The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) has been representing and developing athletes and sports for people with visual impairments for 40 years. As a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), IBSA plays a crucial role in growing both Paralympic sports and Para sport more widely. VT Seva supported Nethra Vidyalaya Institutions (College & School) participated in IBSA 22nd National Athletic Championship held at New Delhi from 14th – 16th December, 2022. 540 participants from 19 states and 131 institutions competed in the event. Out of 131 institutions, Nethra Vidyalaya secured 2 best institution awards in two different categories (T11 and T12) With the support of donors like you only VT Seva enabled these students to accomplish great achievements 5 students from Nethra Vidyalaya School and 10 students from Nethra Vidyalaya Degree colleges gave their best performance and won the following awards Winners from Nethra Vidyala School: Winners from Nethra Vidyalaya College: VT Seva thanks all the donors and volunteers for creating this huge impact in the visually challenged students life. For donations please visit us at vtsworld.org/donate

We had a very collaborative meeting for Alpharetta High School’s VT Seva Club on August 18th, 2023. The participants learned all about the leaders and what the club does, like cleaning up parks, writing thank you cards, visiting old age homes and more. The members also learned about our programs like the presidential award and summer programs. The highlight of the meeting was getting to collaborate with the members on what future events we should plan. This was very important to the leaders as we want to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for the members, while getting to explore for more ideas for activities in the future. It was a very successful meeting. It’s a pleasure to share with you all another story of determination and persistence of our Atlanta VT youths - Establishment of 5th VT Seva Youth Club in Alpharetta Highschool on October 24, 2022. Started by the co-presidents, Hasini Namineni and Monisha Thiyagaraj.

October 30th VTS Denmark Youth Club participated in the Meals by Grace service, helping to pack food for 66 families in need. We got to work with other students outside of Denmark VT Seva as well. This was a great opportunity to connect with students that are just as passionate about giving and volunteering. October Our club has been actively meeting to discuss goals for 2024 and how to engage our Denmark youth in exciting events to come! During the October VTSEVA Denmark meeting on 10/25, we covered information about the Presidential Volunteer Service Award like how many hours are required and when it will be awarded. We also showed the attendees a brief video how to log their hours. Additionally we introduced our club volunteer opportunity, Meals for Grace, and the registration opened. Overall it was a very productive and engaging meeting! VT Seva Atlanta Denmark Youth Club Card Making Event VTS Denmark started Card Making project for the Henry County graduating Highschool Seniors. They will be making congratulatory cards for the graduating seniors in Henry County's Kids in Transition program, which supports these homeless/fostered students transition to becoming more independent as they move beyond high school. Last year, they made 60 special cards. This year, they made 50 cards for making seniors’ day a little bit more special for them. Kudos to all the Denmark youths for making motivating and inspirational cards for the homeless / fostered seniors of Henry county. Atlanta youths have established ‘Denmark VT Seva Youth club’ at Denmark Highschool on Jan 14, 2022. This is the 2nd VT Seva Youth Club in Atlanta after Lambert Youth Club. This club was started on January 14th by Abhiram Chilakamarri (President), Pranav Mocherla (VP of Communication), and Dharanija Peram (VP of Membership) at Denmark High School in Atlanta. On February 15th, VT SEVA Denmark Youth Club conducted their first meeting. They had over 10 interested participants who attended the meeting. During the meeting, they went over the basis of VT SEVA: its mission, purpose, and foundation. They also shared how to become a volunteer for VT SEVA and how to log hours. It was a big success for Denmark Youth club in Atlanta. Inspired by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji’s words, VT SEVA Denmark Youth Club members participated in the ‘Meals by Grace’ food packing activity on October 30th, 2022 in Cumming, GA. They sorted bagels into bags, organized chip packets, and delivered food to the hungry families of north Georgia. This small service is dedicated to our Acharya for His Thirunakshathram! VT Seva Denmark Youth Club made special ‘Thank You’ cards for the Thomas Eye group staff members from November 20 - 28, 2022. They delivered these cards on November 28th. All Doctors and staff members were incredibly happy and grateful to see loving-caring cards by our VT youths. Our youths have created an everlasting impression on them and they took VT Seva website address to see how they can support this volunteer organization in future. VT Seva Denmark Youth Club launches ‘Animal Shelter Drive’ in Feb 2023 to provide comfort to hundreds of animals of Forsyth county who are rescued this winter. While animals wait for the adoption, Denmark Atlanta youths are collecting essential supplies, helping local authorities in animal care, and thereby making a difference in the lives of homeless animals! Denmark Youth Club Animal Shelter Drive: VTS Denmark Youth Club started off 2023 with a service project dedicated to those beings who are in constant need of attention and care. We organized a drive to collect supplies for the Forsyth County Animal Shelter. Items collected included hand sanitizer, pet wipes, Clorox, dog and cat food, and dog and cat toys. We collected over 30 items and gave them to the animal shelter on April 12th.

“Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable” – Paramahamsa Yogananda Being part of a group with a primary goal of expressing gratitude to the community through service inspired us to consider ways in which we could leave our mark on society. VTSeva’s core beliefs lead us to seek for methods that could be implemented in our own community. We started to ask certain questions: How could we spread awareness about this organization’s goals? How could we implement our ideas? What can we do to build on this organization’s strengths and leave our own mark? This notion gave rise to our plan to establish an exclusive club at Troy High School to represent VTSeva and its core ideals. Hearing about other high schools that started their own clubs inspired us to get things started. We initially began by gathering information about how school clubs worked. Through alumni within VTSeva, we asked questions and noted down all the important factors that went into successfully starting and running a club. We started communicating with our school’s directors to understand the process and requirements to start a club. Just as we started gaining momentum, we encountered our first problem. While VTSeva is unique in the opportunities that it provides and the diverse people that it attracts, it was already a known fact that there are existing clubs with similar roles at our school. Our first task was to explain why this club would be different from others. With some help from others within the school and the youth board director Priya Jaisankar, we were able to successfully convince the school that we are a beneficial group to the school and it’s values. Second was to find a teacher sponsor. However, finding a teacher is not easy, especially at Troy High. With the number of clubs available and running at Troy, the majority of teachers are too busy sponsoring other clubs to add another onto their list. But, after looking for some time, we were able to find a teacher interested in helping us with our cause. With these requirements fulfilled, we were able to be a part of the club fair which scouts students to joining different clubs and activities. And we are proud to say that we were able to add 50+ new students to the cause. All this leads us to present day. We have finished our elections for the student board for the club and have added some amazing , hard-working students to the organization. Anuraag Balaji- President Srihari Ananthalwan- Vice President Leo Schmidt- Secretary Vishnu Athreya- Event Coordinator Haresh Anand & Komal Yedla- Comm. Leads Ajitesh Venkatesh- Tech Lead We have had several events sent out to people within the club and have had a number of people participate in them. And we had our first VTSeva Club event exclusively for the Troy High VTS Club, Salvation Army Bell Ringing event successfully. Once again, congratulations to our board, and we’re looking to create a great school year full of volunteering opportunities! Article Written By: Srihari Ananthalwan Article posted by Nandini (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

The only thing that is worse than being blind is having sight but no vision - Helen Keller The VolunT Grants Program provides T-Mobile US employees an opportunity to apply for funding from the T-Mobile Foundation to support volunteer projects in their local communities in the categories of Bridging the Digital Divide, Equity in Action and Sustainability. T-Mobile employee Mr. Krishna Vennamaneni as the board member of VT Seva has applied for a grant of $1500 to empower the visually challenged studying at Nethra Vidyalaya, school for the visually challenged. T-Mobile foundation has approved his application. VT Seva has procured 3 computers with the T-Mobile grant amount - - 2 ACER DESKTOP-I-3/10th/8GB/1TB/WIN10HSL - 1 ACER 515 LAPTOP 15/8/512GB/WIN 11 The 3 computers procured with T-Mobile grant are enabling 15 visually challenged students to get educated in English, Math and Science without solely relying on books in Braille script, Braille slate and stylus. The technology is enabling them to become self reliant. Mr. Krishna Vennamaneni has been volunteering with the VT Seva organization every day from it's inception in 2008. He is a recipient of US President's Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteering more than 5000 hours in last decade. He is currently serving as the advisor to the organization where he mentors the youth and adults to become servant leaders and serve the communities we live in, especially to educate the visually challenged and underprivileged. VT Seva empowers youth with many community service projects and encourages them to define and own them, summer internships, art for equality competitions, volunteering music and dance to serve local communities and outreach projects. As the founding member of the organization and continuous commitment to serve, he has been playing a critical role in developing the organization from branches in 3 cities to 25 cities and about less than 50 volunteers to thousands of active volunteers. I regularly visit the schools for visually challenged to interact with the students, teachers and organizers to have firsthand information on their progress, their needs so that we can better empower them with education. The time spent with little children at Nethra Vidyalaya supported by VT Seva is priceless. Every child has a heart touching story to tell us. Ms. Spandana (in the above picture) was disowned and left orphaned when she was days old, by her parents as she was born blind. She is now a bright and joyful child, studying at Nethra Vidyalaya. She introduced her friends to me and many of them had similar stories. They are all happy, naughty and friendly children. They all have a bright future, thanks to the empowerment by VT Seva with support from many kind people and corporations such as T-Mobile. Motherly care is provided by teachers for students at the school. -Krishna Vennamaneni VT Seva organization has pioneered the use of the computers to educate the visually challenged so that they have opportunities to compete with others at equal footing. The blindness is not an obstacle for them with the use JAWS software on the computers that enables their education with audio enabled accessibility equipment. T-Mobile's passion is enabling everyone to have access to the connectivity, technology, and skills needed to thrive in a digital world. From supporting community partners to investing in education initiatives and providing disaster relief, T-Mobile's focus is on empowering people with the tools they need to make their essential connections. Mr. Krishna Vennamaneni is optimistic that with bigger grant amount from T-Mobile next year, he will be able to procure more computers for empowering more visually challenged children.

Austin VTSeva team has recently concluded the 2nd annual day event Vasudha- Beats on for a cause musical and dance fundraising event Nov 12th with a goal to support education for 100 visually challenged and tribal students. From bottom of our heart we thank each and every contributor for their generous heart and wishes to provide these students better facilities in making them great citizens of the world. You are the role models showcasing the next generation the “ART OF GIVING”. Our austin VTSeva family is growing and thank you for the continued support every year. Our fundraising still continues to cover 15 students to reach our goal of 100 visually challenged students. Special Thanks to our Chief Guest Mr and Mrs. SriRao Boddapu(Co-Founder & President at Esolvit) and Usha Boddapu(National Award winner from U.S Department of Commerce, Winner of NAWBO, CEO, Esolvit.) for taking time from their busy schedule and joining us in handing over the trophies to the volunteers. They are great inspiration to the future generations and role models in giving back to the community as we reach heights in our life journey. Thanks to every volunteer of beats for cause and other VTSeva Austin events who worked towards the goal. Event organizing is never a one man show . Big shoutout to all our participants who put their heart to support the cause and fundraised setting up an individual goal. Thankyou to all our young and dynamic participants, Austin JET Raganjali team, Swadhyaya, Gayathri Veenalaya, Natyalaya School of dance, Russian overtones, Pavithram Dance school for their great selection of songs, dance pieces and donations. Each and every great heart came together and helped reach our goal to sponsor education for 100 Visually challenged and tribal Students. Every one have diligently worked their part and contributed for the cause. It was wonderful seeing the youth handling the Emcee with great energy and handling last min changes . Youth at the sign up table receiving the guest and making sure all have right info. Kid volunteers at stalls desperate to fundraise with their crafts . Painting with passion youth team displaying all their painting. Every Adult volunteers who stood like pillars in training, guiding the kids and inspiring them to serve. Adult volunteer team for Sound system perfectly managed which is the actual energy for the show . Thanks to Mr. Krishna Mohan Gobburu and Mr. Hemanth Ramachandra for their generous service. Photography by Mr. Ramesh (photosbyRamesh) and Mr.Ashok for their free video and photography service which helped in capturing our memories Last by not the least food team who worked hard to serve food on time and managing the crowd with no hassle. Packing and keeping Togo boxes ready. It was like five fingers all working together and each is important to serve a purpose. We showed VTSeva is “Volunteer Together for Service “ Our Sponsors :

VT Seva Dallas recently concluded its 2nd annual Halloween Candy Drive for US troops where we collected over 1600 lbs of candy, an increase of 60% from last year. We had quite a number of youth and adult volunteers participate, with our youngest being 2 years old. We were able to successfully raise almost $400 from the candy buyback, which will be used for tribal school children. In addition, the collected candy was donated to US army troops and the Metrocrest Food Bank. Here are a couple of our volunteers’ experiences with the event: “We donated around 2 ½ buckets of candy and received $12 from Melissa Rozas D.D.S & Associates located in Coppell.” - Sai Karthik Battula “This event made me realize the privileged upbringing that I’m blessed with and has taught me that the joy of giving is so much more fulfilling. Moreover, it has inspired me to take time out of my busy schedule to do something for others.” - Raam Raodeo “It was my pleasure to participate in the candy drive again!! I was really happy about all we did.” - Sahasra “It was a beautiful experience to collect candies for the Halloween Candy Drive. So many kids wanted to go to more houses so that they could contribute more towards the drive. Not only did they donate candies from their candy stack, but also gave their favorite candies.” - Devayani Nagabhushan

Video Presentation of the Volunteering Activities 1) Gleaners Mercado Food hub: May 7th, 2022 Mercado Food Hub is an organization that distributes packaged foods to underprivileged people in the metro Detroit area. The volunteers packed the produce in the boxes, packed the cold food items in boxes, arranged and assorted all boxes on carts as per request of the supervisor, Rearranged shelves items, stacked items, loaded the clients’ cards, restocked cold food items and finally cleaned the whole area. Youth Volunteers: Sanjeev Nethaji, Harini Senthil Kumar, Saisha Srivatsan, Nikhil Srinivasan, Sanjith Sambath Adult Volunteers: Nethaji Anamuthu, Sharmiladevi Balendran, Meera Srinivasan. Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0bPHWe5T9F5rLg7uqSu2kduLTrT6dRh2FFqPo4T1niygWbci2hFc9UphYJcC35kuLl 2) Novi Police Appreciation lunch & Police Tour: May 8th, 2022 As National Police Week falls in the month of May, VT Seva Detroit hosted an Appreciation lunch for Novi Police Dept and got an opportunity to tour the Novi Police Station and extend our sincere gratitude to all police officers. 𝗪𝗲 𝗩𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗩𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗶 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. Youth Volunteers: Varsha Karthik, Veena Karthik, Haji Muhinthan, Varshan Muhinthan, Aditya Prayagi, Adhip Pisipati, Ved Patel, Saanvi Moorthy, Kalki R Adult Volunteers: Sudhakar Kolluri, Sudheer Koppu, Srinathbabu Karnati, Anand Reghunathan, Jai Shankar, Priya Jaishankar, Architha Kramadhati, Bhavna Patel, Aarthi Karthik, Priya Prayagai, Komathy Muhinthan, Vidya Rajendran Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02bkFcfmTi4USNn6jdBhpHZuUJVkzQMfTzNaKupANdxhL1Ew8q9NSghysj9ZftDHvgl 3) The Clean Love Project Hygiene Kits Assembling: May 21st, 2022 11 VT Seva Detroit volunteers got this wonderful opportunity to help them assemble and pack around 2000 Hygiene kits for Detroit Women and young girls in need. Clean Love Hygiene kits to women and young girls who are homeless, live in poverty, or are survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking. The Clean Love project is a women's welfare organization with a mission to make the much-needed women and young girls to feel clean, loved, and empowered. The VT Seva team helped the organization to assemble and pack a feminine hygiene product kit that were to be distributed to women and young girls suffering in poverty or survivors of domestic violence or homeless. The hygiene kits included purse, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorants, sanitizers, moisturizers, tissues and sanitary napkins. In the end the team also joined a Raffle and won some goodies. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Hajanathan Muhunthan, Sanjeev Nethaji, Nikhil Srinivasan, Tanvi Rajesh, Shreya Srinivasan, Hrudya Kishore Adult Volunteers: Komathy Muhinthan, Meera Srinivasan, Muhinthan Murugesu, Nethaji Anamuthu, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0T6vCRCsbaZML3tebFBjrjTF4Pz8FE362Psk1UC2ZE8DLfKEp2QX2SDoVyR7AW1CSl 4) Crossroads Community Garden volunteering: June 1, 2022 Crossroads community grows vegetables and donates them to Hospitality House food bank in Walled Lake. The VTSeva team today helped to clean the plantation area by removing all the weeds and leveling the surface for planting. The team used a RotoTiller, which they had never used before and enjoyed the experience. This was also fun as it was outdoor hard labor work to do on a perfect summer day. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵: Sai Sri Ram Karnati, Eashan Daram, Nirvan Daram, Nikhil Aerabati, Inbaan Arul, Iniyaan Arul, Pravin Manoj Kumar 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: Srinath Karnati, Arul , Sona Arul, Athilakshmi, Vaishnavi Aerabati, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02qW9BSTZ8j5vHWoedTqerFqXpfMK8n81xAWtT2qoBJ83jnEkcsfy35Q8izeZzZcTbl 5) Gleaners Mercado hub volunteering: June 4, 2022 Mercado Food Hub is an organization that distributes packaged foods to underprivileged people in the metro Detroit area. Together our volunteers packed more than 13,845 pounds of food serving more than 94 Detroit families in need. Gleaners Mercado Community Food Hub is a client choice pantry where children and families thrive and have access to healthy food and an array of services that improve their overall quality of life. The volunteers packed the produce in the boxes, packed the cold food items in boxes, arranged and assorted all boxes on carts as per request of the supervisor, Rearranged shelves items, stacked items, and loaded the clients’ cards, restocked cold food items and finally cleaned the whole area. Youth Volunteers: Anvika Perumalla, Nikhil Aerabati, Sairaaga Perala, Oviya Jaishankar, Saanvi Duruvasan, Christeena Boddakayala Adult Volunteers: Raghunath Aerabati, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02Hf7qNAaoc5kWoHipdyF3Y7FBgNNNYQmSEaBMaamZYD8BzTcFSLmekKRLaHoi9YDdl 6) Destined for Greatness Ford Wellness Center: June 5, 2022 Destined for Greatness is an organization provide support to young girls who are helpless and comes from underprivileged families in metro Detroit. VT Seva Team joined with Destined for Greatness in Ford Wellness center to Volunteer. The team helped in organizing the scattered clothes, toys etc. and separated them based on gender, age, size etc. and packed them in big bags. The Team received Detroit makeover community certificates and were very happy for the opportunity to help the community. Youth Volunteers: Varun Brijesh, Anand Brijesh, Hrudya Kishore, Fares Elmahrouky, Salma Bassel, Sai Sahasra Namuduri, Ishan Iyer, Dheemanth Akshay, Tej Penugonda Adult Volunteers: Kishore, Ragunath Namuduri, Srinivas Kumar, Gopal Brijesh, Jayshree Brijesh, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan. Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02JAELi5snveYKcCLdKpf4uwiosUkThEk3nJggdZpnwkoM89hY1Uz7AnUfqG7d6Mhtl 7) Matthaei Botanical Gardens Volunteering in the University of Michigan: June 18, 2022 This was one-of-a-kind volunteering where the kids learnt a lot about Ecology. They had a 3mile walk in the botanical gardens as part of a tour with two UofM students who were very knowledgeable on the flora and fauna of the garden. The team were given tasks along the way. It was very different and informative unlike the other services the VT seva team had done. They had to pull out invasive species, especially the one identified as Dame’s Rocket. On the way the team also saw rare species of plants, trees and birds. They were able to see Gray Crested Flycatcher Bird, Blue Bird, Butterflies, Damsel Files and flowers like Tulip Tree, wild mushrooms, poison Ivys, American Bladder Nuts etc. Overall, it was a very informative and interesting adventure rather than volunteering for the team. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Nikhil Aerabati, Hrudya Kishore, Sathvik Kanduri, Akshith Ashwanth, Aditi Kompally, Lalitaditya Akkaraju, Eesha Chigullapally, Yana Panchal, Niharika Prabhu, Anish Nallani, 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Vaishnavi Aerabati, Srinivas Kanduri, Mahesh Hebbar, Suresh Rajan, Rajesh Durga, Ravinder Akkaraju, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid064tFomsJNMLpV3MXAoc1gReK2uzG4SVmbaRFJaDfhHuRu4xvS6o75wLLUjD3u4RTl 8) VT Seva Detroit Soccer Fundraising Tournament 2022: June 25, 2022 VT Seva Detroit organized a boarded indoor fundraising soccer tournament yet again this year to benefit the blind and visually challenged children in India. This year’s turnout was unprecedented with 33 games in the 3 age Groups with a total of 93 players. Please find more details about this event in this blog https://www.vtsworld.org/post/2022-vt-seva-detroit-soccer-for-a-cause Youth Volunteers: Yug, Abhinav, Akshay, Sai, Oviya, Supraja, Aditi, Nikita, Aahana, Varshini. Adult Volunteers: Suresh ji, Darshan ji, Vanitha ji, Srinath ji, Priya ji, Jaishankar ji, Anitha ji, Alvin Ji, Archita ji, Nandhini ji & Srinivas ji Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02H1h68CTznDc5WXvKzGF7ySgiAhQ7kMsUNxj3kQk1bX4cuQNAm1pY3jxx2URVwQpRl 9) Crossroads Community Garden Outdoor Volunteering: July 6th, 2022 Crossroads community is a community garden, produce from which goes to local food banks bridging the gap to provide fresh produce to those in need. VT seva team cleaned the planting areas and removed all weeds using the rototiller. It was a great outdoor event on a summer day and was well spent by the volunteers giving back to the community. Youth Volunteers: Sai SriRam Karnati, Kavya Karnati, Avantika Putta, Aahana Jain Adult Volunteers: Srinath Karnati, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02FUc8DHNwzz8SBUACcuL2KAdG4Qtg667mCgnbC5F6Sda8nSjczNB1XrGE5D6ep5jYl 10) Earthworks Urban Farm Volunteering: July 9th, 2022 The Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s Earthworks Urban Farm is a large certified organic farm where the majority of their produce goes into meals at the soup kitchen who serve food to many homeless people in the Detroit community. VT Seva team helped there by removing the weeds, cleaning the landscapes, removing scapes, Sifting the compost pile and turning it into dirt. To sift the compost means to dig up solid and pass it thru metal weave to separate the wanted and unwanted materials. The Compost was further used in gardens, nurseries etc. It was a great outdoor event and a learning experience for the team to understand how farmers keep the land fertile and manage the compost for natural fertilizers. Youth Volunteers: Hajanthan Muhinthan, Varshan Muhinthan, Shritha Thirunagari, Srivatsa Thirunagari, Yana Panchal, Eesha Chigullapally, Nikhil Srinivasan, Tanvi Rajesh, Shreya Srinivasan Adult Volunteers: Meera Srinivasan, Komathy Muhinthan, Muhinthan Murugesu, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02EhW5gM2vk8uQA8dKBUaB7uE3xj5rmWHfRQSnMng1K1Mc8QNFvoku8w9TfGmo9HFgl 11) Arts and Scraps Remote Volunteering Projects: May-July, 2022 a) Cutting Foam Project b) Cutting Fabrics Project 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 & 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁. To do that they rely heavily on volunteers like ourselves. Stickies, sock loops, ticket stubs, fabric, buttons, you name it they use many different materials and textures to inspire our students during their STEM Programming. 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝟰 𝗮𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗩𝗧 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 & 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 two 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Nikhil Aerabati, Varun Aerabati, Sai Sri Ram Karnati, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Varshan Muhinthan, Sathvik Kanduri, Sai Sahasra Namuduri, Sanjay Sundar Pandiyan Saisha Srivatsan, Shreya Srivatsan, Rohan Patil, Hrudya Kishore, Eashan Daram, Nirvan Daram, Iniyann Arul, Inbann Arul, Aarush Kollu, Medhas Kollu, Varshini, Barla. Pravin Manoj Kumar Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0Vsr1wGrMmE9onKR7ZekrdhD21FVdioGLz56KH2B9AX1shdxAgXRoGt8Tj7XyWPhhl 12) Crossroads Community Garden Outdoor Volunteering. July 27th, 2022 Crossroads community is a community garden, produce from which goes to local food banks bridging the gap to provide fresh produce to those in need. VT seva team cleaned the planting areas and removed all weeds using the rototiller. It was a great outdoor event on a summer day and was well spent by the volunteers giving back to the community. The youth volunteers also put up the reflectors to ward off the critters, birds & deer. Youth Volunteers: Diva, Aahana, Akshay, Iniyaan, Inbaan, Udhaaya, Veeksha Adult Volunteers: Arul Jaiprakash, Ramya Battu, Sona Vivekananda, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0DBNUfFW4pWe1TSiP6zYu1SMCViKQ4WVBq9ibV2DYXoVkcU5eez3YyZWKTuYeXWaCl 13) World Medical Relief, Inc Volunteering. July 30, 2022 World Medical Relief collects and distributes recycled medical and dental supplies and medicines to help thousands of sick and poor people around the world. These goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, and religion, nationality, or political beliefs. It was an amazing experience to be able to sort and repackage supplies that will be shipped to Ukraine during their terrible times and meeting their medical needs. Youth Volunteers: Eesha chigullapally; Aditi Jethri Kompally; Aahana Jain; Pravin Manoj Kumar; Veeksha Somula, Kushal Durga; Anurag Balaji; Sanjeev Nethaji, Shreya Srivatsan Adult Volunteers: Venkat Chigullapally; Nirmala Srivatsan; Bhavana Patel; Manoj Kumar; Vandana Durga; Vanitha Gopalan Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0Jp1QkYvTaxiuvMzvfNEDYmyjyreh1hWFnjj5SRrhrzUm5hPDCM6TVt6Fsfg12qYal 14) 9th Annual Volleyball & Throwball Fundraising Tournament. August 20, 2022 All the funds raised will go towards the education of the visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya and Tribal School students. Please find details about this tournament in this blog link below. Blog about VB tournament: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-9th-annual-volleyball-throwball-tournament-august-20th-2022 Youth Volunteers: Kavya, Sneha, Jayanth, Niharika, Ahana, Veena, Hrudya, Supraja, Leo, Sail, Nikhil, Shreya, Alok, Ishan, Teja, and Arya Adult Volunteers: Suresh, Ram, Venkat, Vanitha, Sudheer, Jyothi, Jaishankar, Swaroop, Srikanth, Meera, Ramya, Sreenivas, Nandhini, Sireesha ji, and Srinath ji Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02mgn4HZbqMmBXQrm5K8q75TxEAbN3q41VEoBQTaoEkfPsyFMiHC9yDvXnJ2NXtnjbl 15) Mailing Supplies Project to help Penrickton Center for Blind Children (Remote) Aug 1st to Aug 22nd, 2022 Penrickton Center for Blind Children is a non-profit that provides care to support blind, multi-disabled children and their families. The service they provide to families is for no charge so they fully rely on donations from the community. Throughout the year Penrickton Center sends out requests for donations and invitations to raise funds. VT Seva Volunteers got this opportunity again this year to help them assemble their mailing supplies items in envelopes as per their directions for their fundraising purposes. We received the mailing supplies items were picked up from the center in August 1st week & all the items were sorted with the help of few of our adult volunteers, well made into 26 kits for 26 youth volunteers to do this project. The mailing supplies were picked up from the Penrickton Center, sorted and organized as 26 kits with the help of few of our adult volunteers. Youth Volunteers: Ajitesh V, Rishi A, Kushal D, Rishi C, Shruthi A, Rishi A, Kaustubh D, Vibha D, Saathvik K, Kavya K, Sai K, Saisha S, Shreya S, Akshith A, Srihari H, Sanjaya T, Rishabh M, Amogh M, Pravin M, Varun B, Anand B, Haji M, Varshan M, Sriram H, Anirudh C, and Pranavi C. Adult Volunteers: Suresh Rajan, Sudheer Koppu, Asha Puranam, Jyothi Srinath and Vanitha Gopalan Ji. YouTube link: https://youtube.com/watch?v=LrTan9SFpHs&feature=share Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0G2iaqpsDcUDSZAN5g32n112pZxfaVqr6tLH64ESS3qchSw4PDhaoypALHA7JX9Tel 16) World Medical Relief Volunteering: Aug 27th, 2022 Another great volunteering opportunity & a wonderful learning experience for all our 15 Detroit volunteers on Aug 27th at World Medical Relief. World Medical Relief began collecting and distributing recycled medical and dental equipment, medical supplies, and medicines to aid thousands of sick and poor people around the globe. Their mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs. For many years, World Medical Relief continued its international goal of helping people with medical and pharmaceutical needs in developing countries. Youth Volunteers: Eesha chigullapally; Aditi Jethri Kompally; Aahana Jain; Pravin Manojkumar; Nishant Sharma, Kushal Durga; Mithun Nandakumar; Shreya Srivatsan; Sai Sahasra Adult Volunteers: Venkat Chigullapally;Nirmala Srivatsan; Athi Lakshmi;Rajesh Durga; Raghunath Namudiri, Vanitha Gopalan Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid036wEYSNpFSSiyzod7LxmPGXxAtTassgZxnivGcgHpqQmGDX4ERJ4GYsMo8cMvQShjl 17) Hanuman Temple Sewa Volunteering – Sep 7th & 14th, 2022 It was indeed a great fulfilling experience to help our local Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple MI USA with whatever help was requested by the temple priest. 1. All the puja items were emptied from the cabinets shelves, sorted, grouped, and organized into various boxes & placed them in an orderly fashion. 2. All the cable wires and electric gadgets were organized and kept in shelves 3. The Decor items were segregated, grouped, and organized into different boxes. 4. Temple office room was cleaned, cupboards outside the office area were also neatly organized. 5. Sorted out new clothes like Perumal dhoti, sarees and other accessories. 6. Kitchen pantry shelves were neatly cleaned, sorted, and organized as per the temple chef's instructions. 7. Then all the Vastrams (Deities cloths) were segregated, neatly folded, and placed in separate cabinets for Abhishekam purposes. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵: Sai Karnati, Nishanth Sharma, Rachana, Rohan Patil, Sriraam Hebbar, Kirupali Sathyanathan, Abisrishti Ram, Aadhya Ram, Hajanthan Muhinthan and Varshan Muhinthan 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁: Srinath Karnati, Sailatha Thukkaram, Ranjani Raghu, Jyothi Karnati, Ajay Sharma, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan, Savita Pail, Raj Patil, Subha Ram, Ram Ramanathan, Veena Hebbar, Komathy Selvarajan and Muhinthan Murugesu Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0Jq865bsQQkgtJqrxPvkHyn1qbGUGwCWjGsZLUbgsMwzV5fiVTfPbmN2GxbDu2Xzwl https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid065mqyRRz4Yf2kpe7g3pcqNb68FnZnb8jf93ZXBwnNMQe9khDfQEC95XuF5wkU4CYl 18) Cottage Painting at MCHS Family Services – Sep 24th, 2022 MCHS Family of Services provides individualized treatment, care, advocacy, and permanency to children and families impacted by childhood trauma. MCHS Family of Services is a child welfare agency located in Redford and Detroit providing foster care and adoption, transitional living, child abuse prevention and community wellness programs. VT Seva Detroit Volunteers got a great oppourtunity to help them paint their cottages for these children living there. A group of 20 volunteers painted couple of cottages with the guidance of the coordinator Blai, he explained in details how to apply masking tape around all the wood frames, edges and electrical outlets. We were supplied with all the tools such as paint rollers with extenders, brushes, paint trays, paint, step ladders, towels, tarp, gloves and masks. Blain explained the right way of applying the paint onto the walls around the corridors and bedrooms. There were 10 rooms and corridor walls that had to be painted Youths: Kushal, Rohan, Amogh, Rishabh, Nishant, Saanvi M, Saanvi D, Ashish R, Leo S, Harsh, Bhuvan A, Nikhil R 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬: Vandana D, Vaishnavi R, Ramachandra V, Savita P, Raj P, Nivedhitha M, Suresh R & Vanitha G Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/455621053268071 Blog Consolidation: VTSeva Detroit YB Volunteer, Supraja Video Created: VTSeva Detroit YB Volunteer, Aahana Blog Published: VTSeva Detroit Communications, Nandini

VT Seva Dallas recently concluded its 12th annual cancer awareness walk/run. This year, we resumed our in-person walkathon, as in the previous two years we hosted virtual walkathons due to Covid. This event was successfully conceptualized and coordinated with the support of all our volunteers, youth, and adult. We had an amazing turnout of about 150 people, as enthusiastic crowds across Dallas flocked to the walkathon to show their support and were rewarded with a nice morning walk, while also getting educated about the various cancers and how to prevent them as a community. We started off with our branch director's welcome note, Mr. Uttam Indukuri, who spoke about our past annual Dallas cancer walkathons, and our goal for this year's walkathon. Unlike our previous years where our main initiative for this event was for raising funds for cancer screening camps in India, this year's walkathon held the goal of raising $20,000. The proceeds from the 12th Annual Cancer Awareness Walk/Run will be used to empower rural women in multiple ways through purchasing machinery to manufacture sanitary napkins to raise awareness of personal hygiene among girls and women from rural areas. Along with that, the proceeds will also go to training rural women to get hired to work in manufacturing. These products are ensured to be environmentally friendly and will be distributed free of cost. This is an important cause because globally, 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation services, which can lead to infections and Cancer. We also had a couple of guest speakers, including our very own mayor from Frisco, Jeff Cheney, as well as Dr. Kiran Kancharla, an oncologist with a very informative speech about cancer awareness and prevention. We are so thankful for them coming out on a beautiful Saturday morning, and appreciating VT Seva Dallas’ efforts through the Cancer walkathon. The day started off with yoga to stretch out before the walk, led by Mr. Sateesh Burgadda, which got everyone energized and ready for the main event. After the walkathon, which saw people of all ages participating, teams of volunteers presented and educated walkers about different types of cancers, through descriptive posters and presentations. We had prizes for our leaderboard in three different age groups, 10 and under, 11-15, 16-25, and the adults category respectively. Prizes were also given out based on the leaderboard at the end of the month-long competition leading up to the walkathon, where users would register and log their daily number of miles walked. The day concluded with activities including a quiz on VTSeva’s efforts, a lemon spoon game, and even fun face painting. VT Seva Dallas is thrilled by the immense support towards this noble cause and is grateful for the collaboration with the Dallas community. By: Arnav Senapathi and Vishnu Heddese Here are some of the pictures taken during the event:

SUBHA 2022 "You have right to action, but never to the fruits of action, so do not do action for the sake of fruit, nor be attached to work." - Bhagavad Gita (Chapter II, Verse 47). Atlanta VT team embodies action-oriented approach with service mindset and humble attitude to inspire and empower our youths to be the servant leaders of tomorrow through our Subha Annual event! The word 'Subha' represents the first ray of light in the horizon, the light that slowly transforms even the darkest of nights into a bright, beautiful sunrise. It symbolizes hope, light, and happiness even in the most obscure and difficult times. The VT Seva Atlanta team aimed to spread this light into the lives of 125 visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya in India, with our Subha program. With Swamiji blessings, SUBHA 2nd annual event was a success in terms of maximum youth participation, richness in the cultural program, funds raised for the Nethra Jewels, and promoting diversity and inclusion. We are able to accomplish our goal of raising funds for approximately 125 Nethra kids with your immense Grace and generous support of our donors. In this Subha event, we had support from many new Atlanta volunteers both youths and adults and at present we have more than 500 plus volunteers in Atlanta VT and Jet family. Unique to Atlanta is the establishment of 5 VT Seva Youth Clubs in 5 High schools: Lambert, Denmark, Northview, Alliance Academy, and Alpharetta Highschool which are promoting diversity and inclusion and inspiring young hearts for the selfless service to all beings. The SUBHA annual event was organized on Dec 3rd, 2022, in which Atlanta youths presented a cultural program comprising of melodious songs, magnificent dances, and meaningful messages. Our Chief Guests were Sargent Seamore from Johns Creek Police Department, Dana Reynolds and Donaldson from Laurel Heights Hospital Business Development Team, and Dr. Praveen Gudipati from Cumming Dental. The program commenced by lighting an auspicious lamp and prayer recitation. Next, were the American and Indian National Anthems by our youths. Subsequently, was a welcome speech by Madhu Nemani, VT Seva Director expressing her sincere gratitude to Swamiji for bestowing us with this opportunity to organize Subha and carryout HIS VISION and MISSION in Atlanta. She also welcomed all the Chief guests, Jet and Prajna coordinators, sponsors, and all the children, youths, and adults of VT Seva and Jet Atlanta teams. She shared her first-hand experience of visiting Varija Ashram in Visakhapatanam in July 2022 and how the funds raised has positively impacted the lives of the visually challenged and assisted them in becoming self reliant. Thereafter, was a stellar presentation ‘Alone we can’t Together we CAN’ by Hithesh Gazzalaji and Anuradha Gazzalaji in which they presented the highlights of Atlanta’s year-round volunteer works in the field of educational, environmental, disaster relief, healthcare and its impact on the Atlanta community. This presentation touched the hearts of all and motivated all to do more and do better in 2023 and thereafter. Hitheshji also shared his reason for joining VT Seva as he was challenged himself in childhood and how he has overcome his challenges with good education and now is self-reliant and independent. Next, was an Indian Kucchipudi dance by Prajna children which was followed by ‘Unity in Diversity’ our star performance in which 5 VT Seva Youth Club members participated - Lambert high school, Denmark high school, Northview high school, Alliance academy, and Alpharetta high school. They exhibited the real unity in diversity by portraying a beautiful action song on ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’. This song presented the rich Indian heritage, its culture, all-embracing confluence of religions, traditions, and customs. Our 5 club youth club members beautifully exhibited the Indian patriotic spirit and its treasure - the rich soil, the art, the dance, the music, the culture, the flora and fauna, the value-based education, and the Indian legacy. In brief, it’s a look and taste of India in every aspect. Thereafter Atlanta youths presented Bollywood dances, Indian classical songs, and Instrumental music performances which created an aura of celebration and commemoration for all. Afterwards, our Chief guests rendered their inspirational speeches in which they highly praised the exemplary volunteer works that our VT Seva youths have done this year, their selfless service, its positive impact on the Atlanta community, donations raised, and stellar cultural program. We’ll work hand-in-hand with the John’s Creek police officers to make this place safe for all and Serve All Beings As Service To God. Later, momentous were given to the Chief guests, sponsors, VT Seva children, and volunteers. In the end, VT Seva Director appreciated the hard work, dedication, and selfless service of the entire Atlanta team. She also sincerely thanked all the donors for their generous contributions for the noble cause. Overall, Subha 2022 was very rewarding and gratifying experience for us. The delightful dances, the meaningful messages, and the soulful songs together created a memorable and treasured afternoon for all. Dr. Madhu Nemani On behalf of VT Seva & Jet Atlanta Team VT Seva Atlanta's goal for this year is to support the education of 125 Visually Challenged / Blind students. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart - Helen Keller The Atlanta VT Seva team wishes to see the unseen, touch the untouched, and feel inexpressible joy and happiness by organizing our SUBHA annual event. What is SUBHA? The word 'SUBHA' represents the first ray of light in the horizon, the light that slowly transforms even the darkest of nights into a bright, beautiful sunrise. It symbolizes hope, light, and happiness even in the most obscure and difficult times. The Atlanta team has been spearheading this light into the lives of the special-needs children of Laurel Heights Hospital in Atlanta and the visually challenged / blind children of Nethra Vidyalaya in India with our Subha program. Atlanta VT Seva youth believes that one can go as far as he wants with education. She has donated her tutoring allowance to go to the right cause - Education For All You can also be part of this Giving gesture. Your act of giving will illuminate the lives of visually challenged - bringing ‘SUBHA’ (Light, Hope & Happiness) in their lives. We can all be SUBHA for someone else today! Optionally you can also donate through Zelle. Mark your Zelle payments to treasurer@vtsworld.org Please add a note stating the cause, "VT Seva Atlanta Subha 2022". Thanks! Because of your generous support in 2021, we could make a positive impact on 100 blind / visually challenged kids of Nethra Vidyalaya. Supriya, a 7th grade student of the Nethra Vidyalaya appreciates your generous donation. Her ambition is to become IAS officer. She cannot see but has a Vision. Let’s help her & other Nethra kids to realize their Dreams! Nimisha, an English Teacher of the Nethra Vidyalaya is blessed to be part of this institution. She is giving her Best for the education of blind / visually challenged. Let’s open our hearts & wallets and give our best also to make these kids self reliant & independent! Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders https://www.vtsworld.org/post/pg-top-ranks-in-top-universities-from-netra-vidyalaya Message from the CEO of Laurel Heights Hospital - Corey Jackson SUBHA 2021 Celebrations & Reminiscence Join Atlanta VT Seva Volunteers Group!

VTSeva Austin youth are turning their passion for painting to support the dreams of Visually challenged and tribal students. Volunteers Raina, Anvita, Amrutha, and Vaibhav are inviting you to their silent auction display at the event "Beats for a cause" on Nov 12t at "Anderson Mill Elementary school" Austin. Each painting is an effort to fulfill the dreams of the visually challenged and tribal kids to become confident and self-reliable citizens, who otherwise feel helpless or end up as child laborers. Read how your generous donations are transforming their disabilities to abilities. Donation Options : $365/year Sponsor a child education. $180/year Sponsor 6 months of education $100/year Feed a student $31/month Sponsor a child for a year education. You can choose to donate through company donation matching program Pledge here so we can send reminder and send Thank you note. IPledge2VTSeva Support the cause by donating to the paintings below. or You can simply support the efforts by attending the event. Invite your family and friends to join the event and enjoy the evening filled with Music/Dance and delicious food. No amount dis small and will help in making their dreams come true. 1. Buddha 16x20 inch canvas painting 2. Flower Girl 9x12 3. Feather 10x16 4. Flower 10 x16 5. Hot air baloon 9x12 6. Lake View 24x18 7. Hills of Blue 8x8 8. Dusk From far 8x8 9. Pink Sunset 8x8 10. River side 11. Plant to grow

VT Seva Alliance Academy Atlanta Youth Club is Thankful to have their family, friends, and the members and supporters of Atlanta VT Seva this Thanksgiving on Nov 23rd, 2023! Watch out this video to see what the team is thankful for this year! - https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz_7EdBOB4G/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== On November 16th 2023, Alliance Academy VT Seva, AAI HOSA, ICA, and Student Diversity hosted a Bollywood Night sponsored my Suvidha International Market. Students were able to participate in Bollywood dances, cheer on their friends performing, and enjoy the night with Samosas, Vada Pav, Bread Pakora, Malai Jamun, and Thumbs Up brought to us by Suvidha. Students had a great time learning more about the Bollywood Culture. Big thank you to Suvidha International Market for making this happen! In the month of October 2023 , Alliance Academy VT Seva youths serviced their community by participating in a Trunk or Treat! They were able to interact with young children and have fun with their community. At the October Chapter meeting, youths made meaningful connections with one another by playing Halloween games and learned about the core values of VT Seva. Alliance academy VTSEVA youth club had 1st chapter meeting in October where they talked about the upcoming projects.110 kids signed up to join the club at this meeting. Kate Chirapornsuk - Alliance academy VT Seva youth club Vice President traveled with her family in Summer 2023 to Bangkok to volunteer and give back to an organization-The Pakkred Babies Home. We were able to support the cause by donating 7000 Baht to the organization to support children’s education, medical bills, and food costs. The Pakkred Babies 50 years ago, The Pakkred Babies Home in Bangkok was created to help newborns until age 6. Their goal is to be able to help those kids who suffer family issues including mental illness from the parents, abuse, or even lack of funding. All of the donation money goes to support the child's ability to fully recover in society. Volunteers can also donate necessary items to the organization such as cleaning supplies, hygiene supplies to support the children, and essential items to help the kids succeed at school. To respect the children’s privacy, we blurred the faces of the children. Please go support our cause by Liking and Sharing on Instagram. Atlanta Alliance Academy Mental Health Workshop During the month of April, Alliance Academy VT Seva Youths participated in a Mental Health week from April 18th-April 21st. Throughout the week, Kate Chirapornsuk (Vice President) and Suveer Jaisingha (Public Relations Officer) created content on Instagram that promoted healthier living and pushed a focus on better Mental Health. Those activities included tips on how to manage stress, a mental health check-in, and various discussion questions such as: “What are you grateful for?” and “How do you like to manage stress?” This gave AAI VT Seva members and students the opportunity to discuss and share their feelings about the topic. On Thursday, April 20th, Alliance VT Seva Executive Officers went around their school to interview fellow students and teachers about their thoughts on mental health-related topics about how they are, what they are grateful for, and how they manage stress. Interview Video https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrTa-t6MnI3/ To end the Mental Health Week, on Friday, April 21st, Alliance Academy VT Seva hosted a Mental Health Workshop discussing healthy study habits and learning about managing stress. The workshop idea was created by Rishi Vempati (President) and then was planned and hosted by Kate Chirapornsuk and Aviral Gupta (Vice Presidents). The vice presidents invited guest speakers, Mr. Neighbor and Mrs. Kim Han, counselors at Alliance Academy to the workshop. There, they went over topics about exam preparation, confidence building, and the importance of maintaining a positive outlook. Then, officers served a light breakfast of pastries, juice, and coffee to those who attended the workshop. All foods and beverages were provided and set up by the Yotakhong/Chirapornsuk Family and Karnav Trivedi (Treasurer). Look this presentation for more information: https://docs.google.com/.../1qBQRadPYbYV1MbqogiZt.../edit... And here are more highlight: https://www.instagram.com/.../highlights/17987894992940046/ VT Seva Atlanta Alliance Academy Youth Club Letters of Love VT Seva Alliance Academy Youth Club wrote Letters of Love to the Ukrainian refugees on April 29th, 2023 to instill hope and demonstrate in a personalized way that each refugee is not alone during this hardship. The refugees highly appreciated the mindfulness and kindness of Alliance Academy youth. They have received a Certificate of Appreciation and a Thank You Letter from the Ukrainian Authorities. February Meeting 2023: The goal for this meeting was to introduce this club, and gain members who were interested in volunteering opportunities. Here we were able to introduce the executive officer team, Rishi Vempati (President), Kate Chirapornsuk (Co-Vice President), Aviral Gupta (Co-Vice President), and Rishi Desai (Director of Operations). Then we went over the ins and outs of how VT Seva works. We also discussed past projects as well as future projects at VT Seva including, April Cool, Digital Book volunteering, and the Raffle plan to support those in need in Turkey after the earthquake. We ended by answering questions from new members. March Meeting 2023: Our agenda for this meeting was to gain new members as well as introduce new projects for March and April. Our most notable project is sending/writing cards to children in Ukraine. Their main idea of this workshop is that if we come together, we can make a global impact. This initiative is led by Kate Chirapornsuk, and Aviral Gupta. Another project is our Spring Bootcamp where volunteers teach younger children important life skills that will help them throughout their middle/high school years. These skills can be anything such as English, Math, Programming, Art, etc. More information to come once we get more volunteers. Our raffle plan is currently under review! Official information will be released soon. We ended our March meeting by serving Krispy Kreme donuts, and getting to know the 30 new members we gained. Alliance academy youths created thoughtful cards for the kids of Ukraine to help them stay strong during this tough time YEAR 2022 Alliance Academy youths had a strong desire to open VT Seva club at their school. It’s a private high school in which starting a VT Seva youth club is very very tough. No teacher was ready to become the club sponsor, but our VT youths didn’t give up and looked into all the possible ways to make it happen. After 5 weeks to hard work, persistence, and going back & forth with the school authorities finally they found a WAY (where there was no way) and got 2 sponsors - Mr. Philips & Mr. Demerly and now VT Seva Youth Club at Alliance Academy was established on Sep 20th, 2022. VT Seva Alliance Academy Youth Club members made ‘Thank You’ cards and gave small gifts to the custodial and kitchen staff members of Alliance today to appreciate their sincere efforts in keeping the school clean and providing healthy lunch. This initiative is from Kate Chirapornsuk, the Secretary of the club. This club promotes diversity & inclusion and many Americans are youth members of this club. It’s a gratifying experience for all the club members of Alliance Academy For Innovation on December 15th, 2022.

The Northview VT Seva Club organized a chess tournament during the 2024 spring break to have a full day of fun and excitement for the kids. The tournament was split up into 2 age groups. 7th -12th grade played on Wed, Apr 3rd 2024 and K-6th played on Thu, Apr 4th 2024. 13 students registered and played in the 7th-12th age group. 7 students participated in the K-6th age group. It was conducted online with 5 rounds of 15 min + 10 second bonus. The students were very competitive and thoroughly engaged in the tournament, resulting in 2 1st place finishers in the 7th - 12th age group. In the K-6th tournament 7 students participated with one winner, who won all of their games. In the end, the tournament turned out to be a fun and exciting experience for everyone. VTS Northview kicked off its lights of hope project, helping to set up the neighborhood lights for John’s Creek Station. We look forward to our next project date this Saturday, November 4th, at 1 am! It’s a proud moment to share with you all - another story of determination and persistence of Atlanta VT youths. Northview high school youths had a strong desire to open VT Seva club at their school. It’s a private high school in which starting a VT Seva youth club is very very tough. No teacher was ready to become the club sponsor, but our VT youths didn’t give up and looked into all the possible ways to make it happen. Youths from VT Seva Northview High School took part in the Lights of Hope project, putting and removing Deepavali lights and Christmas lights for the Johns Creek Station community, raising $1100 for "Nethra Vidyalaya" students. VT Seva Northview youths, under the direction of the youth club President, Adithya Karthik Upadhyayula, are leading this kid-to-kid.

VT Seva Atlanta youths and ladies participated in the Self Defense session on October 8th, 2022. More than 50 participants enjoyed learning various defensive and offensive self defense techniques. This session was much appreciated by all the participants. In fact, few participants said that this the best session ever that VT Seva has done for the Atlanta community. For the ATL youths - it’s an awesome session. According to them, no volunteer org has provided them a self defense session before which is so relevant in modern times, very useful in physical & mental well-being, and highly rewarding. This self defense session was our pilot study which succeeded beyond our imagination by not only energizing & synergizing VT Atlanta community but also helping us in raising $1000 for the education of blind / visually challenged kids in India. Overall it was a very fulfilling & rewarding experience for all. ATL VT Seva Team

My name is Mahika Patlola and I am a sophomore at Round Rock Highschool, Austin TX. I attended the session 2 summer 2022 VTSeva internship in India this past summer and representing the Austin chapter, I wanted to share my remarkable experience with everyone. The knowledge and memories I gained from the internship taught me many things that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. There were 12 other students attending with me, all from various VT branches all over the US. The internship took place in India, in a village gurukulam school in the middle of an extremely dense forest, known as the Kawal Tiger Reserve. The gurukulam school where we visited is in an extremely serene, and beautiful location, with mountains, fields and a dense forest surrounding it. The forest is so dense and isolated that the villages (thandaas) within have their own distinct language and culture. Despite this extremely remote location, the children of the thandaas have an opportunity for an impactful education. The gurukulam supported by VT SEVA gives the children in the remote and extremely underdeveloped thandaas, a fully fledged education, where students that attend are able to speak fluent English by the time they graduate. This would not be possible if it wasn’t for the efforts of dedicated VT SEVA volunteers. Our fundraising we do in VT SEVA has a direct impact on children that live across the world from us. These pure, innocent kids deserve every ounce of education that is being provided to them. The essential premise of this internship was that the students from the US would hopefully learn something from the students in the gurukulam, and the students in the gurukulam would learn something from us. All the interns prepared an educational topic that they wanted to teach (along with English) . Some taught robotics, some rocketry, or scratch programming, martial arts, and more. I chose to teach dance along with one other intern. During the school day, I also taught math, English, grammar, environmental sciences, and more. One day after lunch, my dance partner and I went around to some classrooms and made an announcement that if anyone was interested in dance, they could come to the roof of the hostel at 2:30-3:30 to learn a dance. We were only expecting about 15-20 students to come, but to our surprise about 60 girls showed up, all eager to learn our dance. We taught a Bollywood/classical folk dance to the song Laahe Laahe. All the girls were extremely eager to learn, and while I was teaching, there was always someone pulling on my dress, adorably asking me to watch them. “Sister! Sister! Watch me!” After finishing teaching the dance, my voice was gone and I was exhausted, but the screams, laughs, and smiles from all the girls after we finished learning it made me inexplicably happy. It’s important to highlight that we only taught the dance in 1 hour, and everyone who learned it performed the dance perfectly at our intern farewell ceremony. This illustrates how intelligent the gurukulam kids are since they didn't forget the dance. The kids that I met are the happiest and purest kids on earth. During the internship we visited all the thandaas in the area, and distributed fruits to everyone. While we were there, all the kids were grabbing onto my kurta, holding my hand, and asking me to come to their house. I went to some of their houses, and it was a remarkable experience to see how different their lives are compared to mine. As I mentioned earlier, an important point of this internship is that the interns and the gurukulam students learn something from each other, so what did I learn from them? I learned that happiness is a result of making the best of what is provided to you. The kids are so pure, content with their lives. They are always smiling, laughing, having fun, and consistently staying happy no matter what their circumstances look like, and it’s a really inspirational experience. It taught my fellow interns about the true meaning of pure happiness and that anyone can be content by making the best of their situation. If I’m ever feeling down or overwhelmed, I just try and think about my internship, and how purely happy these kids are, it really helps me get back on my feet. This internship was something that I will never forget. I learned so much about myself, my culture, and how diverse the world is. This internship also made me realize how lucky I am to have running water, electricity, and even food, since there are many, many people who don’t have the same luxuries. Additionally, I had so much fun with my fellow interns for the 12 days I spent with them, and I made really great friends and memories that bring a smile to face when I think about them. There was much more to my experience that I didn’t bring up in this short summary. If you want to hear more, please contact me, I would love to talk about it. Thank you so much everyone who made this internship possible. Thank you to all VT SEVA volunteers for helping these kids get the education that they deserve.

Many of us celebrate Labor Day with parties, parades, picnics, and cookouts.* But it's important to remember who and what we are celebrating: American workers and labor.* “American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known… the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership—the American worker.” – DOL.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) Atlanta VT Seva youths appreciate the labor of Essential Workers on this Labor Day 2022. A total of 15 youths participated in this activity and made thank-you cards and homemade gifts for the essential workers. It was a very rewarding experience for all Atlanta youths.

Anika Sharma Newport High School Washington State Grade 10 VTSeva Internship Blog From the moment I reached Allampally it felt as if all five of my senses were brought to life. The cool night air spilled through the windows of the bus, as it came to a halt. My body stiff from the journey found its way by walking down the steep steps of the bus. I was immediately welcomed by the fresh scent of rain and the earthy fragrance of the damp dirt. Savoring the refreshing scent, I walked around the bus toward the Jeeyar Gurukulam school. In front of me stood two neat lines of smiling children dressed in red and white checkered uniforms. As my fellow interns and I walked through, their welcoming claps filled up the usually silent forest, and their soft, frail hands reached out to gently collide with ours. Standing in front of the Jeeyar Gurukulam steps my shoes submerged into the soft soil beneath me, paralyzed with the feeling of pure joy. The VT Seva summer internship was a lifechanging experience that offered everlasting learnings and memories. I am originally from Dehradun, located in the northern part of India, which is both culturally and linguistically quite contrasting to Hyderabad. Going into this internship I always had a feeling that my North Indian background would prevent me from connecting with the students at a deeper level. However, I was proven wrong. During my first day at the Jeeyar Gurukulam school, my fellow interns and I joined the students for yoga. As I began to sit down on the hard concrete floor, a young girl beside me clasped my arm and motioned for me to wait. Her ribbon tied pigtails gently swung back and forth as she got up. She quickly stepped off the white straw mat she was sitting on and slid it towards me. As I sat down on the mat and took part in the yoga session I was perplexed; someone who I had just met had made my heart feel the most content it had felt in a while. Taken aback from this experience, I was so excited and curious about what else Allampally had to offer. One evening, my fellow interns and I were taken to the surrounding villages where many of the students’ families resided. The sun was near setting as we made our way through their village. Students still in their school uniforms began spilling out of their houses and made their way to our lonely hands. One by one our hands were taken and later our arms were too. The students gripped tightly around me and began pulling me from one place to another, showing me their homes with excitement and pride. A young girl, around the age of 10, firmly held my hand and began speaking in Telegu, pointing out in the distance. Her chestnut brown eyes sparkled as she looked at me expecting a response. Confused and slightly disappointed for not being able to understand, I let her know that I speak Hindi and do not understand Telegu. Her thin frail hand smoothly slid out of mine, and she disappeared into the thick crowd of people. My heart dropped as I intuitively continued walking forward. Less than thirty-seconds later my abandoned hand settled into the palms of a familiar hand. One pair of chestnut-colored eyes looked straight at me. She moved her gaze to her friend she had brought with her and said something to her in Telegu. Her friend looked at me and began speaking in Hindi, translating what her friend had said. I forced out a reply, while internally I was in disbelief. The students at Allampalli are truly special, the love that they give cannot be described in enough words. There are countless similar experiences that I could share, however it would take me years to record them all down. There is a common saying that “love has no language” and I am blessed to have experienced this. The students at Allampally proved that language is just an excuse to function as a barrier in connecting individuals. In reality love has a language of its own so great that words are not required. Allampally and this internship made me experience true love, and I want to hold on to that feeling forever. Walking down the Jeeyar Gurukulam steps to board the bus back to the ashram, the air no longer smelled like rain or dirt, instead it smelt like home. Familiar smiling faces accompanied me towards the bus; their hands wrapped tightly around me to stop me from leaving. From the moment I left Allampalli it felt as if all five of my senses had left my body, but the love of the children remained.

VT Seva Detroit Youth board sucessfully wrapped up 3rd quarter (July – September) 2022 ! We implemented the below projects. Many projects were led and initiated by Youth Board Members · Balaji Temple Volunteering · Foreign Language Camp · Brilliant Detroit · Debate Camp · Manoogian Manor July Visit · Walkathon · Macrame Keychain Workshop · Tribute To Bharath · India Day Promotions · Manoogian Manor August Visit · Essential Worker Appreciation Project · Manoogian Manor September Visit Balaji Temple Volunteering: The volunteers helped clean out and make the garden look fresh as ever. Everybody enjoyed a bit of hard work! Because the weeds removed and leaves raked, the temple felt brand new! On our second visit, we helped the temple priests maintain the bricks by cleaning them and even replacing some of the old bricks. They were heavy but we all managed and were still able to help maintain the temple. Youth Volunteers: Aahana, Alok, Supraja, Srivasta, and Kushal Adult Volunteers: Vageshwar, Giri, Pranitha, and Deepthi FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0J5Em2mh8dMBNHmuCDFVk9ZF7ii4SeyQppF5jAaygwQwAaXQsYUHVhLv48ufoDKxPl VT Seva Detroit Youth Board 1st Foreign Language Camp The Foreign Language Camp was a partnership with the VT Seva Detroit Board and Bright Minds Tutoring & VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members. This camp was a three day camp from July 11 to July 13 to teach young students some basic Spanish and French. Since kids were exposed to the two most commonly spoken languages in the world, they also helped in VT Seva’s contribution to the unprivileged students at Nethra Vidyala. Camp Conducted by: Shrika, Rashmitha, Harish, Oviya & Soofia Blog: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-youth-board-1st-foreign-language-camp VTS Detroit Youth Board Brilliant Detroit: In the month of July, Brilliant Detroit took part in a reading project. There were 59 videos submitted and were used to help underprivileged children improve their reading skills over the summer. During the pandemic, many kids’ reading skills slightly reduced due to online learning. To help them catch up, Brilliant Detroit was able to pull younger kids’ reading skills up to speed. Youth Volunteers: Srihari, Sriram, Sathvik, Supraja, Sanjith, Tarun, Sravya, Varshan, Harish, Oviya, Udhayaa, Aarush, Veena, Rishi, Akshay, Abhinav, Sai Project Lead: Abhinav Suresh FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02D8WmGb2qWYQ5yxoCj5hFXC4M4wK3dVMjXL3GCv1wK32HwsuyYXzGCkpqBsLkmRh5l VT Seva Detroit Youth Board 1st Debate Camp The Debate Camp was conducted by VT Seva Detroit Youth Board member Sanjity. This camp was a three day camp from July 18 to July 20 to teach young students the essential skill of Debate, he also helped in VT Seva’s contribution to the unprivileged students at Nethra Vidyala with the money raised through this camp. Blog: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/f5c70d63 VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Manoogian Manor Senior Visit We visited the Mannogian Manor for their monthly bonfire night. Volunteers helped serve tea, drinks and lemonade to the seniors and had talks with them. They had so many experiences to share and it was really fascinating to hear how life was like during the old days from people who lived through those days. Our youth volunteers entertained the seniors with their singing, dance, playing instruments. They brought them snacks and drinks also to the seniors. Project Lead: Harish Jaisankar Youth Volunteers: Shivani, Hajanthan, Varshan, Alok, Medhas, Kaavya, Harish, Harsh, Supraja, Udhayaa, Sriram, Siddharth, Nikita, Shraya, Zephyr, Hiba, Mohammad Hassan, Mohammad Hussain, Noorjahan Adult Volunteers: Komathy, Vanitha, Latha, Asha, Salma, Mohamad Ali Khan, Zahara , Vanitha and Priya FB Links: July - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02mqy3YHfdQbXF4LzDm1VGLwvoFcuS8ZP8t3XBCBgP8oT21nGweiP2A2zJjvk9nVEEl&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=scwspmo August - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid09W6yVpRiNngfr91Arr1kHv79htqGANZgrCgx9tPZzgAjYnobpZfnr915C1GSku59l&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=scwspmo September - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02UVbWzhnSUqf9dyc4Kaz9HdVhV6XMzNHRZmiCRoMfaYEKoRSAAes29BELC6uom4FPl&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=scwspmo VT Seva Second Annual Walkathon : The Walkathon was created to donate money to an organization which helps the financial needs of cancer patients. Even if it rained, it was important that we found a way around the problem and raised enough money to help people in need. This has shown us that there are always ways to do good things even if there are obstacles no matter the size. 𝟒𝟑 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐮𝐥 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐. 𝟏𝟓1 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, Total raised $3500, and 𝟑𝟏 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟖𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬. Donated to Angels of Hope. Youth Team Leaders: Aahana Jain, Adhip Pisipati, Akshay Kumar, Akshith Ashwanth, Alok Tonapi, Amogh Pisipati, Anuraag Balaji, Anvika Perumalla, Arya Cheemalamarri, Eesha Chigullapally, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Harish Jaisankar, Kaavya Naga Sri Karnati, Kushal Durga, Mohammad Hassan Mohamed Ali khan, Mohammad Hussain Mohamed Ali khan, Nikita Talwar, Oviya Jaisankar, Rishi Chowdhury, Saisha Srivatsan, Shivani Nimmagadda, Shruthika Anandakumar, Srihari Ananthalwan, Srihari Hebbar, Srivatsa Thirunagari, Supraja V Pattangi, Teja Cheemalamarri, Udhayaa Arul, Varshan Muhinthan, Veena Karthik & Yana Pancal Donors: Sudhhakar Ji, Chandresekar Ji, Latha ji, Vandana ji, Vani ji Blog Link: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/afc1077b VTS Detroit Youth Board Macrame Keychain Workshop In this beginner’s workshop taught by Veena ji, volunteers learned how to make Macrame which is a type of textile produced by knitting. We learned quickly and we were able to make 42 keychains with 3 types of patterns for India Day. This has shown us that there are always opportunities to learn a new skill and that skills of any sort can bring us a long way. Project Lead: Veena Youth Volunteers: Oviya, Aaradhya, Danjeev, Taniksha, Sai Sriram, Adhip, Harish Adult Volunteers: Veena, Mandira, Jyothi, Venkat, Anuradha, Jaisankar, Priya FB Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6075271469166498&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=mo Tribute to Bharath In this project, board members helped create posters for many influential figures who contributed to India’s independence. Project Lead: Oviya Jaisankar Youth Volunteers: Oviya, Harish, Kushal, Sriraam, Srihari H, Abhinav S, Sravya, Akshay, Shruthi K, Kalki, Rachana, Supraja & Aditi FB Link: https://fb.watch/fJZIkEd7vz/ VT Seva Detroit India Day Celebration VT Seva came together to this event to celebrate India Day which marked 75 years of Indian Independence. We did a parade where everyone chanted “Vande Matharam” and “Jai Hind.” Volunteers also created posters of leaders who played a major role during the Independence Movement such as Mahatma Gandhi or Subhas Chandra Bose. Oviya, a youth board member raised money by painting the Indian flag and it was enough to fund one student’s education. We sold the keychains which we made through workshop Youth Volunteers: Harish, Oviya, Anvika, Sreenika, Sriram, Harsh, Aaradhya, Eesha, Adhip, Rishi C, Pranav T Adult Volunteers: Veena, Mandira, Venkat C, Jaisankar, Priya FB Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6153247831368861&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=mo Blog: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-76th-independence-day-celebration VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Essential Workers Appreciation Project: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board members, showed their gratitude towards the essential workers contribution in the honor of labor day. 36 youths appreciated Trash Pick-up crew, mailmen, UPS crew, construction workers, grocery store workers, pharmacists, house maids, restaurant workers and many more. With no doubt they all made someone's day memorable for sure. Kudos to everyone of them who spread kindness. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Harish, Oviya, Siddharth, Sathvik, Shruthi K, Rashmitha, Sai Sahasra, Harsh, Sriram H, Srihari H, Veena, Rohit, Sadhana, Rishi A, Shruthi A, Abhisrishti, Rishi C, Vaibhav, Eesha, Anvika, Sreenika, Kaavya, Sai Sriram, Akshay, Srihari A, Kim Derrick, Hiba, Pranav M, Rachana, Hassan, Hussain, Leo, Vishnu, Neha, Saleen, Teja, Arya & Anuraag FB Link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=6165635136796797&id=804058126287885&sfnsn=mo Blog Consolidated By: Alok Tonapi Video Created by: Tarun Rajesh Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston S. Churchill This would be the perfect quote to describe the entire process of getting the VTS IAE club approved. As many may assume from the idea of just starting a club to the part where you actually put effort into making it happen, it wasn’t very straightforward. At first, when we went to present our club idea to the Vice Principal, who controls all clubs and approvals, he was very skeptical of the concept and asked a lot more questions. I found it hard to answer some of these questions so instead, I gave responses such as, “We are in the process of figuring that out,” or, “That’s a great question I haven't thought about that, maybe I can get back to you,” this allowed the other person to feel like you were open to their criticism and questions as well. Later in June of 2022, we finally received an email from the Vice Principal saying that our club was approved but we could only start as an official club from the next school year. The relief at that moment was indescribable. We immediately started to work on finding places we can volunteer as a group and recruit members who are interested in the club. Our first official event was at the Open Door Outreach Center. We sorted and folded clothing donations that the center received to go onto the shelves of their thrift store. This was a fun event where we bonded with each other and learned how future events that we would have to host may run. By the time the new school year started, we had already accomplished several events such as Troy Nature Center Cleanup, Rouge Park Cleanup, and Gardening help at the Balaji Temple. We also had some remote events that some people participated in such as the Annual Walkathon and the Greeting Cards Project. With so much already done, we had a good idea of how this club may run and the responsibilities that came with setting up events. As soon as the school year started, however, we again faced some struggles as the Vice Principal began to have second thoughts about the club. It took us a lot of convincing once again and persistence in order for our club to be where it is today. Our stall at the club fair was a huge hit. We got 60 more students to join during our club fair and many kids were very enthusiastic about participating in possible activities that we had planned for the new school year. With the first official club meeting on September 8th, for VTS IAE, we started out with around 75 total members. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of people who stood by my side and helped me through the process. I would like to thank the Detroit Youth Board Director, Priya Jaisankar for guiding me through the entire process, my parents for keep encouraging me to try and accomplish my goals, my friends who were always supportive, and of course the school administration which approved of this club but also made me think about all the different ways I can improve my club and make sure it's successful. We have had various volunteer events that IAE volunteers have attended during the school year such as Rochester Community Schools 5K Run, Cottage Painting Child Welfare Agency Volunteering, Essential Workers Project, and the Balabharathi Soup Kitchen. After each event volunteers got an opportunity to reflect upon their experiences and post them on Facebook and Instagram. Volunteers seemed to enjoy the Balbharati Soup Kitchen the most as we all worked together to feed 120 kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Not only did we do various events in this short period of time but we were also able to establish a 2022-2023 board for our club. The club elections ran from September 13th- 21st and we were successfully able to make a strong board. Thank you so much to everyone who ran for the board and showed their interest in taking a leadership role for this club. Here is our 2022-2023 board! ● President- Anvika Perumalla ● Vice President- Tarun Rajesh ● Secretary- Rahul Perala ● Activity Director- Christeena Boddakayala ● Communication Lead- Sairaaga Perala ● Google Classroom Manager- Venkata Nemani Once again, congratulations to our board, and we’re looking to create a great school year full of volunteering opportunities! As a board and club some things that we want to accomplish include establishing a connection with various organizations so we can go back and volunteer with them periodically. We also hope to create as many opportunities as possible so that each club member can actively participate in the club, whether through in-person events or remote events we conduct at school. We have a lot planned and are excited to see what we can accomplish this school year! This is just the beginning, and it's only going to get better from here. Article Written By: Anvika Perumalla Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

Giving is not just about make a donation, it's about making a difference. - Kathy Calvin VT Seva Connecticut conducted the annual 5k walkathon on Sunday, 2nd October 2022 at Northwest Park, Windsor, CT. Many wonderful families have participated with enthusiasm to support a noble cause of education of visually challenged and tribal kids. All proceeds will be used to support the schools. We would like to thank all the volunteers for ensuring all the activities are coordinated and all participants were supported. We would like to convey our heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful participants to come out and support the cause. Below are a few glimpses of the walkathon!!

VT Seva Detroit is very excited to share with you all 🙂 SWARAOKE a Singing Event for VT SEVA CAUSES organized by Swaravedika on November 13th at 12.30 pm It's a great opportunity for all singers (Youth and Adults) to showcase their awesome singing talent🎤🎤. Please do signup asap!! For more details on this event, please contact Kalyani ji @Kalyani Mantripragada. As always, we are eagerly looking forward to this wonderful event and truly appreciate Kalyani ji and her Swaravedika team's efforts and dedication shown every year to support Nethra Vidyalaya students' education. Please Register at: Swaravedika.org/detroit

“We can’t help everyone, but…Everyone can help someone.” – Dr. Loretta Scott VTSeva Austin cordially invites all to join the Annual Vasudha Mela - Beats for a cause. We are back this year with young and fresh energy. This event is to celebrate and acknowledge the 2022 amazing efforts, our youth volunteers who have served throughout the year for the local and international causes. “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." Amazing donors like you made the Vasudha Mela successful last year while supporting Education and food for 40 students. Our goal this year is to support education/food for 100 visually challenged and tribal kids. How can you help ? $365/year Sponsor a child education. $180/year Sponsor 6 months of education $100/year Feed a student $31/month Sponsor a child for a year education. Form a group and sponsor a child . Any small amount will help the cause. You can donate from your company matching program website as well. Click here to Pledge. We will follow up. You can sponsor a child by Registering for the performance Bring your family and friends and enjoy the evening to support the children in need. Buy tickets before Oct 31st to avail the discount. Your caring hearts are inspiring these tribal and visually challenged kids to serve the country by becoming Army officials, Civil officers, doctors, teachers, etc. Since 2001, more than 10,000 + tribal, 2500 + visually challenged children have been providing free, food, education, Books, Clothes, Special Equipment's, Sports training and travel Read how your generous donations are transforming their disabilities to abilities. Hear about Nethravidhyalaya from the teachers words. All this could happen only with continued support of all your kind hearts. These little smiles are now empowered, who otherwise would have been victims of child labor/abandoned. Slideshow :

VT Seva Dallas recently adopted another street in Lewisville where our volunteers got together on the 17th of September to participate in a street cleanup activity. These cleanup activities will continue to be held under the Adopt a Street Initiative on a monthly basis, so make sure to stay tuned in for future updates!!

Sabarmathi Gurukulam, Cheyyar, Tiruvannamalai, TAMILNADU provides training and coaching to unemployed youth to get through the competitive exams and placement in government jobs along with learning organic farming, education to rural children and community give back. Mr. Gunasekaran of the Gurukulam shared the great news of NEET 2022 results being published. For Sabarmathi, this is the 4th year of NEET training. Mr. Gunasekaran shared "we wholeheartedly express our gratitude to all the beautiful hearts that helped to make this possible despite the challenges due to covid and other obstacles. Specifically, we thank VT Seva for providing timely help to reconstruct our building and help board around 30 students to get trained. We thank my college senior Vidhya akka for making this possible." As part of VT Seva's rural empowerment goal, we believe in reassuring efforts and providing needed support in making a difference in communities. Last year when the Gurukulam was in desperate need of an infrastructure upgrade for VT Seva helped with building and restoring the water purification system, upgrading bathrooms in a hostel, renovating the main hall (replacing the thatched leaf roof with permanent sheeting), and overall upgrade of the facility. More info: Sabarmathi | Vtsworld

It was 5 in the morning in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We were in the Allampally Gurukulam at the crack of dawn, getting ready for yoga. It was our first morning at Allampally so we are extremely confused as to what we were supposed to be doing. I opened the door of the room I was staying in, and with the other boys, I walked down the hall to where the yoga class would be held. Most of the students were already there, lined up in rows. Once they saw us, a couple of the boys moved aside and gestured at us to join them. We did, and soon the class started. The instructor was giving out instructions, and we didn’t understand most of them. Without us even asking, they corrected us, helped us, and treated us like one of their own. Throughout the rest of the class, the students were cracking jokes, laughing, and having fun while exercising. We couldn’t help but join in on the fun, and what started as a yoga session at 5 in the morning, soon turned into a fun hangout while doing yoga. Even though to them it seemed normal, to us, it helped us feel welcome and included.

VT Seva Detroit completed a total of 12 individual service activities from Jan to April 2022 that included Community services, Environmental services, Appreciation to the Police department, Police tours & Drive for Detroit Homeless Shelter. Oakland Food Pantry: January 29th Capuchin Soup Kitchen: February 26th Destined for Greatness: February 5, February 13 Arts & Scraps: January 3 - February 25 Mercado Food Bank: March 6 Zaman International: March 26 Drive for Detroit Rescue Mission Food Gatherers: April 9 Novi Police Appreciation Lunch & Station Tour: April 10 Earth Day Project: April 23 Oakland Food Pantry Volunteering Every year, more than 50 thousand people are fed 750 thousand pounds of food each year by the Oakland HOPE Food Pantry. They work daily to help package and distribute food for families in need. They help veterans, disaster survivors, hungry children, and seniors get the food they deserve. As a volunteer-run organization, they require help to package the food each week and our VT Seva Detroit’s volunteers stepped up to undertake this responsibility. Together, we helped package enough food to feed 60 families and children. The volunteers completed many tasks to help so that they could help more people in need: These are our wonderful volunteers who participated: Youth: Nikhil Aerabati, Rishi Adduri, Hiba Zyna, Kushal Durga, Hrudya Kishore, Yug Patel, Supraja Pattangi, Surya Takawale, Lalitaditya Akkaraju Adult: Zahara Begum, Giri Varadhan, Raghunath Aerabati, Anand Ranganathan, Vandana Durga, Ravinder Akkaraju, Vanitha Gopalan Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5525078580852459 YouTube video: https://youtu.be/eBe5cPnkUhQ Capuchin Soup Kitchen Volunteering The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a kitchen in Detroit that feeds people and families that are going through a hardship. They have served millions of meals since they started. They do multiple things to end poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Our volunteers stepped up to help them in this fight against hunger and helped set up, cook, serve, and clean up the kitchens in their kitchen. Under the guidance of permanent volunteers at the kitchens, they helped feed multiple families and children: These are our wonderful volunteers who participated: Youth: Kushal Durga, Rishi Adduri, Sai Sahasra Namuduri, Veeksha Somula, Akshith Ashwanth Adult: Vandana Durga, Durga Sangita, Raghunathan Namuduri, Vanitha Gopalan Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5616618845031765 YouTube video: https://youtu.be/M4zZfdYfCRw Destined for Greatness Volunteering The Ford Wellness Center hosts the Destined for Greatness program for young women and girls through mentorship and help in bad situations. They have successfully helped over 5000 people. When we volunteered, we split up into 3 groups. 17 volunteers participated volunteering in each area where they needed help in sorting, assembling, cleaning. Shadora Ford who is the founder of Destined for Greatness was in awe seeing our great help and greatly appreciated all our volunteers’ efforts. We went there twice in February back-to-back and helped them. Each group took up one part of the gym area clean-up. One sorted toys and clothes, one cleaned up items from the storage room, and one set up the clothing areas. February 5th Youth that participated: Nikhil Aerabati; Varun Aerabati; Abhinav Suresh; Hiba Zyna; Sathvik Tirumala Kanduri; Hrudya Kishore; Veeksha Somula; Anvika Perumalla; Sravya Saranu; Jaden Laba; Anikait Pundhir; Akshith Ashwanth. Adults that participated: Zahara Begum; Srikanth Ramanathan; Suresh Rajan; Vandana Durga; Raghunath Aerabati; Asha Puranam; Vanitha Gopalan. February 13th Youth volunteers who participated: Hrudya Kishore; Surya Subramanian; Kushal Durga; Akshay Kumar; Sanjay Sundarapandiyan Srivatsa Thirunagari; Eesha chigullapally Govind Beemisetty; Sri Medha Beemisetty. Adult volunteers who participated: Parvathee Subramaniam; Sailatha Thukkaram; Anand Renganathan; Srinathbabu Karnati; Venkat chigullapally; Kiran Beemisetty; Suresh Rajan & Vanitha Gopalan. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/page/804058126287885/search/?q=destined%20for%20greatness Arts & Scraps Volunteering The Arts and Scraps Detroit organization is a non-profit that provides STEM related kits to children throughout Detroit. However, to assemble each kit, they need volunteers such as ourselves. Through multiple tasks such as defuzzing sock loops and cutting foam. Through our help, they were able to provide free STEM kits to children. 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗯𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰, 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. January 3 – January 16 Youth volunteers who participated: 𝗢𝘃𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗝; 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗿𝗮; 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗝; 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗮 𝗭; 𝗦𝗿𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮 𝗦; 𝗬𝘂𝗴 𝗣; 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮 𝗞; 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗞; 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗦; 𝗔𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗞; 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗠; 𝗔𝗯𝗶 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘁𝗶 𝗥; 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗕; 𝗜𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹; 𝗔𝗱𝗶 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹; 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹; 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘃𝗶𝗸; 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵; 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗦; 𝗔𝗱𝗵𝘃𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦 February 1 – February 25 Youth volunteers who participated: 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗵𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗟𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗮 𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝘂, 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝘂, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗔𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗮, 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗷𝗮𝗺, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶 Group 2 Cutting foam project Youth who participated: 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻, 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗮 𝗭𝘆𝗻𝗮, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻, 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶, 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘁𝗶 𝗥𝗮𝗺, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/page/804058126287885/search/?q=Arts%20%26%20Scraps YouTube Video of Arts & Scraps - Group1 and Group2 https://youtu.be/eaCfqaa934k Mercado Food Bank Gleaners Mercado Food Bank is a drive-through food store in Detroit where people can safely get access to healthy food. They have recently adapted their policy to drive-through instead of as a store, and needed volunteers to put the food into people’s cars. Our volunteers helped pack food, arrange items onto storage carts, re-arranged shelved items for easier access, loaded customers’ cars, cleaned the area, and helped restock the building for the next day. 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝟴𝟴 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 Youth who participated: Hrudya Kishore, Nikhil Aerabati, Vandana Durga, Kushal Durga, Eesha Chigullapally, Akshith Ashwanth. Anikait Pundhir, Rohan Patil, Soham Bhatta Adults who participated: Raghunath Aerabati, Vandana Durga, Venkat Chigullapally, Jisha Padmanabhan, Savitri Raman, Vanitha Gopalan Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0DtSzq1XcUUXkyRcFbBFxpgEaEvfB1hqSBoS4r1HtE7rhV3fFvCG31CGL17h3pEugl YouTube video: https://youtu.be/3zHpmzSAMXA Zaman International Zaman International is dedicated to ending poverty and unhealthy conditions. They provide basic supplies, both medical and edible. They also help the families through tutoring and support during hardships. When VT Seva volunteered there, we helped pack and store various medical necessities such as masks, gloves, wipes, hand sanitizers, first aid kits, etc. We also assembled boxes full of the necessities and arranged them for delivery. Overall, we were able to pack over 350 boxes for Zaman International, which could support numerous families. Youth who participated: Medhas Kollu, Eesha chigullapally, Pavan Nagaraj, Nikhil Aerabati, Abisrishti Ram, Srivatsa Thirunagari, Akshay Kumar, Sravya saranu, Anand Brijesh, Yana Panchal. Adults who participated: Vanitha Gopalan, Parvathee Subramaniam, Vani Chigullapally, Ram Ramanathan, Brijesh Gopal, Pavan Nagaraj, Radhika. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0KzaqKbP7VJWQxQmtuuvzBawSCwfyYNedV7VhNJPAJKM88hpQNiCAbaiuv8S5WdFQl YouTube video: https://youtu.be/JKp5fBEKfSM Drive for Detroit Rescue Homeless Shelter with the help of Kroger Stores Solicitation. On March 20th, 2022, VT Seva Detroit completed a drive for Detroit Rescue Homeless Shelter with the help of Kroger Stores Solicitation. VT Seva Detroit team raised a total of $800 and collected around six big boxes of Baby care products and personal care & hygiene products for Men and Women with the help of generous customers who shopped at Kroger Canton Stores from 10 am to 4:30 pm. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/ZwN1yp_jq_U Checkout blog link at: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-drive-for-detroit-rescue-homeless-shelter Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid036mbmpHMnN8AQCnhQiMDGqzAPUtNmDCLY2cYqMBusHj2pkGZY5NgVA14LVYHsqnhQl Food Gatherers Food Gatherers are a food bank in Washtenaw County providing food for the impoverished. They are the leading group in hunger management in this county. They not only provide support for individual families, but for schools and local universities too. They distributed 9 million pounds of food last year through the help of volunteers. VT Seva volunteered there and helped to sort food, arrange boxes, and pack more than 1700 pounds of food. Youth who participated: Kirupali Sathyanathan; Veena Karthik; Hrudya Kishore; Abisrishti Ram; Adhvaith Suresh ; Srivatsa Thirunagari, Nitya Sankar, Kushal Durga. Adults who participated: Aarthi Karthik; Vanitha Gopalan. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0aBhbX6pUcKCF5xCyjVANhiNMT9PxLEW2xs9mNiLHyDMuBymrDkXSeZ99UN7M1Aiwl YouTube video: https://youtu.be/nyBxXT530nA Novi Police Department Tour & Appreciation Lunch Our volunteers had a great learning experience on April 10th attending the Novi Police Station tour. Novi Police Department Tour and Novi Police Appreciation Lunch VT Seva Detroit had a tour of the Novi Police Department, Novi, Michigan, for youth volunteers on April 10th, 2022, and also had the pleasure of hosting an Appreciation lunch for the Novi Police Department on May 8th, 2022 Checkout blog link at: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-novi-police-department-tour-and-novi-police-appreciation-lunch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/nHI3v_-AxSc Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0n9jQ7XSS5Xe2hFoPZjUrx1p1VfJUpaAucP7dEdkWjXXvmKuLTU9EpQzh5RnVgjnjl https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0gSVp4qKzLNWaZ4peiHMWB1kptiST3q7GGEALcjEa5WxzTD4avZGYoHShYibcdyQUl Earth Day Project Farmington Hills, Michigan has a yearly “litter walk” where volunteers walk for 2-3 miles and clean up all roadside trash on the way. This year, the 9th year of the litter walk, VT Seva helped. We collected trash from the roads, ditches, fields, and nearby lawns. We split up into 2 groups so that we could maintain both sides of the road, and we learned a lot about the ecosystem and the importance of taking care of it. At the end, we had a total of 6 bags collected over 2 miles. Youth that participated: 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗷𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶, 𝗛𝗮𝗷𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶. Adults that participated: 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘂 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗷 𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿, 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02wq52pnEkdJTG3twAWYcBkviqdeQqgXdfvFNT8gTVwpocWvUi665BopmButhhMedTl YouTube video: https://youtu.be/abrKnB_P8w0 Blog and the Video Created By: Akshay Kumar (Youth Board member) Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTS Detroit Communications)

VT Seva Detroit 2022: Jan to April Volunteering Activities VT Seva Detroit completed a total of 12 individual service activities from Jan to April 2022 that included Community services, Environmental services, Appreciation to the Police department, Police tours & Drive for Detroit Homeless Shelter. Oakland Food Pantry: January 29th Capuchin Soup Kitchen: February 26th Destined for Greatness: February 5, February 13 Arts & Scraps: January 3 - February 25 Mercado Food Bank: March 6 Zaman International: March 26 Drive for Detroit Rescue Mission Food Gatherers: April 9 Novi Police Appreciation Lunch & Station Tour: April 10 Earth Day Project: April 23 Oakland Food Pantry Volunteering Every year, more than 50 thousand people are fed 750 thousand pounds of food each year by the Oakland HOPE Food Pantry. They work daily to help package and distribute food for families in need. They help veterans, disaster survivors, hungry children, and seniors get the food they deserve. As a volunteer-run organization, they require help to package the food each week and our VT Seva Detroit’s volunteers stepped up to undertake this responsibility. Together, we helped package enough food to feed 60 families and children. The volunteers completed many tasks to help so that they could help more people in need: These are our wonderful volunteers who participated: Youth: Nikhil Aerabati, Rishi Adduri, Hiba Zyna, Kushal Durga, Hrudya Kishore, Yug Patel, Supraja Pattangi, Surya Takawale, Lalitaditya Akkaraju Adult: Zahara Begum, Giri Varadhan, Raghunath Aerabati, Anand Ranganathan, Vandana Durga, Ravinder Akkaraju, Vanitha Gopalan Check out our Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5525078580852459 YouTube video: https://youtu.be/eBe5cPnkUhQ Capuchin Soup Kitchen Volunteering The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a kitchen in Detroit that feeds people and families that are going through a hardship. They have served millions of meals since they started. They do multiple things to end poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Our volunteers stepped up to help them in this fight against hunger and helped set up, cook, serve, and clean up the kitchens in their kitchen. Under the guidance of permanent volunteers at the kitchens, they helped feed multiple families and children: These are our wonderful volunteers who participated: Youth: Kushal Durga, Rishi Adduri, Sai Sahasra Namuduri, Veeksha Somula, Akshith Ashwanth Adult: Vandana Durga, Durga Sangita, Raghunathan Namuduri, Vanitha Gopalan Check out our Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/5616618845031765 YouTube link: https://youtu.be/M4zZfdYfCRw Destined for Greatness Volunteering The Ford Wellness Center hosts the Destined for Greatness program for young women and girls through mentorship and help in bad situations. They have successfully helped over 5000 people. When we volunteered, we split up into 3 groups. 17 volunteers participated volunteering in each area where they needed help in sorting, assembling, cleaning. Shadora Ford who is the founder of Destined for Greatness was in awe seeing our great help and greatly appreciated all our volunteers’ efforts. We went there twice in February back-to-back and helped them. Each group took up one part of the gym area clean-up. One sorted toys and clothes, one cleaned up items from the storage room, and one set up the clothing areas. February 5 Youth that participated: Nikhil Aerabati; Varun Aerabati; Abhinav Suresh; Hiba Zyna; Sathvik Tirumala Kanduri; Hrudya Kishore; Veeksha Somula; Anvika Perumalla; Sravya Saranu; Jaden Laba; Anikait Pundhir; Akshith Ashwanth. Adults that participated: Zahara Begum; Srikanth Ramanathan; Suresh Rajan; Vandana Durga; Raghunath Aerabati; Asha Puranam; Vanitha Gopalan. February 13 Youth volunteers who participated: Hrudya Kishore; Surya Subramanian; Kushal Durga; Akshay Kumar; Sanjay Sundarapandiyan Srivatsa Thirunagari; Eesha chigullapally Govind Beemisetty; Sri Medha Beemisetty. Adult volunteers who participated: Parvathee Subramaniam; Sailatha Thukkaram; Anand Renganathan; Srinathbabu Karnati; Venkat chigullapally; Kiran Beemisetty; Suresh Rajan & Vanitha Gopalan. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/page/804058126287885/search/?q=destined%20for%20greatness Arts & Scraps Volunteering The Arts and Scraps Detroit organization is a non-profit that provides STEM related kits to children throughout Detroit. However, to assemble each kit, they need volunteers such as ourselves. Through multiple tasks such as defuzzing sock loops and cutting foam. Through our help, they were able to provide free STEM kits to children. 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗯𝘀, 𝗳𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰, 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. January 3 – January 16 Youth volunteers who participated: 𝗢𝘃𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗝; 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗿𝗮; 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗝; 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗮 𝗭; 𝗦𝗿𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮 𝗦; 𝗬𝘂𝗴 𝗣; 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮 𝗞; 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗞; 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗦; 𝗔𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗞; 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗠; 𝗔𝗯𝗶 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘁𝗶 𝗥; 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗕; 𝗜𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹; 𝗔𝗱𝗶 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹; 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹; 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘃𝗶𝗸; 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵; 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗦; 𝗔𝗱𝗵𝘃𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦 February 1 – February 25 Youth volunteers who participated: 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗵𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗟𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗮 𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝘂, 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝘂, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗔𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗮, 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗷𝗮𝗺, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶 Group 2 Cutting foam project Youth who participated: 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻, 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗮 𝗭𝘆𝗻𝗮, 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻, 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘃 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶, 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘁𝗶 𝗥𝗮𝗺, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/page/804058126287885/search/?q=Arts%20%26%20Scraps YouTube link for the Video of Arts & Scraps - Group1 and Group2 https://youtu.be/eaCfqaa934k Mercado Food Bank Gleaners Mercado Food Bank is a drive-through food store in Detroit where people can safely get access to healthy food. They have recently adapted their policy to drive-through instead of as a store, and needed volunteers to put the food into people’s cars. Our volunteers helped pack food, arrange items onto storage carts, re-arranged shelved items for easier access, loaded customers’ cars, cleaned the area, and helped restock the building for the next day. 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝟴𝟴 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘁 Youth who participated: Hrudya Kishore, Nikhil Aerabati, Vandana Durga, Kushal Durga, Eesha Chigullapally, Akshith Ashwanth. Anikait Pundhir, Rohan Patil, Soham Bhatta Adults who participated: Raghunath Aerabati, Vandana Durga, Venkat Chigullapally, Jisha Padmanabhan, Savitri Raman, Vanitha Gopalan Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/page/804058126287885/search?q=mercado&filters=eyJycF9jcmVhdGlvbl90aW1lOjAiOiJ7XCJuYW1lXCI6XCJjcmVhdGlvbl90aW1lXCIsXCJhcmdzXCI6XCJ7XFxcInN0YXJ0X3llYXJcXFwiOlxcXCIyMDIyXFxcIixcXFwic3RhcnRfbW9udGhcXFwiOlxcXCIyMDIyLTFcXFwiLFxcXCJlbmRfeWVhclxcXCI6XFxcIjIwMjJcXFwiLFxcXCJlbmRfbW9udGhcXFwiOlxcXCIyMDIyLTEyXFxcIixcXFwic3RhcnRfZGF5XFxcIjpcXFwiMjAyMi0xLTFcXFwiLFxcXCJlbmRfZGF5XFxcIjpcXFwiMjAyMi0xMi0zMVxcXCJ9XCJ9In0%3D YouTube link for the Video https://youtu.be/3zHpmzSAMXA Zaman International Zaman International is dedicated to ending poverty and unhealthy conditions. They provide basic supplies, both medical and edible. They also help the families through tutoring and support during hardships. When VT Seva volunteered there, we helped pack and store various medical necessities such as masks, gloves, wipes, hand sanitizers, first aid kits, etc. We also assembled boxes full of the necessities and arranged them for delivery. Overall, we were able to pack over 350 boxes for Zaman International, which could support numerous families. Youth who participated: Medhas Kollu, Eesha chigullapally, Pavan Nagaraj, Nikhil Aerabati, Abisrishti Ram, Srivatsa Thirunagari, Akshay Kumar, Sravya saranu, Anand Brijesh, Yana Panchal. Adults who participated: Vanitha Gopalan, Parvathee Subramaniam, Vani Chigullapally, Ram Ramanathan, Brijesh Gopal, Pavan Nagaraj, Radhika. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0KzaqKbP7VJWQxQmtuuvzBawSCwfyYNedV7VhNJPAJKM88hpQNiCAbaiuv8S5WdFQl YouTube link for the Video https://youtu.be/JKp5fBEKfSM Food Gatherers Food Gatherers are a food bank in Washtenaw County providing food for the impoverished. They are the leading group in hunger management in this county. They not only provide support for individual families, but for schools and local universities too. They distributed 9 million pounds of food last year through the help of volunteers. VT Seva volunteered there and helped to sort food, arrange boxes, and pack more than 1700 pounds of food. Youth who participated: Kirupali Sathyanathan; Veena Karthik; Hrudya Kishore; Abisrishti Ram; Adhvaith Suresh ; Srivatsa Thirunagari, Nitya Sankar, Kushal Durga. Adults who participated: Aarthi Karthik; Vanitha Gopalan. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0aBhbX6pUcKCF5xCyjVANhiNMT9PxLEW2xs9mNiLHyDMuBymrDkXSeZ99UN7M1Aiwl YouTube link for the Video https://youtu.be/nyBxXT530nA Earth Day Project Farmington Hills, Michigan has a yearly “litter walk” where volunteers walk for 2-3 miles and clean up all roadside trash on the way. This year, the 9th year of the litter walk, VT Seva helped. We collected trash from the roads, ditches, fields, and nearby lawns. We split up into 2 groups so that we could maintain both sides of the road, and we learned a lot about the ecosystem and the importance of taking care of it. At the end, we had a total of 6 bags collected over 2 miles. Youth that participated: 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗛𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝗶 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗷𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿, 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶, 𝗛𝗮𝗷𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻, 𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶. Adults that participated: 𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘂 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗮, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗷 𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿, 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶, 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻. Checkout our FB posts for more details about this project: https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02wq52pnEkdJTG3twAWYcBkviqdeQqgXdfvFNT8gTVwpocWvUi665BopmButhhMedTl YouTube link for the Video https://youtu.be/abrKnB_P8w0 Novi Police Department Tour & Appreciation Lunch Our volunteers had a great learning experience on April 10th attending the Novi Police Station tour. Novi Police Department Tour and Novi Police Appreciation Lunch VT Seva Detroit had a tour of the Novi Police Department, Novi, Michigan, for youth volunteers on April 10th, 2022, and also had the pleasure of hosting an Appreciation lunch for the Novi Police Department on May 8th, 2022 Checkout this blog link for more details: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-novi-police-department-tour-and-novi-police-appreciation-lunch Checkout YouTube link at: https://youtu.be/nHI3v_-AxSc Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0n9jQ7XSS5Xe2hFoPZjUrx1p1VfJUpaAucP7dEdkWjXXvmKuLTU9EpQzh5RnVgjnjl https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0gSVp4qKzLNWaZ4peiHMWB1kptiST3q7GGEALcjEa5WxzTD4avZGYoHShYibcdyQUl Drive for Detroit Rescue Homeless Shelter with the help of Kroger Stores Solicitation. On March 20th, 2022, VT Seva Detroit completed a drive for Detroit Rescue Homeless Shelter with the help of Kroger Stores Solicitation. VT Seva Detroit team raised a total of $800 and collected around six big boxes of Baby care products and personal care & hygiene products for Men and Women with the help of generous customers who shopped at Kroger Canton Stores from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Checkout YouTube link at: https://youtu.be/ZwN1yp_jq_U Check out this blog link for more details: https://www.vtsworld.org/post/vt-seva-detroit-drive-for-detroit-rescue-homeless-shelter Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid036mbmpHMnN8AQCnhQiMDGqzAPUtNmDCLY2cYqMBusHj2pkGZY5NgVA14LVYHsqnhQl

When we hear the word love, we think of the purest emotion in the world. Some of the biggest monuments and epic stories are based on love. But over these two weeks, I learned that even within love, there's a selfish and selfless kind. I would say the "selfish" type of love is what we experience daily. When we love our friends and expect them to love us back, conditional love comes from feelings of mutual respect. But the selfless kind? We don't usually find that here. I only learned about selfless love 50 kilometers into the Kawal Forest, far away from urban civilization, in a beautiful village called Allampalli. While the rains may have shortened our stay in Allampalli, the amount of fun we had was not at all diminished. Our eagerness matched the kids' excitement at the Gurukulam when we stepped into classrooms the first morning with our planned curriculum. But what came as a surprise was how quickly the students absorbed everything. I genuinely have never seen brighter students with such a passion to learn. These kids know how to work hard and play hard. After a day full of classes, we enjoyed extracurricular activities like self-defense, dancing, rocketry, and more. But the most heartwarming part of our stay in Allampalli was our trip to the “thandas" where the students' families lived. We took our bus and a truck full of fruit to disperse amongst the villages. The minute we stepped off the bus, kids came running up to us, grabbing our hands. You could see the dilemma on their faces of whether to grab the fruit or hold our hands. With pockets full of apples, they refused to move until they held on to at least my pinky or thumb. And off they took us, running through the streets, showing us their homes and pet animals. Never mind the fact that I didn’t know their name or they didn’t know mine. When I stepped off that bus, they now considered one of their own. I thought maybe selfless love thrived in this village because it was hidden away and untainted by our boisterous city life. But I was proven wrong when I also found it in Hyderabad at the Netra Vidyalaya Degree College. We had the opportunity to interact with Intermediate (11th & 12th grade) to Degree (undergraduate) level students and hear about their life stories and what brought them to Netra Vidyalaya. What shocked me was that despite the difficulties and darkness they face, they shine brighter every day with their enthusiasm to succeed and do good in the world. Some had big dreams of becoming I.A.S. officers, and others wanted to support their families and give back to the school that raised them. Talking to each student was like catching up with an old friend, asking about families, and laughing about hobbies. Sangeetha invited me to her village for Diwali, and Praveen Kumar promised to visit me in the U.S. when he got a job here. So that’s when I learned that the secret to this selfless love didn't rely on the location; it lay in the beauty of that person's soul. Those who have learned to live life with a beautiful smile and eternal gratitude, regardless of their circumstances, are the ones who can experience and spread selfless love. I'm usually not philosophical, but this trip encouraged me to introspect and reanalyze my priorities in life. This trip highlighted shortcomings in my definition of happiness. Happiness isn't the product of monetary or academic success; it's the product of pure relationships, consistent gratitude, optimism, and humility. And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to experience this with. The immediate friendships, inside jokes, and adorable moments are memories I'll treasure forever. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Dr. Padmaja Vemula, MD, USA shares her experience accompanying Interns VTSeva is truly an organization that cares most about empowering its youth volunteers – something that I am reminded of every time I am involved in its activities. This summer internship experience is another testament to that fact. I am so thankful for the opportunity to chaperone the India trip for the VTSeva summer internship. This helped me broaden my horizons as well as enhance my understanding of our cultural values and heritage. It has also given me a chance to get to know many wonderful people. To begin with, we had a three-day alternative medicine immersion camp comprising Ayurvedic and Homeopathic philosophies. Dr. Irfan ji, Dr. Rajput ji, and Dr. Ravinder ji educated us as well as gave extensive tours of the facilities and various treatments. They also allowed us to do patient interviews. Being a physician trained and practicing in the western medical system, these immersion camps made me realize that they are more of an integrative approach rather than alternatives to standard medical practice. After all, Ayurveda takes advantage of remedies present in nature and tries to eliminate the use of synthetic medications. Homeopathy emphasizes the mind-body connection. Now, I feel that every physician might possibly benefit from learning both ayurvedic and homeopathic principles. At the least, the study of these methods may lead to increased trust from patients, who might feel more empowered in their care when their doctor examines with a more open mind. Plus, upon closer look, I found that many concepts proposed by homeopathy– the principle of “similarity”, the individualization of prescription, and the use of very low doses of medicines are important topics worth noting for physicians like me. As our beloved Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji explained, physicians should be like the river Ganga. River Ganga accepts many rivulets, and creeks into her and makes her flow strong to support the world. Similarly, doctors should integrate all methodologies and make their practice stronger and more effective. Next, we experienced cultural immersion. In our daily meetings, Swamiji helped us delve deeper into our Hindu philosophy and Vedic way of life. We learned how cows are pivotal to our culture. And, how there were hundreds of breeds of indigenous cows that existed at one time, and now only 16 breeds remain. We had first-hand experience interacting with cows, feeding them, feeling their energy by being in close proximity with them, etc. We were fascinated to see the age-old process of synthesizing medicinal products by distilling cow urine mixed with herbs. Veerababu ji, who was the supervisor for the ashram’s Gosala with about 400 cows, did an excellent job making us comfortable with cows and providing details on how carefully they prepare the cow feed, and how they make use of every byproduct. He also served us mouth-watering hot milk beverages and sweets. Finally, the largest part of the internship was exploring community service. We went on a medical camp conducted by JIMS college in a nearby village. The next day, we learned about the Mahila Arogya Vikas program which so far screened hundreds of thousands of women for cancers. Our trek to Allampally was the highlight of our trip. We all got unspeakable joy and satisfaction working with tribal kids and interacting with nearby villagers alike. What we provided to the school children was dwarfed by the hospitality and love we received from them, the principal, Prabhakar ji, and, the school staff. I personally taught human anatomy. I was awe-struck by their level of curiosity and how quickly they grasped the concepts. In the following days, we had memorable sessions with Netra Vidyalaya kids over several days. They showed us disability does not stand a chance when your determination is strong. They were curious, happy, and full of life. The level of artistic talent that was on display was mesmerizing. Their enthusiasm was contagious. During the course of our stay, we also discovered what makes the ashram tick. It’s the dedicated set of people such as Krishna Kumari ji. She went above and beyond to make our ashram stay comfortable. It is due to selfless service from volunteers like her that so many initiatives and programs are being conducted at the ashram successfully. In addition, we got a chance to pack food and groceries for recent flood victims. Although swamped with hundreds of responsibilities and programs, Swamiji still thought about the flood victims. This only goes to show how infinitely compassionate our Acharya is. As Swamiji put it, it was our responsibility to help people in need, not generosity. He taught us that joy shared is doubled and sorrow shared is halved. He urged all the interns to share their joy with like-minded people and share others’ sorrows at the same time. I believe that’s not only the essence of community service but also the best life lesson we received. Finally, I highly encourage all youth and adult volunteers to consider going on future VTSeva internship trips to Allampally and Beersaipet tribal schools. I guarantee you that it’s gonna be a life-changing experience for you and will leave you with a lifetime of fond memories.

AP Bio tutoring by Srimayee Young tutor Srimayi Kukkadapu is teaching AP Biology from January 13th - April 27th. Everyone interested please join. These classes will cover all AP Biology and Honors Biology content. The cost is $75 for 30 hours of teaching. All proceeds will go towards blind schools in India. These classes will be over 15 weeks with one 2-hour class every Saturday from 10 AM - 12 PM. Each class will consist of 1 and 1/2 hours of teaching and 30 minutes of Q&A where students can ask for help with anything from school. All class recordings will be sent to students. Additionally, students will be given homework for every class to help them retain the content. This is an excellent opportunity for those interested, so please register as soon as possible as there are limited slots. It will help immensely with school and all the money will go to a great cause. CHOA meal drive In the month of September 2023, Lambert VT Seva held the CHOA meal drive. In this drive initiated by Srimayi Kukkadapu, Lambert students donated a variety of items such as mac and cheese, fruit bowls, breakfast bars, and crackers so that the children at the hospital and their families could have nutritious meals during their hospital stay. On October 1st, Srimayi organized an event to pack the meal bags. Together, the group of students packed 108 meal bags for the hospital! On October 6th, these bags were dropped off at the CHOA Scottish Rite hospital. The hospital workers were incredibly grateful for the contribution and thanked us tremendously! We are sure our donations have made many children's days! On Mar 25th 2023, Lambert VT Seva participated in the Great Forsyth County Cleanup. We spent 4 hours cleaning up Bagley Road and was truly an eye-opening experience. It revealed how much we needed to take action to clean up our planet and how much effort that took. During the cleanup, we were able to work together, creating new bonds along the way. The Forsyth County officials were very supportive, and provided us with supplies and a free T-shirt! Overall, the Great FoCo Cleanup was an amazing way to have fun and help clean up the environment!! The Lambert VT Seva club had its first meeting on August 23rd, 2022. During the meeting, the Lambert VT Seva President, Srimayi Kukkadapu presented the club information and the upcoming projects in September. There was an overwhelmingly positive response with many members interested in attending Meals By Grace and Senior Living at the Benton House. At the end of the meeting, the members enjoyed donuts that were provided. Lambert VT Seva Club is on a great start! Lake Lanier Event ---------------------------- Lambert VT Seva youths participated in the Lake Lanier Clean-up Drive on Sep 24th, 2022. The youths collected loads of trash & debris, ensuring that the lake is clean and beautiful for everyone. Their cleanup efforts are making a difference in the environment, neighborhood, and in our lives. This project is initiated by Srimayi Kukkadapu in which club members bonded with the nature and realized how much efforts are needed to clean up our planet. The club members worked as a team, ensuring that the beach was kept clean and beautiful for everyone. As a whole, the Lake Lanier Shore Clean-up was an eye-opening experience, strengthening our connection with our planet and with each other! Throughout September 2022, Lambert VT Seva members visited Benton House Senior Living to cheer them up & build companionship bonds with the elders. There was immense participation, and everyone who participated had great feedback! We did many things, from interacting with them, performing to them, helping out with bingo games, and helping them set up for their daily activities! They were all such kind souls, and we truly enjoyed talking to them and hearing their stories! All the senior citizens appreciated the thought & act of VT Seva youths to provide them companionship when they need the most. It was truly a great experience for us all! Lambert VT Seva Youths have dedicated their Jan & Feb months for the service of Seniors of Benton House Senior Living Center to cheer them up & build companionship bonds with them. They will help in setting up their daily activities, play bingo games, do puzzles, sing songs, and listen to their stories and experiences. Great start of 2023 by Lambert Atlanta youths So far in January and February, Lambert VT Seva members visited Benton House Senior Living to cheer them up & build companionship bonds with the elders. So far, there has been a lot of participation, and everyone who participated had great feedback! We did many things, from interacting with them, performing to them, helping out with bingo games, and helping them set up for their daily activities! They were all such kind souls, and we truly enjoyed talking to them and hearing their stories! All the senior citizens appreciated the thought & act of VT Seva youths to provide them companionship when they need the most. It was truly a great experience for us all! Some of our experiences are quoted below: "I conducted all bingo games that day. It was enjoyable as all the people were very nice." "I went to the memory care section and monitored the patients/talked to some. I also helped set up a patient’s birthday party. Most of the volunteering was interesting and the party was fun." "We helped clean up the dining area after everyone was done with their lunch. It was fun talking to the elderly and they were really nice." We hope to continue volunteering at Benton House and plan on making many more memories!! From April 5-6, 2023, Lambert VT Seva students volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. This thrift store allows the needy to have access to clothes and other products FOR FREE. Many products are kindly donated, and the products in good condition are put out for sale. We are glad to have helped out there; the store was very neat and orderly. It also had a wide variety of good quality products. When volunteering there, we volunteered in small groups for 2 hours each. Everyone was given various tasks to help keep the store in order. Some of the things we did were vacuuming the floor, rearranging products, tagging clothes, steaming the clothes, taking out the trash, helping at the front desk, etc. It was a very unique and fun experience!

One of the most awaited Annual RAAS event of VT Seva is around the corner. With the amazing turnout back in 2021, we are excited to host our 7th Annual VT Seva RAAS Event, benefiting the visually challenged and tribal school children in 2022. RAAS is not just a Fund raising event but it is also our Annual Celebration event, culminating a great year of various fundraising activities and volunteering service to the community. VT Seva Detroit board acknowledges the year-long hard work of all our dedicated volunteers and kind donors with an evening of music, dance, skits, food, fun, and celebration. Please mark your calendar for Saturday November 19th, 2022 at 25335 W Nine Mile Road, Southfield, MI from 5:00 PM onwards. All proceeds from the event will go towards the education, food, and clothing for visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya & Tribal School children. please Join us in making this event a successful one “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela As the quote from Nelson Mandela describes, it is human nature to be resilient in tough times. The epitome of resilience is demonstrated by the visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya & the underprivileged Tribal area school children every day by their persistence, perseverance & patience. They go through unimaginable situations in their lives, yet these gifted & talented kids come out of it with great success. We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill As this wonderful quote says, we could make a life by giving a helping hand to these children with our generous donations. Last year, in 2021, with generous donations from everyone, we not only met our target but we surpassed it. We are committed to raising the appropriate funds for the 250 children by our Annual Fund Raiser program of RAAS 2022 Be a part of this noble cause to bring smiles to the faces of over 1500 school children. You can make a big difference in their lives. Give the gift of education by sponsoring a child for just a $1.00 a day!! Guests gracing the event : Will be updated once we get the commitment. All are welcome, please join us to celebrate and support for this noble cause!! Mark your calendars for Saturday November 19th, 2022 at 25335 W Nine Mile Road, Southfield, MI from 5:00 PM onwards.

VT Seva (Volunteering Together for Service) is organizing Ra:ga, our 4th annual dance and musical performance festival in the Bay Area. Date: September 17 & 18, 2022 (Saturday & Sunday) Timings: 10 am - 6 pm PT Venue: Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126 Entry fee: $5 /person (children below 5 are free). All registration fees and proceeds will be going towards educating visually challenged and underprivileged students, and are tax-deductible. Please contact us for any questions at naatyaraag@gmail.com

Details of the Eco-friendly project: 1. Youths will collect plastic bags from neighborhood, friends, and families 2. Convert plastic bags into blankets for the Homeless 3. Make creative VT Seva cloth bags 4. Sell cloth bags to protect the environment. All funds raised will go for the education of visually challenged kids 5. Let’s Think Green & Act Green

Wow!! What an event it was this year on June 25th 2022 at Total Sports Novi (East), MI. VT Seva Detroit organized a boarded indoor fundraising soccer tournament yet again this year to benefit the blind and visually challenged children in India. Like past years we had 3 different groups: - Group 1: 6 to 9 years’ old - Group 2: 10 to 13 years’ old - Group 3: 14 and above This year’s turnout was unprecedented with 33 games in the 3 age Groups with a total of 93 players. During the run-up to the event, VT Seva Detroit Team members were ‘all guns blazing’ in all departments as usual. To list a few: · Promotions – Our Youth & Adult Volunteers did an amazing job in promoting the event. Apart from reaching out to the past participants via email, phone and voicemails and new participants via distribution list and MIindia, we had several outreach sessions at Total Sports Novi/Wixom, India Grocers and also pasted Flyers at different important locations throughout. Vijitha ji of Vani Foods came forward to Sponsor after listening to the great cause this event was being conducted for. She also graciously offered us her Storefront Parking Lot for any future VT Seva Events. Thank you so much Vidhya ji! · Venue - Total Sports – It would be injustice if we don’t mention Michelle Reitz, Total Sports Facilities Manager and her associate Jimmy. They were simply amazing and without their help and support, it would not have been possible. Right from when we decided to go for Soccer Tournament yet again this year, Michelle and her team were so appreciative of the cause and promised to go all the way to help us organize this. They not only subsidized the Venue fees for us but went above & beyond to help us so easily organize the logistics. It would not have been possible to conduct such a successful event without our AMAZING and ENTHUSIASTIC volunteers: All these youth volunteers did a terrific job in all these areas: The event would not have been a successful one without the tireless help and support in the following areas: This year we were bolstered by the one and only Alvin (of the OHWTF Soccer Club). He was so gracious to help us out with refereeing the Group 3 games right from the beginning to the end. Special thanks to all the three amazing Referees who ensured the games were played fairly! · Teams & Winners – We had an amazing Game Roster and Schedule this year with several first-time youth players, 2 High School Teams, and 4 Adult League Teams from Saginaw, Utica/Rochester areas and 2 more teams from Hella. Group 1 (6 to 9 years’ old): Had 10 players that were placed in 2 different teams Yellow & Blue to verse against each other in Three 10 min. games. The kids had super fun time playing and scoring against each other in a friendly competitive kids Soccer game. The final standings say it all as to how competitive both teams were. Both the teams received the winning Trophies!! Group 2 (10 to 13 years’ old): Fourteen players were matched up against each other depending on their different skill levels in Orange vs Green teams. Superb demonstration of soccer skills amongst the players made up for an interesting three 15 min. sections of the game. Here’s the final standing after the games: The winning players of Group 2 received Trophies and the runner up received Medals for their fantastic performance on the field. Group 3 (14 and above): While the Group 1 & Group 2 games were going on, parallelly the Group 3 games also began simultaneously in the other Field. 8 teams were put in 2 different groups. We had 12 league round-robin games. Every game was high energy and highly competitive with a friendly tussle between the teams as expected. Here’s the league standing: The Semis were Super-charged with Seed 1 playing Seed 4 and Seed 2 playing Seed 3. The final standings were: THE GRAND FINALE: The final was between Saginaw FC and Dark Falcon Utd. It was an electrifying Final game with both teams equally challenging each other with their dribbling, passing and team coordination. In the end, Saginaw FC who were participating in this tournament for the first time came out clear winners beating the Dark Falcons Utd - 3:1. Here’s the final score: All in all, 97 players playing in 3 different age group with some exhilarating and captivating games in the Tournament was a treat to the viewers who thoroughly enjoyed it and stayed till the end. Every pass, every nutmeg and every goal scored was for the noble cause of providing support to the visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya and Tribal School children. We were able to raise a total of $2,113.00 Game & Volunteer Coordinators like every year, met at regular intervals during the run-up to the event, burnt the mid-night oil, extreme planning and execution till the end utilizing the Game Schedule and Scoring software for the first time in VT Seva Detroit Soccer Tournament. In the end, it turned out to be a fruitful success for the hours of preparation that was put in. CONSOLIDATED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EVENT ARE AVAILABLE AT: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rEPFrXcWWNBj6fkz6 Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid02H1h68CTznDc5WXvKzGF7ySgiAhQ7kMsUNxj3kQk1bX4cuQNAm1pY3jxx2URVwQpRl Blog Written By: Suresh Rajan Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of it's people, culture and achievements. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board participated in this celebration proudly by learning the history of Independence freedom fighters, participating in India Day parade, raising awareness of VTS Seva and raising money for underprivileged students’ education. Youth Board members continued their tradition of learning about selfless leaders who even sacrificed their life to get Independence. Its our duty to learn about them and share the knowledge. In Tribute to Bharath project led by youth volunteer Oviya , these youth volunteers Harish, Kushal, Sriram, Srihari H, Abhinav S, Sravya, Akshay, Shruthi K, Kalki, Rachana, Supraja & Aditi created informational posters. Macrame Key Chain Workshop: With Veena Ji's guidance following youths Oviya, Aaradhya, Sanjeev, Tanishka, Sai Sriram, Adhip and Harish and the adults Mandira, Jyothi, Venkat, Anuradha, Netaji, Jaisankar and Priya made the beautiful tri-color Macrame Keychains to sell in India Day. India Day Event: After a long break, VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Members came together to spread the word of and collect donations for our wonderful cause in India Day. The event started off with a parade, in which our members held up our banner and chanted "Vande Matharam" and "Jai Hind." After getting inside, we spent many hours spreading the word at our stall. We sold handmade keychains In addition to this, our youth board member Oviya Jaisankar raised money by face painting India Flag. She raised money to support one student's education for a year. Overall it was really good to celebrate our 76th Independence Day with patriotism and raising money for Nethravidyala and Tribal School students’ education. Volunteers who participated in India Day Celebration are Youth Volunteers: Harish, Oviya, Anvika, Sreenika, Sriram, Harsh, Aaradhya, Eesha, Adhip , Rishi C & Pranav T Adult Volunteers: Veena, Mandira, Venkat C, Jaisankar & Priya. Blog Written By: Oviya Jaisankar (Youth Board Member) Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri (VTSeva Detroit Communications)

by Sriteja Kataru Aug- 2022 Did you know, according to WHO, that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide? Or that 20 percent of children aged 9 to 17 have a diagnosable mental health condition but they are largely ignored? To spread awareness about such facts, we, at VTSeva Mental Health Wing, organized a walkathon this weekend. This activity attracted 75 enthusiastic participants. It was a roaring success! To begin with, it was a beautiful lake setting on a pleasantly warm Saturday morning. We gathered at San Jose Almaden Lake Park in a waterfront picnic area. Some of us came prepared with motivational placards about mental wellness. After an educational session, we all walked along the meandering lakeside trail twice. It was simply perfect. We walked leisurely, chatting with friends and holding the placards. We crossed a few rustic bridges, admired little ducks floating in the lake, and strolled through the dappled shade of lakeside trees. Best of all, when many passersby came up to us and asked about our cause, our volunteers readily took the opportunity to spread awareness. We discussed how a lack of awareness and access to effective help are the two biggest barriers to mental health care, even in well-developed areas such as the SF Bay Area. What’s more? One of the people who came up to us happened to be an officer from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She appreciated what we were doing. She also promised to include us in their future events. We are excited about this potential collaboration. Notably, we also got a chance to rally the participants prior to the walk. We conducted a series of educational talks by our team members as well as by our keynote speaker – Dr Beeta Verma, a well-known psychiatrist who is board certified in both child and adult psychiatry. First, Sriteja spoke about the formation of VTSeva Mental Wellness Youth wing and how we follow a three-part approach - assess/educate/engage - to achieve our goals. Next, Ayush Shah talked about early signs of mental health problems. Anvith Konda elaborated on how depression is a growing problem. Dhruv Sastry discussed ADHD and its implications. Nidhi Parthasarathy brought attention to the issue of drug abuse in children. All through the session, Dr Verma provided her professional insights and offered tips on how to deal with all these issues. At VTSeva Mental Wellness Wing, our mission is to transform the mental health of the local students through education and engagement. This walkathon, with its valuable educational session and engaging walking activity, perfectly served our mission. Not to mention, it boosted our serotonin levels and set the mood for a happy weekend. Are you interested in joining our VTSeva Mental Wellness Wing? Please contact us at vtsbayareavolunteer@gmail.com.

As part of 75 years of India's Independence celebrations (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav), VT Seva Dallas participated in the 45th showcase of Anand Bazaar organized by the India Association of North Texas at Frisco Roughriders stadium. We set up a booth to spread the word about our goals, current projects, and opportunities for volunteers to partake in community service events conducted by the organization. We had about 25 volunteers (15 youth and 10 adults) who assisted in setting up the booth, engaging audience members through fun games such as spin the wheel as they visited us, and spreading awareness about the service opportunities available to them. Among 2000+ people who visited our booth, we are extremely delighted to announce that 215 of them have registered to volunteer with VT Seva. The volunteer spirit of our youth was also quite contagious as one of the registrants volunteered to help out on the spot by handing out goodies to those who played spin the wheel, and inspiring others to sign up to be a part of the organization. Our energetic youth not only enjoyed volunteering but also participated in the various festive activities that were conducted such as the parade, and Kanika Kapoor’s live performance. The performances reminded us about the sacrifices of many freedom fighters and we felt proud to be walking the path of such selfless souls by volunteering and giving back to the community. The fireworks towards the end of the event marked the end of the celebration attended by more than 20,000 people. We will shortly be reaching out to all those who signed up to volunteer and look forward to engaging them actively.

What an amazing day it turned out to be, perfect weather - not too sunny, not too cloudy, until the penultimate hour, when the rain God decided to be the part of the Final match as a wild card contestant 😊!! Glad that our seasoned men’s Finalists – Spikers and Sunrisers did not budge and continued their game with ease. The day began very early for some of us. A few players, core volunteers and set-up crew reached the venue before 7:45 AM EST. They were getting warmed up while we quickly put up the canopy tents, tables, check in booth, food booths, T-shirt sale booth and got ready for the team check-ins. Meanwhile, we closed out on the pre-orders of the Jimmy John’s Veggie Sub and sent the order to the store. Soon enough, the lines were drawn up and the teams got on to the courts and the most awaited Women’s Throwball games began! Just as expected, every game was high-spirited and extremely competitive. Right after the first set of Throwball games, the Men’s Volleyball games also started. The game draws were very balanced for both Women and Men’s schedules which made them even more interesting and nail-biting. For more Pics, Please visit VTSeva Detroit FB Media https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6130448156982162&type=3 Final Game Standings: Here’s the impressive league level Standings for the Women’s Throwball Tournament. Semis & Final: Winner of the Women’s Throwball were DETROIT CHAMPS Here’s the fabulous league level Standings for the Men’s Volleyball Tournament. Semis & Final: Winner of the Men’s Volleyball were SUNRISERS Event sponsor: Ramayah Auto was kind enough to sponsor the event. Youth Volunteers: Our super energetic Youth volunteers did a FABULOUS job as scorers, line referee, game referee, food booth help, set-up and clean-up. Special thanks to Kaavya, Sneha, Jayanth, Niharika, Ahana, Veena, Hrudya, Supraja, Leo Schmidt, Sai, Nikhil, Shreya, Alok, Ishan, Teja and Arya!!! Way to go!! Adult Volunteers: The event would not have been a successful one without the tireless help and support in the following areas: - Setting up Banners, Food stall, Tent: Suresh, Venkatji, Vanitha, Jyothi ji - Treasurer help : Jyothi ji, Jaishankar ji - Lunch Subs Pickup & Dropoff: Swaroop ji - Samosas pickup: Srikanth ji - Lunch Serving Help: Meera ji, Ramya ji, Srikanth ji - Game Linesman: Sreenivas ji - Photography: Nandhini ji, Sudheer ji, Vanitha ji - Clean-up: Suresh, Ram ji, Venkat ji, Vanitha ji, Sudheer ji, Sreenivas ji, Nandhini ji - Game leads: Ram ji, Venkat ji, Sireesha ji - Volunteer & Food coordinator: Vanitha ji - Sports Coordinator & Game Scheduling and Online updates: Suresh - Sponsors reachout help: Srinath ji, Sudheer ji We are very glad to share that with the help of such wonderful volunteers, supporters, sponsors, and players who contributed to this noble cause, we were able to raise a total of $2,812.00, all of which will go towards the education of the visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya & Tribal School students. All in all, it was an AMAZING event!!! Looking forward to making the Tournament bigger & better next year!! Blog written by Suresh Rajan Blog published by Nandini Cheemalamarri

By Srikrishna Kataru Summer of 2022 Bayarea, CA Hello. My name is Srikrishna and I am a rising 6th grader. This summer, I attended VTSEVA’s internship that lasted 12 days. I went on this trip without much thought as my older brother and my mom were going on it. However, I ended up having so much fun volunteering, learning some brand new things, and making some lifelong friends. It was my best summer experience. Ever. The best part is that I learned from everybody I interacted with: our Swamiji, my co-interns, Netra Vidyalaya students, Allampally tribal students, Vedic school students, ashram staff, and doctors at Ayurveda and JIMS, the homeopathic college. We participated in activities related to all four pillars of VTSeva. Education for the underprivileged: We volunteered at Netra Vidyalaya and the Allampally tribal schools. Healthcare for the underprivileged: We shadowed doctors at JIMS integrative medical hospital, Ayurveda hospital. Also went to a medical camp in a nearby village. Environmental Awareness: We toured forest villages and learned how they respect mother earth and how they live in environmentally friendly ways. Disaster Relief: We prepared essential grocery packets to be distributed to recent flood relief victims who lost everything. What follows here is the more detailed version of the work we did relating to the above four pillars. We didn’t really teach anything to Netra Vidyalaya except for answering their questions about our way of life here in the US. But, we did learn a lot from them. They taught us how to read and write in Braille. They showed how they study for exams, how they take exams without any scribe writing for them, and such. They also showed their talents by singing, mimicry, and playing games. I was so happy to note that they routinely win many sports competitions at the state and national levels too. Recently, one girl got qualified for international-level running competitions to represent India. While the journey to Allampally was arduous, we were delighted to see all the kids standing outside the school on the rainy night to welcome us. Some students came forward to help me with my luggage. We instantly became friends. Along with other interns, I taught them spoken English and rocketry sessions. Their participation level was off the charts. I realized that they could use some grammar workbooks. That’s going to be my goal to raise some funds to get them some grammar workbooks this year. During my stay, I also interacted with several Veda Pathasala students of my age group (10 -12 years). I really want to go back next year and teach them spoken English too. They were super curious and enthusiastic to learn English from me. I learned a ton of brand new things from the lectures on Ayurveda, plant-based medicine, and Homeopathy, the medicine of energies and extracts. We went on a medical camp and learned how homeopathy was helping the patients and filling gaps in healthcare needs for the local population. Even kids as little as 3 years old got treated at the medical camp. We heard many success stories from the patients. We shadowed the doctors in the JIMS hospital and watched how homeopathic medicines are made from extracts and sugar balls. The interesting thing is that the more they dilute the extract, the more its potency increases. We also saw how Ayurvedic treatments helped patients with chronic back pain and some cancers too. We also got to see how the Mahila Arogya Vikas wing is screening women all over India for cancers and distributing medicines. The lessons of environmental protection from Allampally and nearby village people are priceless. They don’t consider the land their property as they own it. They consider it a gift from God. The land gave them life. They were part of it. They call it their mother. If she was angry with them, she might send harsh summers or plagues of insects. They had to do good things for her and live the way their mother-earth thought was right. She was the mother to everything that lived upon her, so everything was their brother and sisters to them. If they didn’t treat them right, their mother would be angry. Swamiji taught us that land is alive and sacred. Trees, mountains, and animals are all spirits to help us. We must learn to listen to them, not destroy them. We must smell and taste the dirt. We must go into the sunlight and give thanks for the day. That’s how we listen to them. We should learn to respect all life– all trees and all creatures. I probably absorbed these lessons well because, by the end of the trip, I didn’t get scared of insects and bugs all around me. Swamiji also taught us that He came across some tribal people who share whatever little they have. They sit and wait before they eat during their lunchtime to see if any strangers pass by who are hungry. In the same sense, Swamiji instructed us to prepare food packets and groceries for the flood relief victims. Along with Veda pathasala students, we packed rice, wheat flour, lentils, sugar, salt, and spices. Packing tamarind was messy and sticky. We had a lot of fun doing this. It was such a satisfying experience to watch our food packets get loaded onto the trucks. The ashram gardens are so beautiful I could spend days looking at the flora and fauna. I even made two videos of birds chirping and other calming sounds from the ashram gardens, which already garnered thousands of views on my youtube channel - Srikrishna Explores!. Overall, I feel lucky to have been part of this internship. I like to immensely thank all the VTSeva officials who let me participate in this wonderful trip. I sure want to go on it again if I get an opportunity.

By Sriteja Kataru Summer of 2022 Sriteja Kataru reflects on his VTSeva Summer Internship 2022 experience -- activities he was involved in, lessons learned and insights gained. My moment of absolute contentment and pure joy occurred during a humid afternoon in Allampally, a remote forest village in Telangana, India. It was inside a classroom of a tribal school - the only concrete structure in a dense forest that is officially classified as a tiger reserve. As my friend and I were teaching how each sensor worked in a crowded robotics classroom, everyone craned their necks and listened intently. Our goal of the day was to build a robot that uses its surroundings to move accordingly, somewhat an ambitious goal considering we didn’t have enough time building up to this point. When it was time to assemble the robot, the students excitedly put together the wheels, shaft, and sensors. Next, I started teaching them how to program the code to control the robot. As soon as I was done with basic programming constructs, I saw the students write remarkable programs. When the robot, after a period of debugging and rewriting, successfully sensed the wall and turned around, that was the moment of joy for me. They got it. I could sense their jubilation as they started jumping up and down and high-fiving each other, a gesture we taught them only that morning. My takeaway from this robotics class is that these students are truly grateful for the education they receive, something that children in many other places take for granted. This experience is part of my VT Seva summer internship in India. What started as a routine summer camp quickly became a journey of self-discovery for me. Every notion I originally had about happiness and a good life was constantly challenged. I was compelled to ponder on what brings true joy. Visiting the nearby tribal villages (thandaas) was another rewarding experience for me. As several little kids held my hand and proudly gave me a tour of their villages, I couldn’t help but notice how their faces glowed with contentment. There were no grocery stores, no movie theaters, or no restaurants in sight. They have dirt roads and have electricity only for a few hours a day. How were they so happy? Judging from our conversations, their happiness is rooted in positive thinking. “I am going to study well, get a good government job, and take care of my parents and my villagers”, said Rakesh, one 9th grader. Their happiness is also rooted in gratitude for what they have. They were happy that we came to see them and had new friends to play with. What these Allampally kids taught me is to keep the hope alive. No matter how adverse the situations or scarce the resources are, they are always hopeful for a better tomorrow. These kids hope to secure a respectable government job. The young players fidgeting with their bats in the narrow alley dream of joining the national cricket team one day. Living in harmony with nature is also a part of their immeasurable joy. When I asked whether they were afraid of wild animals attacking them, they said, “We know the animals and the animals know us.” When our bus stopped and gave a ride to kids who were walking by the road, they were visibly elated. And even if they do not have the most comfortable lives, they still manage to have fun, enjoy and laugh by finding happiness in the little, simple joys of life. This is some serious food for thought for me. Overall, I learned plenty of life lessons from these tribal students and villagers. Along with Allampally, I also had the chance to visit and talk to the students at Netra Vidyalaya, a college for visually challenged students. Every time I went there, it was such a thought-provoking experience. Here are some life lessons I learned from these remarkable students: Many people are driven by the stigma surrounding sight loss and often don’t steer away from their misconceptions. My lesson from this is — you don’t need sight to have a vision. They still have vision for the things they are passionate about in life. They love things such as music, fashion, and writing. I was impressed and humbled by how much dedication and passion they put into their work, especially how they work with the JAWS software on the computer and passionately pursue their hobbies. Their lack of eyesight doesn’t stop them from following their passions and reaching their goals. Before this internship, I thought that some things must be impossible to accomplish for visually challenged people but the Netra Vidyalaya students completely changed my mind on this. Some things might be harder to achieve because of vision loss but that doesn’t mean that those things are beyond their reach. They have been able to achieve things and reach goals that I never thought would be possible. They continuously win gold medals in state-level sports and excel in their academics. Because of this, I now firmly believe that you can achieve anything you want to achieve if you have drive and determination. Another insight I have gained from observing and talking to the Netra Vidyalaya students is that it is important to push yourself. I sometimes refuse to do activities because I don’t think I’m capable of achieving them or I feel too anxious to do them. I see some visually challenged kids push themselves out of their comfort zones and compete in sports such as cricket. This taught me that I should always step out of my comfort zone to boost my confidence. In the beginning, the idea of going into a remote tribal village in a rainy season seemed like a daunting task. Now that I have pushed myself to do it, I feel so much better and it has definitely boosted my confidence for the future. Something else I noticed in the Netra Vidyalaya students is that they have a lot of trust in their fellow classmates. How they support each other while walking, how they navigate around their computer classrooms, or even how they eat together for every single meal. This, of course, fosters community spirit and cohesion. During one of our life lesson conversations, our Swamiji taught us our ego stems from three sources. Ego from wealth, ego from education, and ego from position (being from a reputed family or a position of power). Swamiji further taught us that we should be aware of these at all times. This self-awareness further helps with our self-discovery process. Even after the trip ended, my journey of self-discovery continues based on the lessons I received during the trip. This internship taught me not to take my blessings for granted, and before I open my mouth to complain, I remember the face of the little boy, who lost his eyesight at the age of 9 and is still studying hard to become a bank officer. I also realized how trivial my own problems are compared to what others are battling each day. This internship has unquestionably changed my outlook and perspective on life and how I encounter different situations on a daily basis.

This blog will continue to be updated on an ongoing basis for all frontline worker appreciation events, so make sure to check this out for an overview of all our activities! The frontline workers appreciation program will be held on a monthly basis where volunteers will get the opportunity to express their gratitude for both Frisco Police officers and firefighters. Make sure to stay tuned in for further updates! Monthly appreciation breakfast for Frisco Police and Frisco Firefighters on 08/12/22 On August 12th, the VTSeva Dallas team appreciated the services of Police officers & Fire Department officers of Station 9 by sponsoring breakfast for them. One of the highlights of the event was our volunteers being given an excellent orientation by Mr. Jeff White, one of the officers. Monthly appreciation breakfast for Frisco Police and Frisco Firefighters on 09/13/22 On September 13th, the VT Seva Dallas team appreciated the services of Frisco Police officers by sponsoring lunch for them. Here are a couple of pictures from our recent visit:

VT Seva Detroit Youth Board successfully completed the hybrid walkathon on July 24, 2022, to support Angels of Hope - A Family Cancer Foundation supporting Michigan families impacted by Cancer. Second annual hybrid walkathon was conducted for 𝟒𝟑 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐮𝐥 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐. 𝟏𝟓1 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, Total raised $3500, and 𝟑𝟏 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟖𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, money becomes another issue on top of everything else. Angels of Hope provides financial assistance to Michigan families in need due to cancer so families can focus on supporting their loved ones. Thanks to 𝐔𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐦 𝐣𝐢 for website creation and providing support anytime with website maintenance and updates. In Detroit.vtwalk.org participants entered their miles daily and stayed active with healthy competition. Mother Nature forced us to change our plans in last minute with a heavy downpour. We ended up having our in person finale walkathon inside a mall. Thanks to Laurel Park place for accommodating us in the last minute. This walkathon wouldn’t be possible without our youth team leads, sponsors and donors. Our wonderful youth team leads are: Aahana Jain, Adhip Pisipati, Akshay Kumar, Akshith Ashwanth, Alok Tonapi, Amogh Pisipati, Anuraag Balaji, Anvika Perumalla, Arya Cheemalamarri, Eesha Chigullapally, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Harish Jaisankar, Kaavya Naga Sri Karnati, Kushal Durga, Mohammad Hassan Mohamed Ali khan, Mohammad Hussain Mohamed Ali khan, Nikita Talwar, Oviya Jaisankar, Rishi Chowdhury, Saisha Srivatsan, Shivani Nimmagadda, Shruthika Anandakumar, Srihari Ananthalwan, Srihari Hebbar, Srivatsa Thirunagari, Supraja V Pattangi, Teja Cheemalamarri, Udhayaa Arul, Varshan Muhinthan, Veena Karthik & Yana Pancal Thanks to the parents (𝐕𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐣𝐢, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐣𝐢, 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐣𝐢, 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐣𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐣𝐢) for decorations, sponsoring Fruits, Snack bars, Water Bottles for all the participants in the in-person event. Thanks to Architha ji & Venkat ji for printing certificates. Thanks to 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐢 for the instant camera pictures and photo prop frame Thanks to all of our wonderful donors (𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐢, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐢, 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐣𝐢, 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐣𝐢, 𝐊𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐣𝐢 & 𝐕𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐣𝐢) who contributed towards this wonderful cause and supported the youth initiative. Together we raised $3500 to support Angels of Hope - A Family Cancer Foundation. Thanks to 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 who represented Angels of Hope for sharing how Angels of Hope supported her in her time of need and for appreciating the youth volunteers who made this event possible. Thanks to 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐣𝐢 for giving a motivational speech to encourage everyone to keep walking and stay healthy. Team Leads shared their experience of participating in Walkathon Overall, it was a great experience coming together, walking virtually, raising money, helping families in need, and finishing it with a grand finale in-person walkathon. Blog written by Priya Jaisankar Blog published by Nandini Cheemalamarri

This Summer, some of our VT Seva Dallas Youth members experienced a completely different meaning of the term - “Summer Internship”. Imagine this - living in a tribal school in the middle of the dense jungles of Nirmal forest and Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana where there are only kucha roads for hundreds of kilometers. And being welcomed and loved by hundreds of tribal kids who are from the surrounding Gond and other tribal hamlets or “thandas”. The goal of this volunteering internship was to have our youth team, which comprised of VT Seva youth volunteers from all over the US, spend time in the tribal school and teach the students various subjects that included Robotics, Scratch Programming, Rubik’s Cubing, Self Defense as well as English, Math and General Science. Besides staying in the school and teaching(and learning from) the kids, the team visited the “thandas” and experienced the true hospitality of the tribal people and their children. Their purity, innocence, intelligence, and willingness to learn and do something for the country were truly awe-inspiring. We also got the opportunity to spend time at the Statue of Equality, Nethra College for Visually Challenged, JIMS Hospital, and were privileged to spend time and interact with HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji and obtain his blessings daily during the period of our stay. We congratulate our VT Seva Dallas Youth Board interns who attended this internship in India and played an active role in making this journey so memorable - Arnav Senapathi, Neil Katta, Nigama Reddy, Ronav Aviur, Sahiti Peechara, Sanhita Perkari, Shriya Aviur, and Vishnu Marella. We convey our humble gratitude to VT Seva for the opportunity to chaperone our fantastic 15 VT Seva youth volunteers in this wondrous summer internship in India. This journey of ours and the time we have spent at Allampally, Nethra College for Visually Challenged, and Statue of Equality has not only been rewarding and fulfilling but has inspired us to do more for the cause of empowering students from underprivileged communities. The opportunity to participate in the Summer Internship Program will continue to be offered annually, and we encourage all our youth volunteers and adult chaperones to sign up and experience this life-changing journey firsthand. Please find below some pictures from our wondrous journey.

"We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives" -John.F.Kennedy VT Seva Detroit had a tour of the Novi Police Department, Novi, Michigan, for youth volunteers on April 10th, 2022, and also had the pleasure of hosting an Appreciation lunch for the Novi Police Department on May 8th, 2022 Novi Police Station Facility Tour- April 10th, 2022 Our volunteers had a great learning experience on April 10th, 2022 attending the Novi Police Station tour. We had more than 20 volunteers, and everyone loved this experience of visiting a police station, touring their facility, and learning more about how they function. It was a great pleasure meeting Sergeant Mark Boody & he was very kind and courteous to all of us, making us feel very comfortable. All our youth volunteers had some fun trying their gears & took a look inside their police officers' patrol cars. They were also curious to know all those various technical gadgets they use daily. It was a great educational tour for the teens to learn about cyber-crimes and how to be vigilant. In addition, we all learned how the 911 officers operate & efficiently handle their daily crucial emergency calls. He also talked about different programs the kids can attend, such as the "Explore Youth" assistance programs, and more career options they can pursue. These are our volunteers who attended this tour: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Oviya, Sai Karnati, Kalki, Srivatsa, Pavan, Shivani, Pravin, Dakshana, Medhas, Aarush, and Varun. 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀: Priya Jaishankar, Sudheer Koppu, Srinathbabu Karnati, Anand Renganathan, Manoj Kumar, Jayashree Brijesh, Radhika Kollu, Vanitha Gopalan. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/5twF5U5SYfDEJ9h46 We had a great learning experience in knowing various aspects of how the Novi Police Department function so efficiently in supporting and protecting our community. VT Seva Detroit sincerely thanks the Novi Police Department for providing us with this great opportunity. Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0n9jQ7XSS5Xe2hFoPZjUrx1p1VfJUpaAucP7dEdkWjXXvmKuLTU9EpQzh5RnVgjnjl Novi Police Officers Appreciation Lunch & 2nd Novi Police Station Facility Tour-May 8th, 2022 City of Novi - Government & Community Services During the National Police Week from May 15th to 21, 2022, VT Seva Detroit hosted an Appreciation lunch for NOVI Police Department on May 8th, 2022. Like last year, VT Seva Detroit got an opportunity to visit Novi Police Department and extend our sincere gratitude by hosting an appreciation lunch along with a "Thank you" poster frame for their tireless hard work and endless selfless services to protect us all. This was a great opportunity to meet and thank them immensely personally. During our visit, we met Sgt. Boody, Officer Thibault and Cadet Officer Gacesa. They were all very cordial and kind to us, appreciative of our efforts and the community services we do locally and globally. We had an excellent interaction with them in explaining VT Seva and all our activities in the Detroit branch. Followed by our appreciation lunch, some of our VT Seva Detroit volunteers got another excellent opportunity to tour their facility and learn more about how the police department functions. This is our second police station tour this year, and we are very grateful to Sergeant Jenkinson for all his help in getting this scheduled for our Detroit Volunteers. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 : https://photos.google.com/.../AF1QipOozCNenQd... Youtube video link for all the pics. It was a great pleasure meeting Sergeant Mark Boody & Officer Thibault. They were both very kind and courteous, making us feel very comfortable. During the tour - Volunteers visited various areas within the police station and learned by asking questions. They also learned how to bring the person to the police station, the booking process, the Investigation Process, etc. In addition, volunteers learned the facts about the uniforms, the Stripes on the uniform, and the weight each police officer wears as part of their uniform. Our youth volunteers were so excited and thrilled to have an opportunity to interact with them, sit on the police patrol vehicles and get some photos taken. Our Police Appreciation Lunch sponsors are Sudhakar Kolluri ji & Madhavi Kolluri ji. We are always immensely thankful to them for their humble & kind support towards all VT Seva Detroit events & causes. These are some of our wonderful volunteers who participated in this event: Youth volunteers: Varsha Karthik; Veena Karthik; Haji Muhinthan; Varshan Mhuinthan; Aditya Prayagai; Adhip pisipati, Ved patel, Saanvi Moorthy, Kalki R Adult volunteers: Sudhakar Kolluri, Sudheer Koppu, Srinathbabu Karnati, Anand Reghunathan, Jai Shankar, Priya Jaishankar, Architha Kramadhati, Bhavna Patel, Aarthi Karthik, Priya Prayagai, Komathy Muhinthan, Vidya Rajendran We, VT Seva Detroit, thank all those Police officers who don't give up and work day in and day out with alertness and ensure to keep the people safe in our community. VT Seva Detroit sincerely thanks Novi Police Department for providing us with this great opportunity. WE SALUTE OUR BRAVE POLICE OFFICERS. GOD BLESS EVERYONE!! Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid0gSVp4qKzLNWaZ4peiHMWB1kptiST3q7GGEALcjEa5WxzTD4avZGYoHShYibcdyQUl Comments from Detroit VTSeva Volunteers: 1. It was really a great experience. Big kudos to Sergeant Mark Boody, he was very kind, and answering all the questions. It was so good to hear from the youths know that they can approach the police without any hesitation when needed. 2. Every Youth and Adult learned something on this tour about the cop. This tour brought some interest in youth towards becoming cop. Thanks to all the participants. 3. What a wonderful experience touring our Novi city police department and what a great learning experience for all youth volunteers. Sincere thanks to Novi Police Department City of Novi - Government & Community Services for giving VT Seva Detroit this great oppourtunity. God bless all our Brave Police Officers.!! Blog Consolidated By: Arya Cheemalamarri Blog Published by Nandini Cheemalamarri

On March 20th, 2022, VT Seva Detroit completed a drive for Detroit Rescue Homeless Shelter with the help of Kroger Stores Solicitation. VT Seva Detroit team raised a total of $800 and collected around six big boxes of Baby care products and personal care & hygiene products for Men and Women with the help of generous customers who shopped at Kroger Canton Stores from 10 am to 4:30 pm. The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) has spent over 100 years providing food, shelter, and services to intervene where homelessness and substance addiction occur—giving hope to the hopeless, abused, and disadvantaged of the Detroit Community. They have constant needs for essential items such as clothing, blankets, cleaning products, personal hygiene items, and winter clothes for all their housing shelters for homeless people. Video of Pictures Our youth and adult volunteers showed a great volunteering spirit throughout their shift slots, reaching out to all customers, distributing the flyers, speaking about VT Seva Detroit, and explaining the reason behind this drive. Everyone did a great job with their customer-friendly skills and approach. There were times when we had a tough time in not so responsive customers; however, they never gave up and continued with the same zeal and smile. VT Seva Detroit sincerely thanks every youth and adult volunteer who contributed their time and efforts to make it a successful drive. Youth Volunteers: Veena Karthik, Medhas Kollu, Sai sahasra, Hrudya Kishore, Nikhil Aerabati, Udhayaa Arul Adult Volunteers: Raghunathan Namuduri, Pranitha Sriperumbuduru, Suresh Rajan, Vanitha Gopalan We take this opportunity to sincerely thank Kroger Corporate Executive Stacy for approving the VT Seva Detroit solicitation application and granting the Canton location store to conduct this drive successfully. Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/pfbid036mbmpHMnN8AQCnhQiMDGqzAPUtNmDCLY2cYqMBusHj2pkGZY5NgVA14LVYHsqnhQl Appreciation message for VT Seva Detroit volunteers from Revd. Paschal Eze Vice President, DRMM Detroit https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/videos/646618823284146/ Comments from a participant: From Youth Volunteer - Veena Karthik It was my first time volunteering for VT Seva. I was happy to get people involved and help raise money for a good cause. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this event and help out those who need it! Blog Consolidated By: Teja Cheemalamarri Blog Published by Nandini Cheemalamarri

In the summer of 2022, a few members of the VT Seva Detroit Youth Board partnered with Bright Mind Tutors to conduct our first-ever Foreign Language Camp. This was a three-day online camp conducted from July 11, 2022 to July 13, 2022, to teach kindergarten and elementary school students some of the basic words and conversational phrases of French and Spanish. Thanks to this camp, our participants were exposed to two of the most common languages in the world while also contributing to sponsoring the education of our underprivileged Nethra Vidyala students. Shrika Atchutuni, Rashmitha Raghunathan, Harish Jaisankar, Soofia Khan, and Oviya Jaisankar, five wonderful high school kids, came together to conduct this camp. Through hard work in putting together a curriculum, creating materials, and extensive promotion, this camp was a great success and was an amazing experience for both these five students and the participants. After the camp, we were short of having raised enough to support a student's education for an entire year. So, Shrika, Rashmitha, and Harish jumped in to satisfy this goal by donating portions of their summer earnings. This camp was not only an impactful volunteering opportunity for our five organizers - it also provided them with a venue to donate some of their own money to a truly worthy cause. Kudos to all 3 for contribution not only their time but also their earnings. This is a great example of VT Seva’s mission to promote volunteering and philanthropy in our youth. Thanks to their involvement in the youth board, these young volunteers understood this mission and were able to plan and execute a camp from scratch while also contributing to the education of underprivileged students in the process. Blog Written By: Oviya Jaisankar Blog Published By: Nandini Cheemalamarri

On July 6th VTSeva youth had an opportunity to meet and greet the police officers with an appreciation lunch to the entire team of 50 RRPD from VTSeva. Thanks to Officer Earin Jackson for the great welcoming smile and her passion demonstrated during the department tour. Youth volunteers have submitted a Thank you poster to Chief of police Allan Banks. His shared his inspirational stories with the kids. The department tour we had was an eye opener and realized how blessed and privileged our families are and how comfortable life we are leading. Tears rolled looking at the juvenile section and hearing their stories. A person is not born bad, it's the decisions that make us bad. And every officer there believed in a second chance. As a parent and a police officer looking at the bad side of society all the time, not lose temper towards the kids is a very tough job. Their willingness to uplift the youth and create relationships with communities to help youth to lead a right path was amazing. A compassionate heart and at the same time staying hard to do the right thing is definitely not a cup of tea. It was a great experience to see the daily life of police and understand the emotions and the stress 911 call takers go through. There is so much to learn from these heroes who put their life on the line. They demonstrated their passion for community service grit and the rigorous and continuous training regime they go through. They taught kids that you can make a difference in society at their level with a service mindset and overcome anxiety and fear with preparedness. No need to be gender biased or feel stereotypical. It was indeed an amazing experience to tour the different departments within the RRPD. Really value and appreciate how they adhere to the core values and how inclusive RRPD is, especially their community outreach and things they do to make community members comfortable. Volunteers words My experience at RRPD - Appreciation lunch. I would say that this is my first time entering a police station; I was hesitant at first but then was excited after seeing how welcoming the police were. First we met the community officer Erin Jackson, she was so sweet and I loved the way she welcomed us and told us that without the help of the community we as police officers can’t serve the city right. Walking down the hallways of the police station it felt like I was a mouse running through a maze. The building was massive. And every police officer we met along the way had great experiences to share, but the most memorable one is the Chief officer’s journey. His journey started when he was 8 years old and decided to be a police officer and serve his community. When I was 8, I had no clue what I was going to be and had no dream to follow but, I always thought that one day I would find it. A Lot of the people I know have bad impressions on what a police officer is and their duty, but after spending time with them I understood that police officers are no superheroes. They are normal humans that have lives, when they take their uniforms off. If we are afraid to tell them our problems or even go up to them to share, we can never see the difference we want to see in the community – Ravi Varma Vathsavai This is my first time entering the police station; I was pretty excited because I remember as a child I always wanted to go into a police station. As an individual I have heard bad things about and know people who had bad experiences. But today this experience was way more different than everything I heard of, the police officers were very welcoming to us and really wanted us to be there and learn more about what happens behind the scenes. It was really fun when we met all the officers around the building, everyone was willing to tell their stories. It was nice to hear how all of them had to work so hard to get to the position they are at right now. Everyone has a different back story and different types of lifestyles they grew up in but, all the police officers have the same dream to protect the community and people. I know that they are not superheroes or out of the ordinary but, I know that they will be the first to put their chest out to protect us. Officer Erin Jackson, who is the community officer, was very sweet and welcomed us and said that “ being a police officer is to serve the community and know what the community wants in return from the police.” she added that without the community's support and feedback they cannot do the best job they can. - Pranavi Vathsavai

“The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other, but to be with each other and for each other.” VTSeva Austin Youth Board organized their first-ever 5K Run/Walk on Jul 23 2022. Austin youth board well planning, and execution has brought together families to run for the single cause- Saksham trust which VTSeva partnered with. VTSeva is focused on providing value-based quality education, technology assisted learning, self-reliant lifestyle to Visually challenged. To expand its reach and serve more Visually challenged, VTSeva has partnered with Saksham trust to create digital library of books and to provide subsidizes laptops and other devices that would help Visually challenged to lead self-sustainable life. All proceedings for event go to Saksham trust and Austin Parks foundation. Our Young volunteers were pro in introducing VTSeva to the participants, Planning and directing the race course. Followed was the pre-stretches lead by Austin local Orange theory fitness team. Special thanks to Orange theory fitness for the tips and pre-stretches in making the 5K safe and enjoyable to our participants . Our Senior citizens and little kiddos participation have added inspiration to the 5K run. VTSeva Austin would like to congratulate youth board members and adult mentors for all their efforts and contributions in making this event a great success.

VT SEVA DETROIT VOLLEYBALL/THROWBALL TOURNAMENT Date and Time: AUGUST 20TH, 2022, from 9:00 AM Location: Sand Volley Ball Courts – 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield, MI 48706 One of the most awaited Sports events of VT Seva is back in action. With the amazing turnout back in 2021, we are excited to host the VT Seva Volleyball & Throwball Tournament, benefiting the visually challenged children yet again in 2022. Please mark your calendar for Aug 20th, 2022, from 9:00 AM onwards at the Sand Volley Ball Courts – 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield, MI 48706. All proceeds from the event will go towards the education, food, and clothing for visually challenged children of Nethra Vidyalaya & Tribal School children. Join us in making this event a successful one either as a Player or as an audience. Lunch & beverages will be provided at a nominal price. Register as a Team at: https://www.vtsworld.org/detroit Link for registration: Rules & Regulations: All Teams/Individual Players must go through the rules & regulations and sign the Waiver Form.