are doing an amazing job in helping with the foster animals, and we are assisting by collecting towels for these animals. 46 Youth Board members did their part to reduce the waste in earth by donating the towels to reuse by animal shelter. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Abisrishti, Akshay, Akshith, Ankita, Adhip, Amogh M, Anishya, Anuraag, Eashan, Hajanthan, Hasini, Harsh, Jayanth, Jishnu, Kirupali, Kushal, Nikhil, Nirvan, Nithin, Nitya, Oviya, Pelon, Pravin, Rachana, Rashmitha, Rishabh, Rishi A, Rishi C, Rishma, SaiSahasra, SaiSriram, Saisha, Sanjana, Sathvik, Shivani, Sravya, Shruthi A, Shreya, Sneha, Sriram, Varshan, Veena, Vibhavi, Yana, Yathi & Yug 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Nalini, Lavanya, Srinath, Komathy & Priya FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02m4cNsNH6yCJBgyVDndTSTUwh7hpkBNhYp45zK1vDUQnwTcAa6boG3EAJAc6T57TEl 1/27/23 - Plastic Grocery Bag Donation: Project Lead: Supraja Pattangi For the month of January, 51 Youth Board members collected 5000+ bags. Each bag was carefully inspected to make sure they were clean and dry with no holes in them and neatly folded prior to donating them to the Open-Door Ministry, a local food bank. These bags will be used by the Open Door Ministry to distribute groceries. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Abisrishti, Adhip, Akshay, Akshith,Amogh, Ankita, Anishya, Anuraag, Eashan, Hajanthan, Hasini, Harsh, Jayanth, Jishnu, Kaustubh, Kirupali, Kushal, Lalitaditya, Nikhil, Nirvan, Nithin, Nitya, Oviya, Pelon, Pranav, Pravin, Rachana, Rashmitha, Rishabh, Rishi A, Rishi C, Rishma, SaiSahasra, SaiSriram, Saisha, Samhith, Sathvik, Shivani, Sravya, Shravya Ved, Shreya, Shruthi A, Sneha, Sriram, Srivibha, Udhayaa, Varshan, Veena, Yana, Yathi & Yug. 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Lavanya, Komathy, Srinath, Nalini, Priya & Giri. FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02S7Jf3CEWicssuiAyLr9XAdZAdBKrhsxsnFJWiP46ShuWzgMdrc99nAThawTTUZGRl 2/6/23- CASS Community Services: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱: Oviya Jaisankar The Warming Center by CASS Community Services provides temporary shelter during the fall and winter. Women, children and families stays here. For the winter season they serve 200 meals a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or 600 meals a day in total. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members helped them in the kitchen. They cleaned and organized the whole kitchen, cut more than 50 pounds of onions, and cleaned, and organized the whole pantry. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members were so grateful for this opportunity. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Jishnu, Leo, Oviya, Sai Sahasra, Siva, Sneha, Soumya & Yathi 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Raghunath, Mythili, Chandrasekhar, Deepthi, Srilatha, Jaisankar & Priya FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02nXMnELsWuBDTMcz4qLDgYoE28id5EKqEVdQtBjJQnnhL4PcBXgg67PaDtVXQZxXzl 2/18/23 - Forgotten Harvest: Volunteers helped Forgotten Harvest in their fight against hunger and food insecurities by packing 4,166 pounds of frozen pasta to serve the Warren community, The team helped transport heavy loads to smaller bins, packed frozen pasta into bags, labeled the bags, and cleaned, sanitized, and scrubbed the floors and the area. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Jishnu Kandalam, Akshith Ashwanth, Nikhil Aerabati, Aditi Jethri Kompally, Anishya Madala, Rishma Madala, Jayanth Batti, Kaustubh Dingari, Hajanthan Muhinathan, Sathvik Thirumalakanduri, Deekshita Ravu 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Vanitha Gopalan, Vaishnavi Aerabati, Srivardhan Dingari, Komathy Muhinathan, Ranga Rao Ravu, Vandana Durga FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.586857700144405&type=3 2/26/23 - 3/5/23 - VTS Detroit 6th Annual Public Speaking Workshop: Public speakers motivate their listeners to make a change. It could be to stop or start something, try something new, or reach their goals. Public speaking is important because the speaker can motivate others to go in the direction they wish, and the speaker can motivate others to be their best selves. This year's Public Speaking workshop went wonderfully and excellently organized by Priya, Srinath, Architha and Sudheer! We were so excited to see Mr. Brahmandhabheri back and eager to teach a new group of students his passion. Both the online and in-person sessions were very fun and insightful and overall a great experience for the 50+ students! Thanks to Mr. Chandrasekhar for sponsoring the competition! Youth Volunteers: Harish, Oviya & Amogh Adult Volunteers: Priya, Aarthi, Architha, Srinath, Venkat & Jaisankar Blog Link: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-6th-annual-public-speaking-workshop 3/2/23 - Teen Mental Wellness Event World Teen Mental Wellness Day is observed across the globe on March 2 every year. It is a day that aims to raise awareness about the mental health issues that teenagers deal with. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. To celebrate this day, our Youth Board used Kudoboard to send uplifting and positive messages to their peers and thank them for their service. Way to go volunteers! 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬: Rishabh M, Amogh M, Nikhil A, Oviya J, Rishi A, Rishi C, Veena K, Supraja P, Harsh A, Shruthi A, Kushal D, Haji M, Varshan M, Shraya V, Sathvik T, Saisriram K, Shivani N, Anvika P, Sairaaga P, Nusrat Rahman, Haresh A & Nithin R Adult Volunteers: Priya & Nalini FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/videos/vt-seva-detroit-youth-board-members-celebrated-teen-mental-wellness-day-by-sendi/942004926979063/ 3/11/23- World Medical Relief Volunteering: The VTSEVA Detroit volunteers assisted World Medical Relief by sorting expired medical supplies and categorizing the rest of the remaining ones, putting them into kits, which will be distributed worldwide. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Kushal Durga, Sai Sahasra Namaduri, Yathi Shekhar Debbata, Akshith Ashwanth, Rishabh Mavatoor, Ishaan Jaseen, Ritvik Janardhan, Diya Janardhan, Siya Sandeep, Yana Panchal 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Vandana Durga, Raghunath Namaduri, Vanitha Gopalan, Swathi Debbata FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=vtseva.detroit&set=a.577989761031199 3/13/23 - Brilliant Detroit Book Sort: Project Lead: Amogh Mavatoor Brilliant Detroit is an organization dedicated to building kids' future with the main goal to help kids learn to read. It focuses on family, health, and education to make learning more accessible to the families in the neighborhoods where families with children ages from 0 to 8 can have what they need to be healthy and stable. VTSEVA Youth Board helped them pack 60 boxes( 5000 books) at this event. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Amogh M, Deekshitha R, Hajanthan M, Jishnu K, Nitya K, Rishabh M, Rishi A, Shriya K, Shruthi A, Varshan M 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Kannan, Muhinthan, Nalini, Niveditha, Priya, Ranga Rao FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=vtseva.detroit&set=a.578817447615097 3/25/23 - Food Drive Kroger Solicitation: Volunteers helped out the Forgotten Harvest Pantry and CARES Organization in Farmington by asking Koger shoppers for donations. Overall, they were able to collect 26 boxes of food, and over 570 dollars worth of cash, despite it initially being a difficult day. Youth Volunteers: Yathi Debbata, Leo Schmidt, Diya Harsha, Ritvik Harsha, Anishya Madala, Rishma Madala, Supraja Pattangi, Siva Suravarapu, Sai Karnati, Lalitaditya Akkaraju, Akshitha Narla Adult Volunteers: Priya Jaisankar, Suresh Rajan, Srinathbabu Karnati, Giri Varadhan, Vanitha Gopalan, Swathi Debbata, Raghunath Namuduri FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=vtseva.detroit&set=a.586857700144405 Blog Consolidated By: Veena Karthik Blog Video By: Lalit Aditya Akkaraju Blog Published By: Priya Jaisankar

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, VT Seva Bay Area (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) is proud to host its Second Annual Mental Health Awareness Walkathon specifically geared towards Teen Mental Health. Date : April 30th, 2023 Time : 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM Venue : Almaden Lake Park, 6099 Winfield Blvd San Jose, CA 95120 Join us as we walk to raise awareness about the importance of mental health especially in teens who are at a critical phase in their life's journey. All proceeds benefit Netra Vidyalaya, a VT Seva supported school with a state of the art technology for visually challenged children empowering them to be self-reliant. We are excited to host Dr. Kalpana Nathan and Suryakala Jandhyala who will chat with us about mental wellbeing for teens and ways to cope in the post-covid era . Guest Speaker Kalpana Nathan, MD, CPE, LFAPA, DipABLM - Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Added Qualifications in Addiction and Forensic Psychiatry) Diplomate, American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Chief Medical Director, Scrivner Center, Mental Health & Addiction Services, Mountain View, CA Guest Speaker Suryakala (Kala) Jandhyala - Certified Integral coach from New Ventures West Passionate about guiding people through their life exploration, whether it is exploring different career opportunities, improving communication with self and others, prioritizing your tasks and so on CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer trained to represent children who have experienced abuse and neglect as they navigate juvenile dependency court systems The fee is $20 per person. All of the proceeds will go to Netra Vidyalaya, a school for visually challenged children in India. Join us on April 30 to raise awareness on importance of mental health & wellbeing and make a positive impact in every teens life.

‘’The art of communication is the language of leadership’’- John Maxwell On Feb 26, 2023, 50 youths attended our online workshop and learned amazing tips and tricks from the expert Toastmaster and the founder of Speaking Masters LLC., Mr. Raju Brahmandhabheri . It was a great experience with an interactive session. Public speaking techniques were shared with the youths. Youths were preparing their speeches with the techniques they learned in the workshop and presented their prepared speeches in the in person session on March 5, 2023 at Novi Public Library. Mr. Raju Brahmandhabheri is supporting VT Seva Public Speaking Workshop for 3rd time in a row. One student got inspired by VT Seva causes and the speeches from other students, wanted to showcase her skills and help VT Seva cause, so she signed up for the workshop right there itself. Mr. Srinath Karnati welcomed everyone, Public Speaking Committee member Ms. Architha Kramadhati introduced Mr. Raju. Priya Jaisankar introduced Mr. Cliff and went through the guidelines about the speech presentation. Harish Jaisankar, VT Seva Detroit Youth Board volunteer Emceed the whole event in a nice engaged way. VT Seva volunteers Mr. Jaisankar Kannan, Ms.Aarthi Karthik, Mr. Venkat Pisipati Oviya Jaisankar, Amogh Pisipati, helped in various areas like checkin, time keeping and media. Two wonderful judges Mr. Raju Brahmandhabheri and Mr. Cliff Suttle gave tips and feedback to all the students who presented their speeches Raju Brahmandhabheri is passionate about public speaking and communication skills and has been part of Toastmasters International (the platform to improve Public speaking and leadership skills) since last 9 plus years and achieved the DTM(Distinguished Toastmasters) award- the highest educational award in the Toastmasters program. To pursue his passion of teaching public speaking and communication skills to the kids, he founded Speaking Masters LLC, a public speaking and communication skills coaching institute and has been teaching these skills Mr. Suttle is the founder and president of ExciteYourAudience.com a company dedicated to world class business/audience communications. He is the author for three books "The Meeting Mastery System," "The Anti-Elevator Speech," and the fantasy novel "Necro." A popular freelance writer, Mr. Suttle has written numerous articles for print and multi-media publications and has been read internationally by millions and translated into more than 20 languages. He owns multiple business for over 25 years and has consulted for many Fortune 500 companies including, General Motors, Ford Motor, IBM, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Kodak, Xerox, Rockwell International, Commerica, Metlife, and more. Mr. Suttle has received over 100 awards for speaking and is a popular speech writer and lecturer on topics ranging from technical to motivational and earned his B.S. in Management Information Sciences from the University of Michigan and is a certified Peak Performance Consultant. At the end our continuous supporter and sponsor for Public Speaking Workshop Mr. Chandrasekar handed over plaques to Mr. Brahmandhabheri and Mr. Cliff. Thanks to Mr. Raju for continuous support. Overall it was a great session all the students and parents liked the session and appreciated all the efforts. Mr. Sudheer Koppu gave a thank you speech. Blog Written By: Priya Jaisankar Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

VT Seva Dallas recently held a volunteering activity at Grace Food Pantry, where we had a great turnout of youth volunteers who collaborated to pack 8 pallets in about 5 hours. To put this into perspective, 1 pallet contains about 45-50 cases, which is capable of feeding more than 700 people, and in consideration of that, our volunteers packed food that will serve more than 5,600 hungry people. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers for taking time out of their spring break to come and make a difference in the lives of thousands.

VT Seva Dallas youth volunteers spent their Spring break time volunteering at Feed my Starving Children, where they helped pack an assortment of nutritious meals that will be shipped to various countries in Africa and South America to eradicate hunger and improve quality and life. We would also like to give a shoutout to Sahasra Produtor, as pictured in the purple and black outfit, for putting in effort to draw the VT Seva logo from scratch so that our volunteers could proudly pose with it at the end of their shift.

VT Seva is organizing its 2nd yearly Table Tennis & Badminton Tournaments this year, on April 22nd, 2023, from 9:00 AM EST at Sparc Arena Sports & Recreation in Novi, Michigan. All proceeds from these tournaments will go towards the schools in India for the visually challenged children at Nethra Vidhyalaya and the Tribal School children. VT Seva supports Nethra Vidyalaya schools for the Blind in India in order to provide higher education to visually challenged students and enable them to be independent and compete with other students. It also supports the remotely located Tribal Schools in impoverished communities and, provides access and opportunities to quality education healthcare, and enables them to live with dignity & pride. Date: April 22nd, 2023, at 9:00 AM EST (check-in at 8:30 AM) Venue: Sparc Arena Sports & Recreation, 42775 W 9 Mile Rd, Novi, MI 48375 Link to general guidelines and rules of the game: Please go through the guidelines and rules before your register: Registration page: Come join us and play for the cause. For more details, please contact: CONTACTS: Harshini: 248-895-2301 Sirisha: 313-910-0317 Venkat: 313-587-8011 Srikanth: 248-302-8873 Srinath: 949-232-9477 Suresh: 734-612-4961 Email: detroit.director@vtsworld.org For volunteering opportunities, please contact: Vanitha @ 248-227-3094 & Keerthy @ 503-789-4709 If you would like to sponsor for the event or company sponsorship or to place your business logo, banner, or any other type of promotion, please contact detroit.director@vtsworld.org / Srinath@ 949-232-9477 or Sudheer @213-399-2315 VTSEVA TABLE TENNIS (AND/OR) BADMINTON TOURNAMENTS LIABILITY WAIVER FORM Participant Waiver & Liability Agreement I understand that there are risks associated with playing all sports and field-related activities. In consideration for the privilege to use the Sparc Arena facility and/or attend the VT Seva Detroit Table Tennis (and/or) Badminton tournament(s), my participation indicates that I assume the risk of any injuries that myself or my children/wards may sustain while participating in any VT Seva sponsored sports activity and for any injuries which myself or my children/wards may sustain while on the premises of Sparc Arena, Novi, Michigan. I assure that I am, or my child is physically and mentally able to participate in the physical activities and have been examined by a licensed medical physician within one (1) year prior to attending this clinic/camp. By registering for the tournament, I am signing this Waiver and Liability Agreement. I acknowledge that I HAVE READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO ALL OF ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING PERMISSION TO TREAT THE AGREEMENT. I further state that I have executed this waiver and liability voluntarily and with full knowledge of its significance to be binding on my, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns. Signature assumed automatically if you register Participant’s Signature (Parent/Guardian if under 18)

On Friday, February 24th VTSeva Dallas youth volunteers visited the Scottish Rite hospital for Children to drop off a large collection of toys for the kids. The toys were collected as part of the Toy Drive the Youth Board conducted from late December to early January, in which many youth volunteers donated toys. These toys will be given to the patients at the hospital to brighten their day and make them feel special. They are an important tool in providing comfort for the children. The board games that were donated will be staying at the hospital so that many kids can use them and play together! The hospital staff was extremely appreciative of our volunteers’ efforts and were shocked by how many toys we collected! These toys will go to great use, and VTSeva Dallas will continue to hold further events like this to help out the community! If you would like to donate to Scottish Rite Hospital you can visit their website here: https://scottishriteforchildren.org/get-involved

Lets Play to Support Visually Challenged Students !!

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi Our Goal? Her health and happiness is our goal. Because her happiness is in the health of her whole family . Join us on a 5K walk/run for bringing awareness of Breast cancer and regular check ups. Who can participate? Everyone who cares her and her family , including pets. How to participate? Walking For Her - 5K Walk/Run The Walking For HER - 5K Walkathon is on Saturday, April 1st from 8 am to 10 am at Brushy creek Lake park. Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow community members who are committed to their health in the serene setting of nature and the outdoors. Past Covid Our youth volunteer conducted the 5K and raised $3000 to support the Dell's children cancer patients. Last year we supported visually challenged. This year we have switched our focus to support the "Breast cancer awareness camps" conducted in rural parts of India After the 5K, enjoy the pot paintings our VTSeva Kids have to present. All proceeds from the 5K will go to Mahila Arogya Vikas a wing of VTSeva, working towards creating awareness in rural women about breast cancer and prevention measures, supporting with resources and treatment support in India. All proceeds will support in setting up health camps at various rural locations and free medicines and other treatment supports. Our Camp costs.... Breast cancer Test Kits : $25 Cervix cancer Test Kits : $25 Sponsor for Medicines : $50 Sponsor a mini camp : $250 Sponsor a small camp : $500 Sponsor a Mega camp : $1000 VTSeva conducts 200 Breast cancer and cervical cancer awareness camps every year in rural parts of India. This year Austin VTSeva has set a Goal this year is to support 50 camps. Want to help more? Donate for the cause and take a plant to remind your support. Tulasi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depresst properties. Suggested Donation : $25 Tomatoes and tomato compounds have been reported to prevent or inhibit breast cancer or its progression in numerous studies. Suggested Donation : $25 Veld Grape is quite beneficial for relieving menstrual cramps. It also helps to increase serotonin levels and helps regulate hormones. It helps relieve bloating and pain as well. This contributes to the major popularity it’s gained. Many women suffer unnecessarily every month due to menstrual cramps. Suggested Donation : $25 Pink Stem Betel leaf Improves Digestion, Reduces respiratory issues,Maintains Oral Health,Manages Diabetes,Fights Depression Suggested Donation : $40 Curry leaves are a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, and iron. It helps in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, diabetes, morning sickness, and nausea by adding curry leaves to your meals. Suggested Donation : $40 Parijatham(Night Jasmine) - The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of the tree make it a blessing for human health and well being. The leaves are given for treating chronic fever, rheumatism, arthritis, joint pain, obstinate sciatica, Suggested Donation : $50 Mysore Malli (Jasmine) This plant has a strong fragrance and good ornamental value in terrace gardens. These jasmine flowers are purifies atmospheric pollutants and toxins. Jasmine flower tea helps in weight loss and aids metabolism Suggested Donation : $50 Arabian jasmine has a special mention in Ayurvedic texts. It has been valued as an effective remedy for various health ailments like epilepsyi , headaches, nausea, itches, wounds, ulcers, and eye disorders. This aromatic flower also possesses antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, and analgesic properties. Suggested Donation : $50 Neem contains chemicals that might help reduce blood sugar levels, heal ulcers in the digestive tract, kill bacteria, and prevent plaque from forming in the mouth. Suggested Donation : $50 Or

TARANGINI

My Family Across the World By Uma Avasarala Summer of 2022 by Uma Avasarala is a VTSeva Bay Area volunteer. She reflects on her life-changing Summer Internship interactions with the students of Netra Vidyalaya and the tribal school children of Allampalli. What is family? When we think of the word “family,” we often immediately think about our parents, siblings, grandparents, and cousins. If you ask me now, “Uma, who’s your family?” In addition to my immediate family, I would say I have a family across the world. Over these two weeks, I have discovered that family is where there is inexplicable joy, unconditional love, and overwhelming gratitude and humility. The children of the small forest village Allampalli and the students at Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji’s Netra Vidyalaya have worked their way into my heart and become my family. Originally, we had planned to stay in Allampalli for the majority of our internship, but apparently, nature had other plans. Due to heavy rains and flooding, we were only able to stay for two days. Now, how in the world can you find a family in two days? But, that was so. The children and students of Allampalli made it so. We taught them math, english, science, and much more. And, they listened so eagerly, with huge eyes and racing minds. After school, we had some extracurricular activities, such as dance, rocket launching, self-defense, and more. Their curiosity and persistence touched our hearts in ways that cannot be described in words. They would run up and cut each other off saying, “Akka (sister), watch me! Anna (brother), is this right?” Later in the day, we played games, like kabaddi and koko. I don’t think I have ever laughed or played so hard in my life! My heart was full. Nearing the end of the day, we visited the tandaas or the village where many of the children lived with their families. The moment we got off the bus, little hands grabbed my kurti (a traditional Indian dress) and my fingers. They all wanted to show us their houses and their animals. It was there that I had realized that I had a small family in Allampalli. I was one of theirs and they were all mine. Before we left Allampalli, the students hosted a performance with dance, music, acrobatics, and self-defense. They dazzled us all with their amazing talents. Dance transcends all barriers. Please check out this video, which shows the true joy of rhythm: When my partner and I were teaching, the kids asked me to sing a song. I had a better idea. I suggested that we sing India’s National Anthem, “Jana Gana Mana.” As the song reached its crescendo, patriotism filled the air. I was overwhelmed with an immense sense of pride and love for my Indian heritage and these beautiful, innocent souls. The rest of our stay provided me with another unique experience. I met with and became friends with the amazing students of Netra Vidyalaya, the school for the visually challenged. They face everyday challenges from their inability to see with grit and cheer. What I thought to be difficulties in my life thus far, now seemed trivial. I also found a family with my fellow interns. We bonded and became so close in just 12 days. I cannot thank them enough for all the laughter, memories, and love. These experiences are sure to last a lifetime. Thank you so much to VTSEVA for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I have come back rejuvenated and a better person.

“Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women.” – Michelle Obama My name is Sriram Vennamaneni and I have been a volunteer for VT Seva Dallas for about 10 years. Throughout my time at VT Seva, I have been involved in numerous activities, but one that resonates with me, in particular, is women's health. Across the globe, women are stigmatized and shunned due to issues over their health and well-being. Topics that should be ordinary, such as questions about hygiene, menstrual events, and related subjects are often tabooed and ignored by many. This causes women to remain silent when faced with health-related problems, leading to the progression and growth of diseases, such as cancer, and poor sanitary health. This issue is extremely prevalent in many parts of the world, including developing countries like India, where poor sanitation, awareness, and lack of resources are rampant. To combat this problem, VT Seva has conducted multiple cancer screening camps for breast and cervical cancer, hosted educational sessions about women's health, and raised funds for the creation of mammograms and VIA tests, impacting around 2 million women across India. The scale on which VT Seva reached out to women, even from rural areas, inspired me to take up a project through VT Seva Mahila Arogya Vikas (MAV) and do my part in improving women's health. Research studies indicate that enabling women with proper prevention measures can prevent 30% of cancer cases. Avoiding risk factors, such as a lack of menstrual hygiene and usage of cancer-causing sanitary pads can go a long way in saving lives. I would like to procure low-cost and bio-friendly manufacturing equipment to make high-quality sanitary pads. The pads manufactured by MAV will be distributed to women from slum areas and underprivileged students who cannot afford to buy them. MAV will employ local women to supervise the machine and distribute the products, offering a stable job and income to them. On the occasion of World Cancer Day - Feb 4th, 2023, I am launching this project to raise awareness and funds for this cause. As a volunteer from the age of 5, I have supported multiple cancer screening camps, impacting thousands of women. This cause motivated me to be consistent year after year regarding caring for women's health. I am taking the first step for this project by pledging the money I saved from gifts over the years from my friends and family. I request everyone to kindly donate to this important cause and help impact a life today. I plan to visit India this summer and it would be great if this goal can be reached by June 15th, 2023. I will keep you regularly posted on all the updates of this project.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐮𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 jointly organized 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 & 𝐒𝐮𝐛 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐-𝟐𝟑 from 27th – 29th January 2023 which was held at 𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐝, 𝐆𝐮𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭. 200 participants from 22 states were participated in this event. Limited slots were given to all states among them AP got 15 slots (both Visually and Orthopedically Handicapped) in which 𝟖 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. With the blessings of HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami ji, Our Nethra students participated in running, shotput, Javelin, long jump and secured 𝟕 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬 , 𝟓 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬 & 𝟐 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬 . 1)𝐊. 𝐋𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚 1500 meters middle race: Gold 400 meters sprint: Gold 100 meters sprint: Gold 2) 𝐕. 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢 100 meters sprint: Gold 400 meters sprint: Silver Shotput: Gold 3) 𝐁. 𝐀𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚 Shotput: Gold 100 meters sprint: Bronze 4) 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 100 meters Sprint: Gold Long jump: Silver 5) 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 100 meters: Silver Long Jump: silver 6) 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 100 meters sprint: Silver 7) 𝐆𝐨𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐮 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐡 Shotput: Bronze

Welcome to VT Seva Houston’s Walking With the Beat 5K Walkathon! Every day that you are up and active is a day that you are working towards better heart health and prevention of cardiovascular disease! We are so happy to have you join us ! 7 years and below are free to attend !!! Walking with the Beat 5K Walkathon The Walking with the Beat 5K Walkathon is on Saturday, April 1 from 8 am to 10 am at Sugar Land Memorial Park. Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow community members who are committed to their health in the serene setting of nature and the outdoors. After the 5K walkathon, you will hear more about cardiovascular health and prevention from health professionals. All proceeds from the Walkathon will go to the American Heart Association, fighting heart disease and stroke and helping families and communities thrive for nearly 100 years.

VT Seva Dallas conducted two Adopt-A-Street activities this Saturday at Lewisville and Irving, with great participation from youth and adult volunteers. We would like to first and foremost thank Ashwin and Parth for leading the Lewisville cleanup today. We would also like to thank Srija, our Iriving youth lead, for being able to motivate her peers at Coppell High School to join in and help keep the streets clean. These initiatives will be held on a monthly basis, so keep an eye out for updates posted on the webpage and on Instagram if you would like to participate in an upcoming one.

VT Seva Detroit successfully celebrated the 7th Annual Cultural Event RAAS-2022 on November 19th, 2022, as a never-before event. RAAS is our Annual Celebration event, culminating a great year of various fundraising activities and volunteering service to the community. Some of the key highlights of the event: Raised funds for 257 Visually Challenged and Tribal students’ education 450+ people attended Sumptuous Dinner with Mesmerizing Entertainment Special Thanks to all the Donors, Volunteers, Participants, Sponsors, Choreographers, and everyone for bringing a big success to VTSEVA Detroit and keeping VTSEVA Detroit Top in the service. A memorable evening with marvelous Entertainment & Sumptuous Dinner. VT Seva Detroit board acknowledged the year-long hard work of our dedicated volunteers and kind donors with an evening of music, dance, skits, food, fun, and celebration. Emcee Jyotsna Kankatala raised the curtain at 5:15 p.m., and the event started on time with Jyothi Prajwalana followed by USA & India National Anthem with JET & Prajna students' Prayers. Thanks Jyotsna and Shivani, and Prajna students. An awesome Veena performance followed it. Thank you, Prashantha Veenananda team! JET Michigan Coordinator Narasaraj Kompally delivered a speech about Jeeyar Education Trust and how these Nethra Students benefit from JET & VTSEVA. Thanks Narasaraj Garu. Director of VTSEVA Detroit Srinath Karnati talked about the Donors and Volunteers. He explained how significant an impact both volunteers and Donors were creating and thanked them for keeping VT SEVA Detroit in the #1 position in doing community Service Projects and the Top#4 position in the USA in supporting the Visually challenged & Underprivileged students' education. National Secretary and past Branch Director Sudheer Koppu addressed the audience and conveyed thanks to them. National Youth Director and Detroit Volunteer Coordinator Vanitha Gopalan Talked about all the community service projects conducted in 2022 and thanked all the donors. Please review the short video below on the key accomplishments. In 2022, apart from Detroit Youthboard activities, the Detroit branch conducted 32 community services events & 8 fundraising events - Over 27,545 lbs. of food packed in Food Banks Volunteering - Over 2000 meals served at the Community Kitchen Volunteering - Raised $800 & around 6 big boxes of hygiene items for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, a homeless shelter - Large-scale cleanup and removal of invasive plant species during Eco Restoration Projects - Over 160 Young Women and children received ~2000 hygiene supplies - ~5200 mailing supplies packed in support of fundraising activities for Visually Challenged Children Centers - Over 350 boxes of nutritious, culturally sensitive food items distributed - 833 Fleece blankets made and distributed Secretary and Youth board director of VT SEVA Detroit Priya Jaisankar presented beautiful slides for the entire event and talked about Youth board Projects (especially outreach) and also spoke about the VT SEVA High school Clubs and thanked all the Youth volunteers and both High School Club teams. In 2022, VT Seva Detroit Youth Board did an excellent job serving the community and environment by participating in many volunteering events and raising money to support 42+ students' education through various summer camps and fundraising projects. They celebrated 3rd anniversary and had a party for the senior sendoff. They established 2 High School Clubs also. A recap of their achievements in 2022 are - 35 Youth Board Initiated Events led by youths - 6 Summer Camps led by youths - 2 Fundraising projects initiated and led by youths - 2 Fun events - 2 High School Clubs - 750+ youth volunteer hours in youth-initiated projects - 100+ parent volunteer hours - Raised $3500 to support families impacted by cancer - Raised more than $15,500 to support Nethra Vidyalaya student's education through Outreach Project - Many students acquired leadership skills and felt confident Anvika Perumalla, President of Troy IAE School VTS Club, talked about two high school clubs (Troy IAE & Troy High) activities and thanked VTSeva for setting up clubs at high schools. Thanks, Anvika and Troy VTSeva Club teams. Youth Volunteer Anurag shared his India Internship experience with the audience. Thanks Anurag. Core Volunteers thanked all the donors for their generous donations to VTSEVA for visually challenged and Under Privileged students’ education. Rocking Dance performances: We had a gala of professional teams and local talent that rocked the stage from classical to Bollywood. Thanks for the Goose Bump performances by Smrithi Dance Team Tripura Dance Team Vandana Krishna swami Dance Team Usha Dance Team Veena Madhukar Dance Team Arpita Dance Team Swati Dance Team Avantika Dance Team Bighearted local restaurants sponsored delicious food. Our dedicated volunteers served hot food for the RAAS attendees. Branch Director Srinath Karnati announced the PVSA winners of 2021 and awarded Medals and trophies from the hands of Sudheer Koppu, Vanitha Gopalan, Suresh Rajan, Priya Jaisankar, JaiSankar Kannan, Srinath Karnati, Jyothi Karnati, Nandini Cheemalamarri, and Sreenivas Cheemalamarri. Congratulations to all PVSA winners. Gold: Oviya Jai Sankar, Saisha Srivatsan, Hiba Zyna Bronze: Harish Jaisankar, Abhinav Suresh, Nikhil Aerabati, Siddharth Tirumala Kanduri, Sai Sahasra Namuduri, Shreya Srivatsan, Rashmitha Raghunathan Thanks for the Melodious Singing Performances by Kalyani Ji Team and local talents. Madhavan ji handover the Plaques to Hrudwani Team. Latha ji handed over the plaques to the Sponsors. On this Wonderful day, Shreya Srivatsan did a fantastic artwork. She sold her artwork to Kind art lovers and donated the amount to VTSEVA for the great cause of Visually Challenged and Under Privileged students’ education. Thank you, Shreya. Last but not least, a huge shout and Thanks to Hrudwani Team for the Live Band Performance on RAAS Stage. Live started at 10:00 and continued up to 11:45 p.m. Melodious voice and an excellent keyboard, Flute, and other Instrument players. VTSeva Detroit Thanks all the Sponsors and Volunteers for their services. Delicious Food by local Restaurants. Thanks to Zaharaji for coordinating the food from various restaurants. It would not have been possible to conduct such a successful event without such a large group of our AMAZING, DEDICATED, and ENTHUSIASTIC volunteers: All these volunteers (adult and youth) did a terrific job in all these areas: This was one of the best events we ever had. Thanks to all Event Sponsors, Donors, Supporters, and Volunteers who helped to make this event a big success. Thanks to all the unsung supporters for this great cause. It would not have been possible to pull off such a HUGE event without your constant support and help. For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Album https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.547106200786222&type=3 To watch the complete RAAS event, Please click here https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=watch_permalink&v=471252998220701 To Like, Share and Comment, Please visit our Facebook Post https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0oZrap5fDDYNyJhJbusY8ToDPLMmWAG21ErYN9qAQug28YnP17BH4yk3sYLxsFT86l For other events and activities from Detroit, Please visit http://vtsworld.org/detroit RAAS 2022 Flier Blog created and published by Nandini Cheemalamarri (Detroit Communications) THANK YOU SO MUCH, ALL! YOUR SUPPORT IS OUR STRENGTH TO SERVE

This Sunday our VT Seva Dallas youth and adult volunteers were back in action in Flowermound, helping clean the streets! It was truly inspiring to see everyone give up their Sunday morning to show up and help our community stand out more. This street cleanup is a small part of the Adopt a Street initiative, which takes place every month. If you would like to attend one of these events, please make to follow our Facebook handle, and keep an eye out on the webpage for future announcements!!

"Communication is the human connection, which is the key to personal and career success.” – Paul J Meyer Public speaking has taken a center stage in today’s education and career. All of us know the importance that communication plays in our daily lives. VT Seva has been providing an opportunity to our youth get introduced to public speaking and advance their skills since last 5 years. VT Seva is bringing another great opportunity this year as well! VT Seva is proud to announce 6th Public Speaking Workshop. One day virtual work workshop will be organized on Feb 26th and in person public speaking presentation (not a competition) will be held on March 5th in Novi Public Library. During the online workshop on Feb 26th, the youth will be exposed to different aspects of public speaking like tone, vocal variety, how to avoid fillers and many more by none other than one of the experts in public speaking, Mr. Raju Brahmandhabheri. This is a great opportunity for the youth to learn and refresh the nitty gritty of public speaking. The youth will also be provided an opportunity to practice what they learnt on March 5th during the public speaking in person presentation (not a competition). Raju Brahmandhabheri is passionate about public speaking and communication skills and has been part of Toastmasters International (the platform to improve Public speaking and leadership skills) since last 9 plus years and achieved the DTM(Distinguished Toastmasters) award- the highest educational award in the Toastmasters program. To pursue his passion of teaching public speaking and communication skills to the kids, he founded Speaking Masters LLC, a public speaking and communication skills coaching institute and has been teaching these skills for the kids in the grades: 3-12 from the past four years. He has been receiving 5-star ratings from both students and parents for his public speaking classes. He is a mentor for the high school students to coach/advise/prepare them for the annual Leadership Speech Contest hosted by National Management Association (NMA). He has also served as a judge on various speech contests at Toastmasters and community organization’s educational competitions (public speaking, spelling bee etc.). By profession, he is an Electrical Engineer currently working as a Senior Regional Engineering Manager at ITC Holdings Corp., Novi, Michigan. Please prepare your speech to fit between 120 - 150 seconds in one of the below topics to present on March 5th in Novi Library. Who is your favorite super hero character and why? What makes you happy and why? What does volunteering mean to you? All the proceeds from this event goes to support Visually Challenged & Tribal Students education in India. What a great way to support others while become competent in the essential life skill Public Speaking! Don't miss the opportunity to learn from the best by registering ASAP!

Before reaching Allampalli, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this internship. We were told the basics, looked through the outline of the curriculum, packed our clothes, and loaded the bus. The moment we arrived, the interns were greeted by students in the middle of the night, ready to help carry our bags and get settled. On the first day we were put on a pedestal, and the kids were told "these interns are from America and are here to help you learn new things." But the reality was, I didn’t even know what to expect and I hoped that I knew what I was talking about. The next week or so, me and the interns were given the opportunity to meld ourselves into the community and everybody was unhesitant welcoming. I realized we were there for a greater purpose than just teaching and helping with academics, were there to become their friends, and occasionally play some interns vs Allampalli games. As the days went on, our connection with the students and fellow interns only grew stronger and more personal. I was teaching the 2nd grade class, and that day later in the evening, we would be visiting their villages farther away from the school. As we got to the thandas, I would see kids I recognized from class in the morning and it was surreal to see the looks on their faces when we recognized each other. One of the students I taught walked with me throughout the whole night, never letting go of my hand once. In this moment, I realized that appreciating the smallest gestures and things in life, are what can bring us true happiness. True happiness and contentment cannot be replaced by money or material possessions. After that day, the bugs in our rooms and the heat didn't matter as much as they did on the first day, and the Allampalli chai was the first thing we looked forward to in the mornings. Back in America, we would fundraise, telling people “the money goes towards tribal kids in India, but I realized that isn't the only way to categorize the students in Allampalli. The perspective I was given about the kids had completely shifted already. As time passed we realized that we all already had one thing in common, we are all human. The students were equally as capable of teaching us, and to be honest, I learned more for them than I could possibly teach any of the kids. Watching the kids learn with more ambition than I have ever seen before was vitalizing. Reflecting back on my experience, I realized how we are all capable of the same things and it all depends on how you view your life, and what you decide to do with the adversity you face. The money we fundraise every year really does go towards an important cause, and this internship showed me exactly what service and volunteering for a greater cause really means. The kids in Allampalli did not sulk about their lives, and only faced difficulties with the mindset that anything can be accomplished with hard work and determination. Our internship to Allampalli in 2022 was something that despite the efforts, cannot be truly described in words or pictures alone. One of the most rewarding aspects was the new perspective I was given the opportunity to experience and the people I got to meet. By Nigama Reddy Dallas Youth Volunteer Reflection from Summer Internship 2022

VT Seva Detroit 2022: Oct to Dec Volunteering Activities The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board successfully finished the 2022 volunteering season with the end of the 4th quarter! The projects stated below took place during our 4th quarter. ● Adopt A Road ● Outreach ● Manoogian Manor Senior Center Visit ● Fleece and Thank You ● Halloween Candy Drive ● Olga's Kitchen Fundraiser ● Raas Caller List Project ● Operation Gratitude ● Salvation Army Bell Ringing Adopt A Road: 10 bags of trash was collected on Oct 2, 2022 on the stretch of 8 mile road from Haggerty to Meadowbrook that VT Seva Detroit Adopted.As it is a busy road, we've collected lots of broken parts from the cars. By removing this trash, we not only helped the environment, but also helped the drivers. We've collected trash from cigar butts to plastic bottles, from broken garden tools to construction gears, golf balls to rubber ducks, headphones to broken cell phones and much more. All this trash would've been blocking the sewage, impeding the water flow, polluting the water and ending up harming human and animal health.Every piece of trash removed from this road helps protect the environment, lives and much more. Youth Volunteers: Hajanthan, Varshan, Nithin, Nikita, Aaradhya, Shraya, Ashish, Leo & Pelon Adult Volunteers: Neha, Jaisankar & Priya Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid022cWUSKubo3LXWNWYfUhC7eWaNwBQUk3YFQThZ5DXffwtz3gEi2GZhxW5HNPWR2aWl Outreach: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Members continued their Outreach program 3rd year in a row. As the saying third time's charm, our team leaders made this year’s student -4-student outreach program a bigger success than the last 2 years. 30 team members raised more than $14,000 to support 38+ students' education with the help of 239 donors. Youth Volunteers: Saisha Srivatsan, Oviya Jaisankar, Sai Sriram Karnati, Rishi Adduri, Sathvik Tirumalakanduri, Anvika Perumalla, Pranav Tammineedi, Sneha Chandrasekar, Anuraag Balaji, Harsh Ahire, Vishnu Athreya, Akshay Kumar, Srihari Hebbar, Kalki Renga Anand, Adhip Pisipati, Shraya Ved, Shrikha Atchutuni, Sriraam Hebbar, Srihari Anathalwan, Ishani Patil, Varshan Muhinthan, Rishi Chowdhury, Chakrika Kaur, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Ashvik Kattamanchi, Abhinav Pagidi, Ashish Rajam, Nithin Kumar, Poorani Saravanan and Siva Suravarapu Co-Ordinator: Priya Jaisankar Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/b5hL-RR5AOE Blog Link: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-youth-board-3rd-outreach-2022 Manoogian Manor Senior Center Visit: It was really a great indoor experience today with seniors. We brought them cookies and they enjoyed the hot chocolate. The combination turned out very well with the cold weather. Hajanthan entertained the seniors by playing piano for 5 min. Siriram, Hajanthan and Sanjith shared riddles. Stephen sang a song. Overall both the youths and seniors enjoyed the time. Youth Volunteers: Siriram Hebbar, Sanjith Vijayakumar, Hajanthan Muhinthan Adult Volunteers: Komathy Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid023GdaJXTrkHcqsxTW83mMvxyt41KCNWwr6NbaMLHCb8A4h2fQafQNMecEiKgo6hKrl Fleece and Thank You: Fleece & Thank You, a Michigan-based non-profit organization, is dedicated to providing connection, comfort, and hope through its programs, services and materials to children facing illness and their families supporting them. It was a great experience for more than 17 VT Seva Detroit volunteers who volunteered at the UWM Sports center helping Fleece and Thank you organization "Make a Blanket Day " a massive effort to make more than 833 blankets for Children in hospitals. Youth Volunteers: Akshay K,Lin P,Saisha S,Kushal D, Amogh M,Akshith A Haji M, Varshan M, Rishi C, Zephyr F, Advik K, Ashish R Adult Volunteers: Nirmala S, Niveditha M, Vandana D, Mandira C, Vanitha G Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02mhgC24NyKYaHoAgWkWZDnYTBjoExQqmvtCxTtPAPCsh8ua433xk8hBU8iJojLoDBl Halloween Candy Drive: In Detroit, we collected 31 pounds of candies and donated to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that sends care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and handmade items to New Recruits, Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors, Care Givers, and U.S. Service Members deployed overseas through participating Dental Offices. Raised money was used to support Nethra Vidyalaya students' education. Project Lead: Harish Jaisankar Youth Volunteers: Kushal, Adhip, Rishma, Anishma, Rishi, Shruthi, Veena, Vanitha ji, Sathvik, Rishika, Srinidhi and Anvika Adult Volunteers: Priya, Nalini, Vijay, Kanchana Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02iGAeURhrcZXRFXgS7DCEB3R4c1YL6yyx6Tk7j5RAJrE7UdMbPKG5HLrbp5J2jr2ol Olga's Kitchen Fundraiser: Project Lead: Oviya Jaisankar Olga’s kitchen hosted a fundraiser at their restaurant on Nov 7, when people showed a flier when ordering food, some of the earnings would go directly to Nethravidhyala. Facebook Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02LWiAidu5wpsoWtNpfbZbbaQmmA3RiNcnjQMH2gDWiYAByBSeUuUdoYr84pLaDLrgl&id=100064605402887&eav=AfaZDV-Rm-qQxvZsSf9jzw3kQUeVh6rld1czyIEhaY5ILH7rsNJqIKP9SjaRxx_ZlO8&m_entstream_source=permalink&paipv=0 Raas Caller List Project: Many Youth Board members worked hard to invite and have supporters attend our annual Raas event. They advocated for our great cause, and made sure many people were aware about what we were supporting and how they could help. Volunteers: Nalini, Priya, Akshay, Oviya, Advik,Ashish, Kalki, Kaustubh, Jethri, LalitAditya, Phani, Sai, and Supraja Operation Gratitude: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members, Troy IAE School Club members, and Troy High School Club members wrote thank you letters to express their gratitude and appreciation to the soldiers who are deployed overseas. Project Lead: Harish Jaisankar Project Coordinators: Priya, Nalini, Komathy, Chandrasekhar, Giri and Srinath Youth Volunteers: Sai Sahasra, Hajanthan, Varshan, Sai Sriram, Sriram H, Nikhil A, Jishnu, Saisha, Supraja, Sathvik, Sneha, Ankita, Harish, Oviya, Amogh, Rishabh, Kausthubh, Srivibha, Udhayaa, Rachana, Rashmitha, Dhanya, Veena, Aakash, Abhinav P, Alex K, Anvika, Arsheya, Saanvi, Sai Chakrika, Sakib, Siva, Sreenika, Srihari A, Ajitesh, Leo, Ashvik and Jeffrey Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02sQD8H2B3cBc6uJ8z5WA5Kh7PFJPqMCtDQw76Y9UsAKdT5ZCVihvJqcP4SVXAGdal Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Some of our VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members participated in the Salvation Army Bell Ringing Event at Laurel Park Place. They rang bells next to the Salvation Army stand to raise money to support the families in need during holiday period in the local community. Youth Volunteers: Vishnu, Sneha, Aahana, Pelon, Anuraag, Tarun, Ishan, Nishant and Ishani Adult Volunteers: Chandrasekar, Komathy, Priya Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0v3xQcVBVk5PPVkGzGXAvLvwTKQkKYp7LZMBe1G4Ea4S4xJgjXUG33aXvT416cfh3l Blog Consolidated By: Eesha C Video Compiled By: Rishi C Blog Published By: Nandini C

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” – Brooker T. Washington VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Members continued their Outreach program 3rd year in a row. As the saying third time is charm, our team leaders made this year’s student -4-student outreach program a huge success than the last 2 years. 30 team members raised more than $14,000 to support 38+ students education with the help of 239 donors. Each team lead who participated in understood the challenges that Nethra Vidyala Students and Tribal Students face, they took their perseverance as inspiration and committed to support as much as student possible. This year in this student-4-student outreach program, team leaders met their minimum goal, however they went above and beyond to help the students education. Team Leaders had a great opportunity to enhance their communication skills. They were able to convey their intention of helping others and raised money. Big thanks to all the parents who were helping their children be a voice for underprivileged students. Wonderful team leads who participated in this outreach project are Saisha Srivatsan, Oviya Jaisankar, Sai Sriram Karnati, Rishi Adduri, Sathvik Tirumalakanduri, Anvika Perumalla, Pranav Tammineedi, Sneha Chandrasekar, Anuraag Balaji, Harsh Ahire, Vishnu Athreya, Akshay Kumar, Srihari Hebbar, Kalki Renga Anand, Adhip Pisipati, Shraya Ved, Shrikha Atchutuni, Sriraam Hebbar, Srihari Anathalwan, Ishani Patil, Varshan Muhinthan, Rishi Chowdhury, Chakrika Kaur, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Ashvik Kattamanchi, Abhinav Pagidi, Ashish Rajam, Nithin Kumar, Poorani Saravanan and Siva Suravarapu These are the reflection messages from our team leads: Through this experience I’ve been very thankful to reach new donors and it feels amazing to know that I was able to sponsor a year’s worth of education for more than 5 kids this year. I feel very happy to be a part of this project where we help the students of Nethra Vidyalaya and see the money raised get put to use through the students’ accomplishments. – Saisha Srivatsan This was an amazing opportunity to help develop my skills of public speaking and convincing. It was eye opening to go to different people and organizations to help spread the word of VT Seva causes and try to bring in donations. I'm so glad that I was able to better educate myself about VT Seva while also educating others. – Oviya Jaisankar This project was a great way for me to make a large impact in someone else's life and I definitely gained social skills as I had to convince others to support this cause. I think this was a wonderful way to help another person in the simplest of ways. – Anvika Perumalla The outreach project was definitely something new, and this was my first year doing it. I found it extremely interesting that we were given a chance to use our marketing skills to gain people to support us and our fundraising. I truly enjoyed trying to come up with different ways to persuade people to help our case while also being able to do something good and help children that really need it. – Sneha Chandrasekar The outreach project supported the nethra vidyalaya students. I’m glad to have been part of this amazing event to help give education to those students – Anuraag Balaji This project was a great way for me to make a large impact in someone else's life and I definitely gained social skills as I had to convince others to support this cause. I think this was a wonderful way to help another person in the simplest of ways. – Harsh Ahire Outreach. This word really resonated with me during this project. Something about helping kids who aren’t as fortunate as me really stuck with me. I really took this project seriously. – Vishnu Athreya I learnt How to talk passionately and confidently. Another thing I learnt was being bold and speaking in front of friends of my dad's or mom's and/or chatting with them to donate even if I didn't know them as much as my parents – Kalki Renga The outreach program was a very fun experience to go out and talk to people about a very important cause, and it was very fun to participate in. – Shraya Ved This Outreach event has been a great learning experience and an awesome way to help the underprivileged students of Nethra Vidyalaya school. I am so proud of the VT Seva community for raising more than $13,000, funding many student's educations! – Sriram Hebbar I am very glad that we were able to raise all this money. Hope we can increase that number next year! – Srihari Anathalwan It was my pleasure to advocate for the tribal children's school in the Outreach project. I learned critical communication skills convincing my friends and teachers to join our cause. – Rishi Chowdhry Blog Written By: Priya Jaisankar Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri