VT Seva Detroit: Mailing Supplies Project to help Penrickton Center for Blind Children (REMOTE) Penrickton Center is a private non-profit organization that provides care and support to blind, multi-disabled children and their families. Penrickton Center for Blind Children provides services to families at no charge and relies entirely on donations from the community. Throughout the year Penrickton Center sends out requests for donations, and invitations to raise funds. VT Seva Detroit volunteers got this opportunity to help them assemble their Mailing Supplies items in envelopes as per their directions for their fundraising purposes. FIRST BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Timeline: May 1st, 2021 to June 5th, 2021 Items Delivered: June 6th, 2021 We received 20 signups within an hour of project release in groups. The mailing supplies were picked up from the Penrickton Center, sorted, and organized as 20 kits with 250 counts of each item. The kits were later distributed to volunteers to do at their homes and then to be dropped off before June 5th, 2021. We had 20 youth volunteers who participated in this remote volunteering project. Each volunteer assembled perfectly 250 envelopes with those mailing supplies items provided. On the whole, we delivered around 5000 envelopes in this first batch of our Mailing Supplies Project to Penrickton Center for Blind Children. We received lots of appreciations from the Penrickton Center coordinators for this great help by our volunteers since it saves a lot of their time in doing this task before proceeding to their next step of sending these mails to all their donors. Youth volunteers who participated: Aarush Arun; Abhinav Suresh; Ananya Ramanan; Harish Jaishankar ;Ish Niranjan Patel; Ishani; Kaavya Karnati; Karthik Tilak ;Likitha Gidijala;Nikhil Aerabati; Oviya Jaishankar;Rishi Adduri;Rohan Patil; Sai Sahasra; Sai Karnati ;Saisha Srivatsan;Shreya Srivatsan;Shruthi Adduri; Siddharth Tirumala Kanduri;Tarun Rajesh This project was so successful & liked by our Volunteers that many wanted to do more of the mailing supplies. Hence we have brought in the second batch of the supplies from Penrickton Center and we will be executing that as our next remote project for Penrickton Center. SECOND BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT Timeline: June 11, 2021 to July 2nd, 2021 After successful completion of the FIRST BATCH of Mailing Supplies Project, we are ready to go with our SECOND BATCH Mailing Supplies Project. The mailing supplies were picked up from the center on June 6th, 2021. 15 volunteers have already signed up for this second batch project. The supplies will be sorted, organized and will be available as kits to be picked up from our volunteer coordinator residence in Novi. The project will kick off on June 11 and July 2nd will be the due date for kits to be dropped off. You may check out this 'How To' YouTube Video Link to know how to assemble those mailing supplies items in the envelope. Volunteering credit hours about this project (FOR YOUTH ONLY): -> Every kit will have 250 items each within the mailing supplies -> It takes approximately 2.5 hours to assemble 250 envelopes, so the Volunteering Credit hours will be rounded off to 3 hours for completing 250 envelopes. For any further questions, contact: Vanitha @ 248-227-3094 (or) Srinath @ 949-232-9477 Please visit VT Seva Detroit Facebook page to view more details. https://www.facebook.com/vtseva.detroit/posts/4736603273033331 THIRD BATCH MAILING SUPPLIES PROJECT Timeline: June 26, 2021, to July 17, 2021 Due to the popularity of this remote project, we reached out to Penrickton for our Third Batch to do more help for them in assembling their mailing supplies. They were kind enough to give more kits for our volunteers to help them. The supplies were picked up on June 24th from Penrickton; the items are sorted and organized as 18 kits ready to be distributed to volunteers. Whoever interested kindly please signup the form shorturl.at/hjsAF and schedule your date and time to pick up the kit from Vanitha @ 248-227-3094 at the earliest. NOTE: This signup is only for those volunteers who missed participating in our previous mailing supplies project. You may check out this 'How To' YouTube Video Link to know how to assemble those mailing supplies items in the envelope. https://youtu.be/xs2y9vUIiGw Volunteering credit hours about this project (FOR YOUTH ONLY): -> Every kit will have 250 items each within the mailing supplies -> It takes approximately 2.5 hours to assemble 250 envelopes, so the Volunteering Credit hours will be rounded off to 3 hours for completing 250 envelopes. For any further questions, contact: Vanitha @ 248-227-3094 (or) Srinath @ 949-232-9477

VT Seva Dallas along with Saptaswara School of Music is excited to launch a new initiative that would provide a platform for the talented musicians and artists in India who are blind or visually challenged. We are happy to work with Netra Vidyalaya's alum Mr. Parameshwara Rao during the initial (trial) phase of this initiative. As you all know, Mr. Parameshwara Rao is a very talented and gifted singer who shot to fame after winning the popular titles of ETV Paaduta Teeyaga, Gemini TV Bol Baby Bol, ETV Black Program, Maa TV Rela re Rela, and other famed singing competitions. As part of the trial, we will be working for 1-2 months with about 10 kids (10-18 yrs) from the DFW area who are already into learning Indian music. There will be a nominal fee of $15 for a class ($60 for 4 classes in a month). If anyone is interested to be part of this trial, please contact us for more details. Once the trial phase is completed and all the logistics are worked out, the plan is to open it up across the nation and globally. This would be a great opportunity to not only learn music/songs from gifted individuals like Mr.Parameshwara Rao, but you would also be supporting in building a lifelong platform and opportunity for all the visually challenged musicians and artists in India. For more details, please contact: Mr. Phani Aduri - # 2143948493, Phani.aduri@vtsworld.org Mr. Krishna Kanth - # 9729358955, Krishna.vennamaneni@vtsworld.org

VT Seva Detroit & JET Michigan is glad to initiate 'SOW A SEED EDUCATE A CHILD' Eco Project This project has been initiated primarily for a good cause of EDUCATING a Child & also to promote gardening and being eco-friendly within our Youth and Adults volunteers by growing plants & nurturing them. Once the plants grow bigger the idea is to sell them for a reasonable amount and raise donations for Nethra Vidyalaya visually challenged children & Tribal Schools Children. Alternatively, if the participants would like to keep the plant, they can do so as well by giving any donation amount for the cause. Coordinators will help & guide the participants throughout the process. If you would like to participate in this project you may reach our Project Coordinator Suresh Rajan at 7346124961 or sureshrajan18@yahoo.com or Email at detroit.director@vtsworld.org .

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow - Audrey Hepburn Chicago Youth team is taking part in this Eco-Fundraiser. Great initiative for all the Gardening enthusiasts with the weather getting better. If you are interested in growing plants for the eco-fundraiser, please fill this form out- https://tinyurl.com/vtsecofundraiser or send an Email to chicago.director@vtsworld.org

This eco-fundraiser is your chance to help our earth and community. Interested in growing plants? Scan the QR code to sign up! Register here - tinyurl.com/seeds-for-tomorrow

No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.-Brad Meltzer VT SEVA Detroit youth board presents great opportunity for making Greeting card on the occasion of Mother's/Father's day for Senior Citizens to show them that they are loved. Project Start Date: Apr -11-2021 Project End Date: May-01-2021 Card Requirements: 1. Cards should be creative and heartfelt (write it like you would make one for your own grandma/grandpa). 2. Each person will need to make 4 Mother's Day cards and 2 Father's Day cards. 3. Greeting cards are made out of thick, sturdy paper. Cardstock is recommended. 4. Do not include your personal details (only state that it's coming from a VT Seva Detroit Youth Board volunteer) or any religious messages in your card. These cards will be going out to three senior centers: Manoogian Manor, Oakmont Communities, and Woodhaven. For More details & Volunteering opportunities Please reach us Priya : detroit.youthdirector@vtsworld.org / (313) 529-0824 Srinath: detroit.director@vtsworld.org / (949) 232-9477 Please let us know ASAP if you plan on participating. Your Support is our strength to Serve. Thank you everyone!

What is the use of a house if you don’t have a decent planet to put it on? – Henry David Thoreau Authored by - Shraddha, Minnesota 16 years old Planet Earth is warming slowly each day, and as time ticks by, the issues surrounding the climate are getting more difficult to ignore. Carbon dioxide emissions are creeping higher and higher due to crowded infrastructure, irresponsible waste disposal, and the ever-growing population. As our world sinks deeper into the climate crisis, it has become more crucial than ever to utilize sustainable practices and care for the environment. VTSeva plays a big role in encouraging the community- and especially the next generation- to educate themselves about the dangers of global warming and take initiatives to alleviate its effects. VTSeva, which exists on the foundations of service and compassion to all, takes pride in creating opportunities to “go green”. This is clearly demonstrated through many of VTSeva’s past activities, which revolve around the #MotherEarth campaign. For one, tree plantation is a popular activity among many. Volunteers regularly sign up to plant trees in the community and are able to foster growth and greenery in their area. Moreover, many volunteers across the United States have taken the initiative to “Adopt a Spot”. Each “Spot” is an area of land which they attend to and regularly clean up. In doing so, volunteers can enrich and contribute to their community. On top of direct community involvement, multiple VTSeva volunteers engaged in the 90 day environment challenge and each created a video detailing their accomplishments. The videos range from information about composting to proper methods of recycling. The dedication of the youth is clearly shown in the videos. By advocating for the environment in this manner, they were able to make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. No matter how dire the Earth’s condition may be today, it is important to always remember that any action taken will make an impact. Be the one to step up and create initiative for your community- observe proper methods of recycling, start composting, plant some trees, or clean up your community park. Most of all, remember to encourage those around you to follow in your footsteps. To learn more on how others have made a difference in our environment, visit vtsworld.org. And remember, change starts with you.

I got the opportunity to learn about the prison located within the department where all the prisoners are first taken when arrested in Frisco, take a peek inside the 911 call center and check out a few of the officer's workspaces. I am Meghana Aduri, a youth volunteer in the VT Seva Dallas chapter. I am a 7th grader at Roach Middle School in Frisco I was excited to visit the Frisco Police Department on March 5th, 2021, and got an opportunity to interact and learn the way police officers perform their jobs and how they are assigned to different zones within the city. They sounded very confident and passionate about what they do, and I learned that they deal with cases like robberies, crimes, and fire-related incidents besides patrolling the city. We took many pictures with the police and enjoyed talking and spending time with them. Sponsoring appreciation lunches for the police was a great way to show our gratitude towards them. The tour of the Frisco Police Department on March 22nd was one of the most interesting experiences that I ever had. I got the opportunity to learn about the different programs that the department offers for youth, see the gadgets that the officers wear and their use, view inside the police officer's car, and check out the different electronics used. I got the opportunity to learn about the prison located within the department where all the prisoners are first taken when arrested in Frisco, take a peek inside the 911 call center and check out a few of the officer's workspaces. Unlike what most people think about police officers as being very serious, Officer Radd Rotello, who gave us the tour was very friendly and cheerful, explained all the aspects of the police department in detail and with patience, answering all our questions. Overall, the tour was an exciting experience and I would recommend all the kids to avail themselves of this opportunity to take the tour, know your police officers and appreciate what they do for us.

Speaking and interacting with the police officers, by asking them questions and hearing about their thoughts on different aspects of the job, revealed to us a much more approachable and friendly reality of officer's personalities that contrasts stereotypes many citizens hold of the police being intimidating! I am Akshara, a volunteer with VT SEVA for nearly five years. The police appreciation initiative in Frisco was a wonderful experience for me- it was a valuable opportunity to not only show gratitude towards these officers for their selfless work, but also to learn more about the specific duties and services they perform every day. Speaking and interacting with the police officers, by asking them questions and hearing about their thoughts on different aspects of the job, revealed to us a much more approachable and friendly reality of officer's personalities that contrasts stereotypes many citizens hold of the police being intimidating! I think this would be a truly rewarding opportunity for anyone in our community to gain as well as give back in a meaningful way.

The experience was a lot of fun, and I would definitely do it again! My name is Sahiti and I am a member of the VT Seva Dallas group that went to the Frisco Police Department. The experience was a lot of fun, and I would definitely do it again! We met a police officer who acted as our tour guide, and saw his weapons, different tools police officers use, etc.) It was very interactive, and we got to go inside the jail and a squad car (which was interesting). All in all, going to the Frisco Police Department was a lot more fun and interesting than I thought it would be, and I learned a lot more about what our police officers do for us.

Because of this event, I have a newfound respect for our police and the work that they do. It was a wonderful experience! The police officer guiding us was so kind and friendly. I went into this event thinking that I knew most of what was there to know about the police force, but I learned so much! Because of this event, I have a newfound respect for our police and the work that they do.

We learned a lot of cool things like that most police officers never have to use their firearms and that their tool belt alone weighs about 30 pounds! It was a great learning experience and I really had an amazing time. I am a VT Seva youth volunteer in the Dallas branch. I volunteered at Frisco police station to provide the officers with an appreciation lunch on March 5th, 2021. It was truly an incredible experience, me and a few other youth volunteers had the opportunity to speak with the officers and take photos with them. We also asked them a few questions about their difficult job, and we thanked them for all the hard work they do. It was amazing to clearly see the joy in their eyes from being appreciated and hear stories about their job. It was an impactful experience and I recommend you do the same for our very important police officers. On March 22nd, 2021, had the privilege to volunteer at a police station in Frisco and even get a tour of the station. The officer who gave us the tour explained what each room was for, made jokes and he taught us about what it’s like to be a police officer. We learned a lot of cool things like that most police officers never have to use their firearms and that their tool belt alone weighs about 30 pounds! It was a great learning experience and I really had an amazing time. I would gladly do it again and I highly recommend all of you readers to try it out too!

This was truly a great experience for me, to meet some great people who make sure we are safe and happy, and I would really love to do it again. Hi! My name is Sriram, and I am a VT Seva Dallas Youth Volunteer. I have done many things over the years as a VT Seva Volunteer, but never would I have thought that I would meet the police. It actually happened today on March 5th, 2021. Me and my family along with some other volunteers and friends drove to Frisco. Why did we do that you may ask? We wanted to appreciate the police officers for keeping all of us safe and doing their duty. We went inside and looked around at the police station. It was huge! We then went into a room and officers joined us there. We talked to them, thanked them, and even asked questions. I remember that I asked one of the officers “What was your most interesting case recently?” They mentioned about recent fire accident incident in Frisco and the role they played in ensuring the safety of the residents. I found it educational and felt grateful to them. Afterwards we took some pictures, thanked them once again, and drove home. This was truly a great experience for me, to meet some great people who make sure we are safe and happy, and I would really love to do it again. On March 22nd, 2021, I and 8 more VT Seva youth volunteers went to tour the Frisco Police Center. It was not what I thought it would be at ALL. We first were greeted by a Police officer who was our tour guide for the orientation. He was extremely welcoming and introduced us to himself and gave us a brief overview. He proceeded to show us around the center, and we asked many questions and he responded to all of them. He talked about his equipment, he showed us his squad car and all its cool gadgets and showed us around the building. Sadly, we didn't get to see the jail due to Covid safety measures, but we had a ton of fun and it was an amazing learning experience about how police keep us safe. This happens once a month so you all can do it too!

Before I went for the tour, I was kind of scared and nervous on seeing an officer. Now, after the tour I feel totally different knowing that the police officers are there to help and protect us and keep the citizens safe. My name is Keerthana Aduri, studying 4th grade at Ashley Elementary in Frisco and I am a VT Seva Dallas youth volunteer. I truly felt happy and excited when I went to visit the Frisco Police Department on March 5th, 2021. My favorite part was when I saw the surprised and happy expressions of the police officers when they realized that we were serving them lunch. I also learned things that I didn’t know before, such as how the police officers worked and how they were working under covid conditions. We also took many photos with the officers. Sponsoring the appreciation lunch made me feel very happy and joyful. I think it was really exciting to take the tour of the Frisco Police Department on March 22nd, 2021 and meet the very cool Officer Radd Rotello. We saw the gear the police officers wear and what they use them for. We also got to look inside a police officer's car and noticed the different useful items that the officers carry with them. The officer also told us some interesting facts about the prisoners that they had and showed us where they are brought first after arrested. He also talked about different programs that the kids can attend such as the explore program. Before I went for the tour, I was kind of scared and nervous on seeing an officer. Now, after the tour I feel totally different knowing that the police officers are there to help and protect us and keep the citizens safe.

I was so happy to be able to meet such great officers they were really considerate, understanding, and patient as they answered every question. I am Radhika a volunteer from VT Seva. On the first Sunday of March, my fellow volunteers and I had the honor to serve food to the Frisco police department. It was an amazing experience to see the ones that protect us day and night so we have no worries regarding our safety. We asked some questions to the first responders we met and they said some things that I did not expect. For example, they had explained that there are around 20 departments and that Frisco has one of the best responding times. They went on to say that COVID-19 has changed some of the things they do to make sure the citizens are safe. I was so happy to be able to meet such great officers they were really considerate, understanding, and patient as they answered every question. Overall it was a fun experience and I would love to do it again.

We also got to see the office area of the police officers, the area where they take all the evidence and many more places at the department. It was an honor to meet with the Frisco Police Department on March 5th 2021. It was an exciting experience to interact with the police officers while offering them token of appreciation lunch provided by VT Seva. It helped me to understand what the Police officers do and also how they help the community to keep us all safe. In the end it was a very good opportunity to provide appreciation lunch and having a nice conversation with the police officers. I would recommend youth volunteers to participate in it and to get to know their local police department. Thank you, VT Seva for giving me this opportunity. On March 22nd, 2021, we got an opportunity to take a tour of the Frisco Police Department. When we first entered the building, we were met by a police officer who acted as tour guide, gave us an orientation on some programs the Frisco police department offers for children and adults and some things that the police officers do. The police officer was also very funny and also informative and answered all of our questions. The officer also showed us his squad car and explained about the devices in his car. We also got to see the office area of the police officers, the area where they take all the evidence and many more places at the department. Due to COVID we didn’t get chance to visit jail and 911 call center for the safety of the officers. Overall, it was wonderful experience and I recommend all the youth volunteers take part in this program.

On March 5th, 2021, VT Seva Dallas started monthly Appreciation lunch to 80+ Police officers and staff at the City of Frisco appreciating their services to keep us safe. We will be conducting this on monthly basis throughout the year. Youth gets an opportunity to thank the police, interact with them to learn about the law, services and get motivated to grow up as law-abiding citizens. They also get to take pictures with the officers. Our gesture was greatly appreciated by them thanking VT Seva on their media channels. To encourage our VT Seva youth volunteers, Frisco Police Department offered to provide an interactive informative orientation session on a monthly basis honoring our request. In words of youth volunteers who participated in the appreciation lunch and tour of the police department - "It helped me to understand what the Police officers do and also how they help the community to keep us all safe" - Viraaj Gorukanti "I have done many things over the years as a VT Seva Volunteer, but never before would I have thought that I would meet the police. It actually happened today." - Sriram Vennamaneni "Speaking and interacting with the police officers, by asking them questions and hearing about their thoughts on different aspects of the job, revealed to us a much more approachable and friendly reality of officer's personalities that contrasts stereotypes many citizens hold of the police being intimidating!" - Akshara Sankar "My favorite part was when I saw the surprised and happy expressions of the police officers when they realized that we were serving them lunch." - Keerthana Aduri "We asked some questions to first responders we met and they said some things that I did not expect. For example they had explained that there are around 20 departments and that Frisco has one of the best responding times" - Radhika Manthena "They sounded very confident and passionate about what they do, and I learned that they deal with cases like robberies, crimes, and fire-related incidents besides patrolling the city." - Meghana Aduri "It was amazing to clearly see the joy in their eyes from being appreciated and hear stories about their job. " - Lakshman Vennamaneni On March 22nd, we had our first tour of the Police department office, where Police officers provided behind-the-scenes experience with hands-on education about various departments, squad car, cool gadgets & equipment that aid them to keep us safe. They explained how 911 calls work and how dispatch flow works. Youth expressed their enthusiasm about this and we plan to have at least 100 youngsters get benefitted from this project in 2021. "It was a wonderful experience! The police officer guiding us was so kind and friendly. I went into this event thinking that I knew most of what was there to know about the police force, but I learned so much! Because of this event, I have a newfound respect for our police and the work that they do." - Sahana Peechara "We met a police officer who acted as our tour guide, and saw his weapons, different tools police officers use, etc.) It was very interactive, and we got to go inside the jail and a squad car (which was interesting)." - Sahiti Peechara

To make a difference in someone's world, you don't have to be amazing, rich, talented, or beautiful. You just have to be you and CARE. - Rebecca Fox Volunteering in 2020 was unprecedented, with the pandemic, not being able to do in-person volunteering, and a lot of uncertainty. But, VT Seva Cary quickly adapted to these trying times by coming up with creative ways to volunteer. Our youth volunteers smoothly transitioned to volunteering their time either virtually or in other ways while maintaining covid protocols. Making cloth masks and distributing them at a senior center, providing lunch to our healthcare workers at Rex and UNC, a two-week online summer camp teaching various skills and subjects, pumpkin carving sessions, a bake sale, biking for donations, making greeting cards for our healthcare workers and patients at UNC, on-line tutoring and college app sessions were few of the ways our youth volunteers volunteered their time in 2020. On February 21st, 2021, some of these VT Seva Cary youth volunteers received their Presidential Volunteers Service Awards at a small ceremony while maintaining social distance. In total, we had eight gold, one silver, and four bronze awards. Volunteers who received the awards are Ashrith Desu, Dhriti Koneru, Ishani Dasyam, Lakshmi Annugu, Mahathi Mallela, Manasvi Gudibandi, Monish Manne, Neeraja Boppana, Rohitha Sanka, Sribhaavita Nekkalapudi, Srichandrika Changalvala, Srinivas Tirunagari, and Thanuj Desu. Together, these kids volunteered a total of 1,617 hours in 2020. Hearty congratulations to them! We would like to thank their parents as none of this would have been possible without their amazing support!! An award calls for a celebration and these kids wanted to celebrate too. But, they wanted to celebrate a little differently this year. So, they donated $35 each, thus raising around $500. With this money they sponsored meals for a day (24th February 2021) to all the students at all the VT Seva Sponsored schools in INDIA - Netra Vidyalaya (School for the visually challenged kids), Netra College (College for the visually challenged kids), and Tribal school (School for kids living in tribal areas), thus showing true volunteerism in their celebrations too. What a wonderful and inspiring way to celebrate any occasion! If you would like to celebrate your special occasions similarly then please visit the below link to know more about the ‘Feed a School’ program. https://www.vtsworld.org/specialoccasion To recognize the efforts of these kids, on February 28th,2021, the VT Seva Cary youth board directed their first PVSA awards ceremony. This eventful session opened up with a blast of energetic words from our directors Kalyani Sanka and Sowjanya Thungathurti, and our amazing emcee and youth board President, Chandrika Changalvala. Then, Thanuj Desu and Ashrith Desu talked about the various activities VT Seva Cary took up so far in 2021. The ceremony started with some inspirational words from our guest speaker, Dawn Dixon. Dawn is the volunteer coordinator for FSSeries, a nonprofit organization specializing in marathon events to raise funds for the REX hospital and other organizations. These funds go towards research for incurable diseases. Recently, she funded education for two visually challenged kids. Dawn spoke of her experience in volunteering and service, helping our volunteers learn how to branch out to gain more experience. While sharing her experience of working with our VT Seva volunteers she said, “In the past, when I have worked with your group, they have been wonderful kids to work with. They have been dedicated and very focused on the task. It’s rewarding to see how much they want to give to the community and how they help the athletes.” Then, our advisor Chakradhar Sriperumbudur spoke about the PVSA awards and volunteerism and the effect it has on the community. Here is an excerpt from his speech, “Do you know what it takes to be a volunteer?: Generosity... willingness... time... understanding... empathy... compassion... patience... dedication. You have shown all these qualities and much more. Thanks for the difference you have made. Because of you, my friend, someone will have enough to eat tonight, someone will have decent clothes to wear, someone will have shelter. Because of you, someone knows that there is at least one person in this world that cares for them. This world is a better place because you volunteer.” Then our PVSA Award winners were recognized by Aravind Parankusam and Subrahmanyam Nekkalapudi. The award winners were asked to speak about their experience and journey that led them to this award. Each volunteer gave incredible speeches that were very motivational to the audience. Below are a few excerpts from their speeches, “The events I went to have taught me that I should always be thankful and appreciative for the people around me.” “Teaching in the summer camp helped me personally because not only did I gain life skills...it also helped me gain a career interest in STEM and computer science.” “At an event I remember it was really cold...and at one point our toes got numb...but I realized that you need to give nourishment and encouragement to the runners and that’s what pushed me forward to just stand there and volunteer all I can.” “Volunteering helped me understand what it means to truly give back to the community and helped me define who I am as a person.” “Volunteering with VT Seva has edified me into being a better leader and bring the best out of me. It has not only taught me to give back but has also helped me get out of my personal box.” “Through VT Seva not only was I becoming an active member of the community, but I was also becoming a better person.” “One of the greatest things that VT Seva has to offer is motivation and encouragement. They will help you in anything you want to pursue.” “VT Seva made me realize how much an individual can do for the community, how important it is to respect and be thankful to people who do so much for us and how much of an impact I can have on the community.” After the open mic with the award winners, Ishani Dasyam introduced VT Seva Cary’s monthly spotlight performance by one of our very own youth volunteers, Sribhaavita Nekkalapudi. Bhaavita played an improvised piece on the drums, in quite a unique circumstance. She had just returned from a seven-hour fundraiser video shoot for our local temple and was fully decked in traditional classical dance attire. It was quite a unique combination of traditional meets western. She gave an energetic performance which left the audience speechless. Session was concluded by conducting a quick game of Kahoot, run by youth volunteer Rohitha Sanka. It was both engaging and entertaining, thus bringing the week-long celebrations of our PVSA award winners to an end. Needless to say, it was a very successful event, leaving all of our volunteers inspired and motivated. Kudos to the volunteers for all their efforts and continued support to this great mission.

VT Seva Detroit Youth Board is working towards a goal of implementing at least one project each month which is initiated by Youth Board members. We had a busy and successful 1st quarter. The team has implemented 4 projects in the 1st quarter. o Operation Gratitude Project o Rescue Animal Towel Collection Project o Foster Care Clothes Drive o Grocery Bag Donation Operation Gratitude Project: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Thanking our Deployed Troops Operation Gratitude is a program that supplies deployed troops and frontline responders with a variety of necessities including blankets, bags, and letters. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Member Harish came up with this idea and all the group Youth Board members came together to make handwritten letters for these people who put their lives on the line every day. Writing letters is a very quick process, yet it still means the world to the recipients. By working on this project, Detroit Youth Board members thanked all the troops and responders who have been putting themselves in harm's way to keep us safe amid a global pandemic. 23 members participated and wrote 190 letters to our deployed troops. This is the least our youth can do to show their gratitude for the service of our troops. In this high-tech world, penmanship is becoming a lost art. This project provided the opportunity for our youth to discover their writing skills and creativity. Thank You Troops for keeping us safe Youths who participated in this project are Abhinav, Adhvaith, Aishani, Amogh, Anagha, Dhanya, Harish, Hiba, Kaavya, Niharika, Nikhil, Nikita, Oviya, Rashmita, Risha, Sanjana, Shrikha, Sohan, Srihari, Supraja, Sveya, Vaibhav, Yasaswini Youth Board Member Niharika put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Rescue Animal Towel Collection Project "𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝" - 𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐇𝐇 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐉𝐞𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐣𝐢 *𝓡𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓾𝓮 𝓐𝓷𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓵 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽* A rescue animal is an animal that has been placed in a new home after being abused, neglected, or abandoned by its previous owner... Many animal rescue organizations exist to rescue, protect, care and re-home the animals. What a wonderful service provides by the Animal Shelters to save these voiceless animals! VT Seva Detroit Youth Board did their part to help these animals by collecting the used towels. The towels that we think are useless after some time are a great help to these shelters to take care of the dogs after giving them the bath, using as a rag to train the dogs, cleaning after surgeries. This project was initiated by the Youth Board Member 𝗢𝘃𝗶𝘆𝗮. 𝟐𝟔 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫s reached out to their friends and families and collected 210 big towels. Members who participated in this project are Yug, Yasaswini, Vaibhav, Teja, Tarun, Sveya, Supraja, Srihari A, Sohan, Siddharth, Shriya, Sathvik, Saisha, Risha, Rashmitha, Oviya, Nikhil, Niharika, Kaavya, Hiba, Harish, Dhanya, Arya, Anjana, Amogh & Abhinav. Due to the large volume of the collection, we were able to donate it to two different organizations. 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 - supports the rescue animals by fostering them, just a day after we donated the towels, they received 30 dogs from Texas where one of the animal shelters was damaged by a recent winter storm. They were so happy to receive the towels and happy for the timely help. 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 - - Animal shelter rescues the animals using the team of trained and credentialed investigators. They are one of the leaders in the Animal Welfare community. They provide shelter to lost animals and surrendered animals also. At any given time in each of their location, they have 100+ animals (dogs, cats, bunnies.). They were also so happy to receive the towels which will be used in a huge deal to support their mission. Special shout out to the parent volunteers Vanitha ji, Sudheer ji, Sripriya ji, Srinath ji, Priya ji, Madhavan ji, and Architha ji for collecting the towels in each city and dropping them off. Youth Board Member Oviya put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Foster Care Clothes Drive: “When you wear clothes that make you feel confident, happy, and empowered, they can act as armor, shielding you from negative feelings and experiences.”- Georgina Lucas Foster care (also known as out-of-home care) is a temporary service provided by states for children who cannot live with their families. There are lots of wonderful foster parents out there, but they do need help from all of us to provide proper care for the kids. The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board helped many foster kids by donating their gently used clothes to the Downriver Foster Closet. This simple gesture brightens the lives of many kids. The Downriver Foster Closet has been helping Downriver Foster Families since 2020. Their mission is to help foster kids rebuild their self-esteem and adapt to their new homes. This project was initiated and led by Youth Board member Harish 𝟑𝟓 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟑𝟐𝟎 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬. Members participated in this project are: Oviya, Pranav M, Rashmitha, Risha, Rohan, Saisha, Sanjana, Sanjith, Sathvik, Siddharth, Sohan, Srihari A, Srihari H, Supraja, Sveya, Tarun, Teja, Vaibhav, Yasaswini, Yug, Abhinav, Aishani, Amogh, Ananya R, Ananya V, Arya, Dhanya, Eeshan, Harish, Hiba, Jishnu, Kaavya, Nikhil, Nikitha and Nirvan. Special shout out to parent volunteers Sripriya ji, Vidya ji, Architha ji, Sudheer ji, Srinath ji, Vanitha ji, and Priya ji for collecting clothes from different cities. Youth Board member Hiba put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Grocery Bags Donation: VT Seva Detroit youth has taken up a new project to convert 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. Youth Board member Risha initiated this project. 35 members collected 3469 grocery bags and donated them to 2 different groups 1. Foodbank in Canton called Open Door Ministry, use these bags to distribute foods 2. Group of volunteers who make mats for the homeless from the plastic bags. Both groups were thankful for receiving those bags. Members participated in this project are Abhinav, Aishani, Amogh, Ananya R, Ananya V, Anjana, Arya, Dhanya, Eeshan, Harish, Hiba, Jishnu, Kaavya, Nikhil, Nirvan, Oviya, Pranav M, Rashmita, Risha, Rohan, Saisha, Sanjana, Sanjith, Sathvik, Shriya, Siddharth, Sohan, Srihari A, Srihari H, Supraja, Sveya, Tarun, Teja, Vaibhav, Yasaswini Special shout out to parent volunteers Sripriya ji, Vidya ji, Architha ji, Sudheer ji, Srinath ji, Vanitha ji, and Priya ji for collecting clothes from different cities. Promotional Video: Post completion video: Youth Board member Kaavya put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Blog Consolidated By Youth Board Member Oviya

A person's most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help others. We can definitely say that our volunteers are always listening and finding ways to be most helpful in the most needed times. Here is a very inspiring story about the partnership with local community in Atlanta and the impact our youth volunteers had. 17 Youth volunteers from VT Seva Atlanta donated 4000 masks to the Special Needs Kids of Laurel Heights hospital since Covid-19 started in the year 2020. Laurel Heights provides high quality psychiatric and behavioral care to children. They have a residential program for children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and a specialty acute inpatient unit for children in psychiatric crisis with co-occurring neurodevelopmental disabilities. They also offer general psychiatric acute care for children ages 6 – 17. As COVID-19 hit, the personal safety of physicians has become challenging and knowing this, VT Seva immediately came forward to help. Supplies were procured, children got trained to sew the masks and quickly worked on amazing quality reusable masks. They youth volunteers under the guidance of Dr. Madhu, N and Ms. Sandhya, Y not only provided the quality masks but also created training videos for others to quickly learn and help. This shows the amazing leadership and a true spirit of volunteerism. This has helped the Laurel Heights Hospital focus on what they do best, taking care of the patients with additional safety measures.

North Jersey VT SEVA is partnering with other chapters across the nation to bring to you the Eco Fundraiser! Our goal is for people to experience the joy of growing organic plants in their own homes while learning about gardening. Those willing to participate will plant seedlings in small containers inside their homes and take care of them so that they can grow. After those plants come to a certain size where they can be planted outside, they will be sold to the community and the proceeds received will go towards VT SEVA to support the education of visually challenged kids in India. Come join us in making the earth a better place along with serving our community! Contact : vtsnj.ecofundraiser@gmail.com

VT Seva Detroit is hosting a Toys/Books/Games Drive for the Children's Hospital Michigan NEW ITEMS ARE ACCEPTED APRIL 25 DUE DATE Children's Hospital Michigan relies on the generosity of our local community to brighten the Children's hospital stay. Your donation of new gifts helps create a comfortable, healing environment for them. This is our first community service for Children's Hospital Michigan and VT Seva Detroit is looking forward to a successful donation drive. Together let's bring a smile to a Child's face. Contact : (949) 232-9477 SrinathBabu Karnati VTSEVA DETROIT DIRECTOR VOLUNTEER

Nethra Vidyalaya Students amazing performance in Telangana Paralympics “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” –Muhammad Ali Our Nethra Vidyalaya students have been participating in various Paralympics state level conducted by various states of India. A Couple of weeks back they participated in Andhra Pradesh state-level Para Athletics and Powerlifting competitions 2021. They won many medals in various categories. Nethra Vidyalaya students continued the same streak and won 15 Gold Medals, 6 Silver Medals, and 1 Bronze medal in the Telangana Paralympics held at Bhupalapalli, Warangal. Congratulations to all students who have participated and won. It is amazing to see these students excel by their hard work, discipline, and continually striving to improve. Kudos to all the teachers and volunteers supporting them and guiding them through this process. The facilities, care, and dedication Vikasa Tarangini and VT Seva have given through all the years of their stay in Nethra Vidyalaya have shaped the confidence of these kids and the results prove that. The winners are

We are very excited to share the latest news on winning the state championship and medals by students of Nethra Vidyalaya Colleges and Schools supported by VT Seva. AP State Level Para Athletics and Powerlifting Competitions, 2021, were held at Police Training College Grounds, Ananthapuram, Andhra Pradesh on 6th and 7th March 2021. The Principal Secretary for the Women and Child Welfare Department, AP, District Collector of Ananthapuram, DIG of Ananthapuram inaugurated the event. Netra students being visually challenged amazed the event attendees and dignitaries with their disciplined March past performance (parade) and received humongous appreciation from the officials present there. More than 150 visually challenged participants from 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh participated in this meet. 28 students from our Nethra Vidyalaya Institutions went to compete and secured 25 Gold, 13 Silver and 10 Bronze medals in Para Athletics (36) and Para Power lifting (7) categories and Overall State Championship. VT Seva CEO and Nethra Vidyalaya visionary HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji expressed joy about students achieving the best in all the activities be it appreciated the students for their dedication, hardwork, and success in all the activities, emerging as champions in international sports, National sports competitions, excellence in academics, NCC parade and many more. He said "You always made us feel proud of your activities. You have gained always good ranks and many first ranks. You have never returned without many firsts in your bag." Championship Trophy K. Lalitha - 3 Gold O. Jagan - 2 Gold and 1 Bronze T. Krishna veni - 2 Gold and 1 Silver B. Sita Lakshmi - 1 Gold 1 Silver and 1 Bronze B. Sanyasamma - 1 Gold and 1 Bronze G. Nagaraju - 2 Silver Vandhana - 1 Silver and 1 Bronze P. Anusha - 2 Bronze Niranjan - 1 Gold and 1 Silver Divakar - 1 Silver S.V. Pydi Naidu - 1 Bronze G. Siva Kumar - 2 Bronze Naresh kumar - 1 Silver M. Anil - 1 Gold T. Santosh - 3 Gold medals M. Satyavati - 4 Gold medals S. Manikanta - 2 Gold 1 bronze K. Punya Srinadh - 1 Gold 2 silver K. Gopalachari - 1 Gold V. Ravindra - 1 Gold Ch. Ramya - 1 Gold A. Swaraj - 1 silver L. Aditya - 1 silver V. Ravani - 1 Gold 1 silver As our students excelled in 2021 state-level championship, they are selected now for national-level competitions. We are looking forward to them emerging as national and international champions in para-sports in the coming few months, similar to the way they won in 2019 at ASIAN Para Games conducted in Colombo, Srilanka, repeating the history. The students of Nethra Vidyalaya schools and colleges supported by VT Seva not only get the best of education and compassionate care but also are provided opportunities to participate in fine arts, sports, yoga, martial arts, and many more. They always exceed expectations making everyone involved with VT Seva proud and inspiring others. We thank all our volunteers and donors for their contributions in making these exceptional accomplishments possible. Your support is our strength to serve!

Growing your own food may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for the health of yourself, your family and your planet. You love gardening and would like to use the skills to help visually challenged? We got some great news for you. Youth volunteers from Boston are welcome to join "Seedlings for Education" team to learn, practice basics or gardening and in turn help Visually Challenged. You get to grow seedlings in backyards. We will provide seeds, and teach the basics of gardening, composting etc. When the seedlings are ready, you can use them for raising funds for Schools for Visually challenged. VT Seva Boston will sponsor educational needs of visually challenged with special needs 3D human body anatomy and telescopes for tribal schools to gaze at stars and reach to the highest horizons in their educational pursuit. Questions? Contact - boston.director@vtsworld.org

As our country is facing a crisis, love and compassion could not be more important. Compassion: its putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, and knowing how to help them, and yourself, heal. Being that person to make a difference in someone else’s life. “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” – Robin Williams VT Seva embodies this theme in every way possible. VT Seva is about serving the community we live in and the community we are from with compassion and love. We show compassion and love to people who need it the most through our four pillars, including educating the underprivileged and visually challenged, environmental sustainability, cancer awareness, and disaster relief and aid. This year on Valentine's Day, we hosted an event to spread love to heroes in our local community. The VT Seva Hearts for Heroes program was conducted by our Seattle youth team who supplied over 100 meals and made 40 personalized messages for many of our healthcare workers in the Seattle area. Through all of these kind gestures, we were able to convey the love and compassion that we call “service” to an entire community of people. VT Seva Dallas youth volunteers showed their love and compassion to the senior citizens. Senior citizens have been our friends of VT Seva volunteers for the past 4 years. To express our love and friendship, on the occasion of Valentines' day, a few volunteers visited the center and handed over handwritten musical greeting cards to all the residents there through the coordinator. How can you spread love and compassion today? Through VT Seva’s feed a meal program! Our donors can sponsor meals for children at our tribal and visually challenged schools for special events in their lives such as birthdays, anniversaries, and maybe even just to spread smiles. To learn more on how you make a difference through love and compassion, visit the vtsworld.org website. And remember, without love and compassion our entire world would be buried deep in violence and hatred so, let’s spread love! Laya, (6th Gr) and Anushka, (11th Gr)

VT Seva started the year 2021 with great energy and poised to focus on Youth empowerment more than ever. There was no better time than this to celebrate considering the amazing work done by our Youth volunteers in the year 2020 when the world has been grappled in the pandemic. They showed compassion, leadership through several virtual workshops, seminars, Health camps, sports events planned and executed by the youth with the help of VT Seva Leadership Team. There were 82 nominees for five categories from various branches and the selection process was meticulously planned engaging external judges. VT Seva empowers youth with volunteerism and philanthropy and everyone putting in their time to help each other is a winner to begin with. The nominees made the job of our panel of judges very hard but, it is a nice problem to have. Without further ado, the winners are - Most Active Rookie of the Year A volunteer who recently joined VT SEVA is considered a rookie The winners are Runners Up: Aditi Anakala, and Varshita Parupudi, Nominees: Sumana Chilakamarri, Chinmay Dongari, Sreeja Sappati, Mehar Nemani, Aaditya Shivapooja, Hiba Zyna, Shrikha Atchutuni, Risha Narayanan, Siddharth Thirumala Kanduri, Kartheek Mukkavilli, Srisamhita Ponnapalli, Srinithya Tirumala, Yashwanth Piratla, Laya Dhilip, and Amogh Desai. Rising Star of the Year A volunteer who started to show a lot of initiative and commitment this year The Winners Are Runners up: Sriram Vennamaneni, Keerthana Noru, Nominees: Charishma Bijum, Rikhilsai Duvvuri, Sanjana Veerapaneni, Srimayi Kakkadap, Trisha Vemulapalli, Ritika Vemulapalli,Siri Chandana Arkatala, Pranav Arkatala, Lohith Manthena, Manasvini Gudibandi, Arnav Senapathi, Rashmitha Raghunathan, Saisha Srivatsan, Veeraj Sirivolu, Shreyas Bharath, Dev Shashank, Aditya Manthena,Akshaya Manthena, Ananya Suthram, Aakarsh Dhilip Most Initiative Driven Volunteer Volunteer who has demonstrated lot of initiative in ever Activity they did for VT SEVA in either generating funds, doing unique initiatives, or bring more youth to join VT SEVA . The Winner is ANUSHKA SHARMA SEATTLE Runners up: Rohitha Sanka, Lakshman Vennamaneni Nominees: Adya Ganti, Aayush Kumar, Nikhilesh Edara, Nitya Hosur, Blivanilay Vakulabharanam, Abhishek Sambaraj, Aditya Agarwal On the beautiful evening while celebrating our awesome youth volunteerism, wanted to provide motivation and inspiration and that's exactly what our esteemed Chief Guest and Key Note Speaker did. Padma Bhushan Pullela Gopichand (Indian Badminton Player), Dronacharya and Arjuna Awardee, addressed the group encouraging the youth and sharing inspirational experience of his journey, the inspiration our scriptures provide and the importance of including them as default curriculum for the benefit of youth. The Keynote Speech was delivered by Major Nikhil Kesiredddy (United States Marine Corps) who enunciated values like discipline, focused efforts, mindfulness and Goal oriented approach. Both gentlemen appreciated VT Seva’s efforts and initiation in giving back to the community. The evening continued with recognizing volunteers in two more categories. Most Creative Volunteer Volunteer who has demonstrated a lot of creativity in either generating funds, doing unique initiatives, or bringing more youth to join VT SEVA or etc. Creativity is identifying unique ways to create value for VT SEVA, its pillars and its communities. The Winner is CHINMAY KOIMUTTUM SEATTLE Runners up: Sahana Peechara, Anish Immadi Nominees: Nikhila Mannepalli, Manasi Oleti, Parth Garg,Thanuj Desu, Sribhavita Nekkalapudi, Anjali Alishala, Shrija Cheetypalli, Trisha Chinnimeni, Varshini Vakulabharanam, SaiVachan Ponnapalli, Samhita & Vedanth Jonnalagadda, Oviya Jaisankar. Most Valuable Volunteer This Volunteer has contributed at various levels - as a leader, as a participant, helper, mentor, initiator etc. The Winners Are Runners up: Shreya Bandi, Adarsh Nallapa Nominees: Adithya K Upadhayula, Sri Chandrika Changavala, Aaditya Malapati, Shreya Bandi, Kaavya N Srikarnati,Harish Jaisankar, Rahul Rajulu Our panel of judges did an amazing work and they were present at the event to witness and congratulate the volunteers in person, well virtually. We thank our judges panel for their time, effort and encouragement to all the nominees and winners. Panel of Judges: Ms. Usha Ravilla, Youth Chair of NJ Telugu Association, Worked with the Vegesna Foundaiton and The Hunger Project Initiative Mr. Samir Shah, Lead, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care. Ms. Sangeetha Chowhan, VP Project, Small Steps Foundation, Volunteer/Coach and Judge for Odyssey of the Mind, Ms. Ceeilia Jackson, Founder/Executive Director of Youth Leadership Development Program, Bharatanatyam Teacher, Ms. Rajani Veeramachaneni, Mentor for Sfeteens Online, TEDx Youth Programs, Judge for American Business Awards Ms. Sunitha Cheruvu, President of Frisco Education Foundation, Mayoral Ad-hoc Frisco Inclusion Committee, Frisco ISD Diversity Task Force “Because of the service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work , there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.” Gillian Anderson

VT Seva Seattle team is excited to offer for children. Cricket is currently the fastest growing sport in the United Stages according to the Washington Post. We Want to spread the game across the northwest so more and more can take part in this awesome manifestation of Indian & global culture and sport! Dates : Mar 20th to May 1st Grades : 3rd and above Registration: $90 ($15 per session) The coaching team consists of 8 -16 year old's and adult supervisors, three of them have played nationally in the under 15 level. Young and talented kids are ready to share their experiences with your child. They have also been coached by a number of former ICC coaches, including Word Champion Cleon Smith of the West Indies and Dav Whatmore of Sri Lanka and the IPL's Kolkata Knight Riders 26. All proceeds will go towards educating the Underprivileged and Visually challenged kids in India as well as local community causes. Contact : 408-505-4693, Email: vtsevaseattlecricket@gmail.com

VT Seva Dallas organized Tarangini 12th anniversary on Feb 13th, 2021. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, it was a virtual event. Still, the programs were no short of real experience to motivate and entertain the audience of 250 families watching live from their homes. With the power of teamwork and kindness of the volunteers and donors, Dallas team raised funds (including corporate matches to come soon) to support the education of 500+ underprivileged students studying at schools for Schools for visually challenged and Schools for tribals in India. From Tarangini funds, Dallas team also contributed $12,000 as appreciation prize money to 16 players of Andhra Pradesh Cricket team for the Blind. The team won national T20 cricket tournament competing with 23 states from all over India. Key highlights of the event Motivational Speakers: Chief Guest – Padma Bhushan Mr. Gopichand Pullela, Chief Coach of India Badminton, Dronacharya and Arjuna awardee Keynote Speaker – Professor Mr. Giri Amaravadi, University of Texas, Arlington, Lend an Eye Project coordinator for better enabling the education of visually challenged at Netra Vidyalaya using technology Guest Speaker – Ms. Suma Kanakala, Prominent TV presenter Hosts: Emcees – VT Seva Dallas Youth Volunteers Speakers – Mr. Priyatham (Dallas Branch director, 2019 & 2020 ) and Mr. Uttham (New Dallas branch director, 2021 & 2022) Entertainment by: Multiple programs such as dance, comedy shows, Festivals of India cultural show by JET USA PRAJNA students Mimicry program by Mr. Raju Songs program by Kasheesh group Music and Songs by Mr. Karthik and Ms. Nutana The event started with peace prayer and lighting of the lamp followed by rendering of national anthems of US and India. As part of the event, VT Seva national Joint treasurer announced the President's Volunteer Service Award recipient names from Dallas and congratulated them for their volunteerism. The volunteering opportunities and new project initiatives by VT Seva Dallas team were announced and the team is looking forward to spreading the joy of volunteerism and philanthropy in the communities we live in with active engagement and empowerment of youth. Here is Padma Bhushan Mr. Pullela Gopichand's special interview. He recognizes the efforts of VT Seva volunteers, shares what compassion and success mean to him and much more. Watch the complete program of Tarangini 2021

Encouragement for sports in India is not much compared to academics. And especially for the blind, there is almost none. VT Seva supported Nethra Vidyalaya provides free education, food and boarding to hundreds of students from kindergarten to graduation with a Bachelor's degree. The institutions give equal importance to sports and arts and we have been successful in enabling our students to win laurels for the country. VT Seva CEO and Nethra Vidyalaya visionary - Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji believes in empowering the visually challenged with comprehensive education and growth opportunities in sports, arts and academics with the best of the facilities. Here are key highlights from the recent past - In 2020 & 2021, VT Seva supported Nethra Vidyalaya students & alumni represented the Andhra Pradesh state cricket team in the National T20 championship and emerged as champions competing against 23 states in India. Being champions back-to-back years is a huge accomplishment. VT Seva has contributed $12,000 (8 lakh Indian rupees) appreciation prize money to the Andhra Pradesh Cricket team through our CEO Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Rs 50,000 was given to each of the 16 players to aid them in better training and performance, winning laurels for the nation. 2021 Win - IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy National Level Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2020 Win - Nagesh Trophy National Level Cricket Tournament for the Blind In 2019, our Netra Vidyalaya students have represented India in ATTF (Asian Track & Turf Federation) games and won 9 Gold, 5 Silver and 1 bronze medals. 2019: Asian Track & Turf: Wins 2021 Covid challenge In 2021, due to Covid pandemic, there was no organization in Andhra Pradesh who would come forward to conduct selection trials for forming Andhra Pradesh team that would later represent the state at national T20 Cricket tournament. Our Nethra Vidyalaya took the responsibility and successfully conducted the trials a month ago. 3 players from Nethra Vidyalaya - Mr. Punya Srinath (10th class student) and Mr. Gopal & Mr. Ravindra (Alumni) got selected for the state team. Not only did our institution support our 3 students with expenses for travel and training, but also enabled other visually challenged enthusiasts to form a team for the state. Prize Money encouragement As Nethra Vidyalaya came forward and organized the selection trials for selecting the best team, the cricket players after winning the tournament came directly from Bengaluru to Vijayawada to meet him in person and expressed their gratitude to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji felt extremely happy for their victory and presented 50000 rupees for each of the 16 players as a token of encouragement. The players were pleasantly surprised while taking the prize money and stated that they did not receive such huge prize money of 800,000 rupees from any tournament till now. Even in this tournament as the national champions, they have received 100,000 rupees only for the whole team. They mentioned that providing facilities and training expenses will go a long way in realizing the dreams of the visually challenged. Your support and Reach If you are a cricket league or a cricket fan or the one who believes in empowering youth with sports and especially sports for the visually challenged, please reach out to us at cricketforblind@vtsworld.org to support our efforts in making a positive impact in the lives of visually challenged through sports education and participation opportunities all over the world.

VT Seva Centers across the United States partner with local food banks/non profit organizations heavily to serve communities ensuring more people get food. In Dallas, VT Seva has partnered with NTFB for the past 8 years and hundreds of VT Seva Dallas volunteers have been volunteering at North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) for the past 7 years. As part of our volunteering at NTFB, we have logged over 4000 volunteer hours, sorted and packed more than 300,000 pounds of food which provided 250,000 meals. Through food drives, we contributed more than 20,000 pounds of food to support senior citizens and meals for school pantries. Post COVID-19 we are looking forward to start actively volunteering with NTFB and would for you to join us. Sign up here to get notifications about our future volunteer events at Food Banks in Dallas.

Our VT Seva Dallas team has been volunteering on bi-weekly basis at Senior Citizen Home for the past 4 years. The volunteers spend time with senior citizens playing bingo, music and read books with love and care. As soon as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed, we will begin volunteering with them. If you are interested, please register here.

At VT Seva, teamwork is taught to us from a very young age. We learn to recognize one another’s strengths and to work together respectfully. As we contribute to groups, we perceive that leaders begin to naturally emerge around us. One of our enthusiastic and joyful volunteer Anushka shared her thoughts on Leadership - "Just a few weeks back, Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn into office. Seeing Vice President Harris on inauguration day, standing in front of the US capitol and representing the people of America, I was inspired by the growth and journey she’s had to reach such an illustrious position. Harris is a reminder for many children that no one can stop us from leading the country regardless of our gender, skin color or religion. In her speech on November 7th, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “…while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” I know that these words will deeply resonate with all women and inspire them to lead America and the world through positive change." To celebrate youth volunteers leading several initiatives in giving back to the community, VT Seva is hosting First National Youth Award Ceremony on Feb 6th, 2021 at 5.00 PM CST. Join the Youth Award Ceremony Here Several of VT Seva branches have wonderful Youth leaders working on amazing causes year round. Learn more: US President's Volunteer Service Award Winners - more to come. VT Seva Dallas Youth Leaders VT Seva Seattle Youth Leaders Many more to come! Please join us by signing up to volunteer - together we can do great work!

Serve All Beings As Service to God - Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, VT Seva CEO Ms. Shreya Bandi Active volunteer for the past 10 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Lead for Volunteering at Senior Citizen Home for the past 4 years Expert in video editing, emceeing Year around volunteer In Shreya's own words - "With all the unknowns going, one thing I’ve realized is that the simplest actions, gestures, and compliments can be enough to put a smile on someone’s face. Although we have certain limitations with the pandemic, I plan on spreading VT Seva’s message virtually through making impactful videos that inspire people, which makes the audience more connected towards VT Seva’s mission to create a further equitable society." Mr. Arnav Senapathi Active volunteer for the past 6 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Expert in emceeing and blog writing Year around volunteer In Arnav's own words - "This year, I plan to help out in the community in any way possible from volunteering in various local VT Seva events, to lead activities that drive awareness about VT Seva’s Education and Cancer Awareness pillars. Covid Pandemic rendered many people helpless in unimaginable ways and I would like to work with others to figure out ways to engage. I’m privileged with the opportunity to support the underprivileged and I’d love to help out in any way possible because I enjoy working with like-minded volunteers towards a noble cause. One can form a beautiful picture with individual puzzle pieces. Similarly, I hope to collaborate with other VT Seva volunteers to make this year a fruitful year." Mr. Sriram Vennamaneni Active volunteer for the past 10 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Expert in emceeing, conducting composting workshops, researching and compiling quizzes for the organization Year around volunteer In Sriram's own words - "Hi! My name is Sriram and I’m an active volunteer of VTSeva. Over the course of 2020 I’ve done many activities, but I believe I always can do more. For 2021 I want to participate even more for the next cancer walkathon by raising funds, attend all the youth board meetings, and raise awareness about cancer. I am also very very excited as I have been offered the position of an emcee for this year's annual Tarangini. Last year for my brother's birthday my family donated money to feed all of the Netra Vidyalaya students for 1 entire day. For my birthday which is coming up I want to do the same thing and help even more students! I will do my best to achieve these activities and goals this year and I hope I can do even more next year!" Mr. Nikhilesh Edara Active volunteer for the past 5 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Good communication skills with emceeing and blog writing Year around volunteer Ms. Shreeja Cheetypalli Active volunteer for the past 10 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Lead for Volunteering at Senior Citizen Home for the past 4 years Expert in financial accounts compilation, emceeing Raises and donates her birthday gift money to VT Seva every year In Shrija's own words - " 1) In the year of 2021, I plan to raise $1,000 in donations to VTSEVA. 2) This year, based on the opportunities given by VTSEVA, I am aiming for the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award by completing 250 of service hours. 3) In the Spring break and Summer of 2021, I plan to continue to volunteer as an intern for VTSEVA with the treasurer." Mr. Lakshman Vennamaneni Active volunteer for the past 10 years and raised awareness & funds for all the service pillars of the organization Expert in conducting composting workshops, researching and compiling quizzes for the organization Year around volunteer In Lakshman's own words - "Hi my name is Lakshman, I am 12 years old. I am a current VT Seva youth volunteer. Last year in 2020 I participated in various volunteering activities, but I feel as if I can utilize my talents better. A talent I have is cooking/recipe making. I can utilize this talent for VT Seva by spreading my recipes and teaching others to cook and use these recipes. The way that helps me serve VT Seva better is with these classes I can raise money for the education of the tribal and visually challenged children served by VT Seva. In 2020 I have been selected to conduct a quiz for this year's annual Tarangini event hosted by the VT Seva Dallas Branch. I also plan to sponsor a day's worth of meals for Nethra Vidyalaya on my birthday like I did last year. I will also raise more awareness and funds for cancer screening and will try to serve VT Seva the best I can. What motivates me to volunteer is looking in other people’s perspectives. It motivates me because I think how I would feel if I was affected by a Natural disaster or by Cancer and by doing that I think how hard it must be to go through that. That makes me want to serve everyone the best I can. If I can do it as one person, think how much all of you can do. Volunteer Together for Service!" Ms. Sahana Peechara Volunteering with VT Seva for the past 1 year Expert in designing comic art, conducting composting workshops, researching and compiling quizzes for the organization Raised impactful contributions as part of Covid Relief for daily wage migrant workers In Sahana's own words - "In 2021, I plan to definitely continue volunteering for VT Seva. I want to use my talents and things that I am good at to contribute more to VT Seva. I want to dedicate more of my time to volunteering and learn about how I can help with the events that VT Seva conducts." Ms. Sahiti Peechara Volunteering with VT Seva for the past 1 year Expert in designing cartoon art, conducting composting workshops, researching and compiling quizzes for the organization Raised impactful contributions as part of Covid Relief for daily wage migrant workers In Sahiti's own words - "In 2021, I want to keep volunteering for VT Seva, and get more involved with VT Seva's events. One thing that I really want to do is combine my passions and volunteering. I want to create something that is fun to make, but will also benefit VT Seva. I think this year is going to be a great year for volunteering, and I can't wait to get started!" Ms. Aditi Anakala Volunteering with VT Seva for the past 1 year Expert in emceeing and digital artwork Participating in VT Seva Tutoring program In Aditi’s own words - "During 2021, I plan on contributing by continuing to participate in virtual events and helping out with them along with fundraising. I’m also participating in the VT Seva tutoring program, and plan on contributing to other VT Seva projects such as Taringini and the Cancer Walkathon. I hope to also encourage more people to join and volunteer in VT Seva this year. I am motivated by knowing that what I do by volunteering can actually make an impact and help. Seeing the countless lives that have changed due to the work of volunteers and social workers who have spent so much time and effort to make someone else’s life better continues to motivate me to work not only for myself but for others as well. " Ms. Trisha Chinnimeni Volunteering with VT Seva for the past 1 year Expert in song writing and singing Wrote and sang a song for VT Seva 10th Annual Dallas Cancer Awareness Walkathon Ms. Pranamya Budda Volunteering with VT Seva for the past 1 year Expert in researching and compiling quiz material for the organization service pillars Thought leader who comes up with creative ideas

VT Seva Dallas volunteers will closely work with various school districts in the Dallas metroplex to identify and provide school supplies. Please stay tuned for more details on drop off locations.

In every family picture, there is one person missing as he or she has to capture the rest. VT Seva Dallas will be hosting portraits session at multiple locations wherever VT Seva volunteering activities in various community neighborhoods are going to be held. Stay tuned for the dates and locations. We encourage one and all to take family portraits and encourage our youth volunteers by donating to support the education of underprivileged students.

VT Seva Dallas volunteers have been donating gifts to battered children for the past 6 years during holidays. We are planning to organize book and toy drives throughout the year. Stay tuned for more details.

My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place – police, firefighters, and members of the armed forces - Sidney Sheldon VT Seva Dallas invites you to participate in a monthly Educational Tour of the Frisco Police Department. VT Seva has been coordinating the tour since April 2021 and at least 10 students each month got an opportunity to visit and got to hear from the Officers first hand and see the facilities. VT Seva appreciates the services of First Responders and provides Appreciation Lunch monthly since April 2021. For more details please see below: Contact: Mr. Phani Aduri | Email: phani.aduri@vtsworld.org Being a Firefighter is more than courage, It's sacrificing yourself for something greater than yourself.

Growing your own food may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for the health of yourself, your family and your planet. You love gardening and would like to use the skills to help visually challenged? We got some great news for you. Youth volunteers from Dallas metroplex are welcome to join "Seedlings for Education" team to learn, practice basics or gardening and in turn help Visually Challenged. You get to grow seedlings in backyards. We will provide seeds, and teach the basics of gardening, composting etc. When the seedlings are ready, you can use them for raising funds for Schools for Visually challenged. VT Seva Dallas will sponsor educational needs of visually challenged with special needs 3D human body anatomy and telescopes for tribal schools to gaze at stars and reach to the highest horizons in their educational pursuit. Questions? Contact - dallas.director@vtsworld.org

VT SEVA Feed a School Program provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our loved ones. What a great feeling it is !! To celebrate special days of our life’s and also our loved ones right form the New born to Retirement, with our VT Seva supported schools and colleges. Sharing our happiness, doubles our joy and for these Children, it also provides a happy meal with a dessert like sweet smile on their faces. Satisfying is int it ?? Where can we start the list of celebrations, Life itself is a celebrations and blessing. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Housewarming, Arengatrem ( Dance Program), Baby Showers, Cradle Ceremonies, Welcoming New born, Graduations, Special Days, In loving memory of , Retirement, New job, New business, New Car anything you would like to extend your celebration to these Children ( from VT SEVA Supported Schools and Colleges) . On the day of occasion, receiving a Personal message and the pictures of celebrations with these Children would make the celebration complete. It is more memorable, if we can pledge for our loved ones too. Here are the sponsoring Details. Netra Schools $120 : All 3 meals of the Day are served Netra Colleges $180 : All 3 meals are served to Inter and Degree College Schools for Tribals $200 : Lunch is served to all the students All Sponsorship $500 : All the above Please visit us at https://www.vtsworld.org/specialoccasion For Any questions please reach us at feedaschool@vtsworld.org

There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed. - Woodrow T Wilson PRERANA is VT SEVA Charlotte's annual cultural event to celebrate the joy of volunteering and also with a goal to support underprivileged children. Team celebrated their 3rd anniversary on December 20, 2020. With the pandemic this year, all plans had to be changed to conduct the event virtually. The youth volunteers of Charlotte took the lead on planning, organizing and conducting the whole event. Annual Event was named by our beloved CEO HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji as "PRERANA", which translates to inspiration. Since then, PRERANA has inspired many youth leaders and other volunteers to support the great causes to support education of several children. This year the goal was to be able to support education of 80 underprivileged children. Event was hosted via Zoom, FB live, was kicked off by lighting of 'Diya' and a welcome note by Kalpana Ji, the Branch director. It was followed by a mental health seminar by noted child psychiatrist Dr. Raghava Reddy, who spoke about the challenges of remote learning and impact of social distancing on children and their parents. Knowledge and tips were shared on how to handle the situation during these tough times. Followed by the seminar was an overview on the four major pillars education, community service, disaster relief and health services. For more details and numbers please visit - https://www.vtsworld.org/ Below are a few snapshots from the event Event was a great success and very well organized by the VT Seva Charlotte youth volunteers. We are thankful to our National Leadership team their continuous support and guidance, and grateful to our CEO HH Chinna Jeeyar Swami ji for providing this great platform and inspiration to support the community. Thank you for your time and support. If you have missed the event and would like to enjoy the wonderful performances, please click here - https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=887321742012908&ref=watch_permalink

US faces shortage of up to 8 billion meals in next 12 months, leading food bank says -Seattle Times “35 million people in the U.S. are hungry or don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million of them are children. If another country were doing this to our children, we’d be at war.” Jeff Bridges As a result of the COVID - 19 pandemic, the number of Washingtonians who are experiencing food insecurity and hunger has reached a critical point. Our VT Seva team launched VT Seva Grocery Delivery project to collect food donations and support our local food banks. Our youth volunteers will pickup donations from your porch and donate them to the local food banks on your behalf. If you are unable to do grocery shopping to support do not worry you can donate as well and we will shop on your behalf. For more details please watch the video

VT Seva Virginia/DC Chapter conducted their annual event, Subhada, on December 27th via Zoom. This outreach and fundraising event was centered around light and inspiration. The chapter also had a goal of sponsoring 100 children, and were close the to the finish line. The event started off with a prayer by Sriman Sreepathi Ramireddygari Garu, a “pass the diva” video, Sri Swamiji’s mangalasassams video, and slokams from Prajna students. The youth MCs, Esha Nagireddi, Aneesh Nagireddi, Sreekrishna Ramireddygari, and Sarayu took the participants through an engaging overview of VT Seva pillars and accomplishments with testimonials from Gangajala and Trinadh. After seeing these inspirational videos, the chapter received more than 20 live pledges to support the Jeeyar students. There were two guest speakers, Chairwoman Phyllis Randall and Virginia Senator John Bell who offered their support and congratulations for all of the support the team provided to the local Virginia community over the years. The night ended with a fun, interactive Kahoot game with the topic of VT Seva and its history.

Almost everything that is great has been done by Youth!! - Benjamin Disraeli Srihari Krishnaswamy President Years with VT Seva: 3+ Years About me: I'm a committed Volunteer that's blessed to be part of VT Seva. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: Being part of the Cricket Coaching camp and raise funds to support community. Also being part of VT Seva has given me the opportunity to serve alongside so many wonderful people. Favorite Movie: The Interview Anushka Sharma President Years with VT Seva: 5+ Years About me: Alongside my great interest for badminton, I have a great passion to volunteer and help make a change in the world! Favorite Memory with VT Seva: Playing the role of Sabriye in the UTSAV 2019 Drama Favorite Movie: The Gods Must Be Crazy Aditi Srinivasan Vice President Years with VT Seva: 5+Years About me: I am passionate about utilizing creative thinking to solve problems. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: Out of the many amazing memories I've had at VTSEVA, I have enjoyed choreographing dances every year for our annual show, UTSAV, and establishing the Coding With Compassion program alongside our amazing adult volunteers. It was such a rewarding experience to be able to teach kids various coding languages along with leadership lessons, and donate all the money we raised to educate underprivileged children in India with a free education. Favorite Movie: The Life of Pie Yashita Tanwar Assistant Vice President Years with VT Seva: 3 Years About me: I love working and helping people and VTSeva has always been a great opportunity for me. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: UTSAV will always be a vivid memory being part of VTS, every year we make new memories of this amazing event in which we get to work and celebrate our year longs worth of work together with our amazing VTS team Favorite Movie: Fault in Our Stars Ananya Suthram Secretary Volunteering with VT Seva: 8 years About me: I aspire to share the joy of life with everyone around me, with my thoughts, words and deeds. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: When we performed a skit for UTSAV ( Annual event) about Sabriye and her journey to originate a blind school. For one of the scenes the whole auditorium joined in and sang along with the actors on stage, and it was so nice to see a community get together to enjoy the message we wanted to bring. Favorite Movie: Tangled Vivek Chilakala Sports Director Volunteering with VT Seva: 2 years About me: I like to play cricket, watch soccer, and play with my dog! Favorite Memory with VT Seva: Being part of the Cricket Coaching camp and raise funds to support community. Favorite Movie: The Social Network Sumedha Kanumuri Sports Director Years with VT Seva: 2+ years About me: I am a creative person that is very passionate about the activities/projects I do. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: My favorite thing with VTSEVA was the eco-challenge during the fall of 2019. This was the first project I worked on as a youth member and it gave me a chance to collaborate with the Seattle youth members and become part of the VTS community. As we were working on the project and going through our one-month eco-challenge, I could see the concrete impact we were making on the community as people who didn't know about VTSEVA before were participating in the challenge! Favorite Movie: Iron Man Merwan Malakapalli Head of Technology Years with VT Seva: 4+ Years About me: I can adapt to almost every situation Favorite Memory with VT Seva: I was one of the actors for the UTSAV 2019 play, and I enjoyed that quite a bit. Favorite Movie: Avengers: Endgame Nikhil Chivukula Head of Technology Years with VT Seva: 3+ Years About me: I can adapt to almost every situation Favorite Memory with VT Seva: I love all the VTS annual events because they are a great experience to have fun and meet new people and support community. Favorite Movie: Matrix trilogy, lord of the rings, and Tenet Nidhi Munikote Head of Marketing Volunteering with VT Seva: 6+ years About me: In my free time, I like to go down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: My favorite memory from VT Seva is being part of the skit about the Enron scandal in UTSAV 2015 (I played the secretary!) Favorite Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You Ronit Chepuri Head of Marketing Years with VT Seva: 4+ Years About me: I would describe myself as cool, smart collative and happy Favorite Memory with VT Seva: My favorite memory of VTS was when I was doing northwest harvest and they said that we packed 2000 meals and I felt very good. Favorite Movie: 3 Idiots Pranav Alaparthi Head of Volunteer Outreach Years with VT Seva: 2+ Years About me: I'm passionate about volunteering and helping those in need Favorite Memory with VT Seva: I joined right before COVID, but this year, I hope to find unique and effective ways to help the community during COVID. Favorite Movie: Interstellar Pranuti Kalidindi National Volunteer Coordinator Years with VT Seva: 8 Years About me: I am passionate about community service and Chipotle 😊 Favorite Memory with VT Seva: Every year brings a bucketful of new memories but my favorite ones will always be our team meetings. The memories and initiatives we’ve launched in a room full of leaders is an environment unlike any other. Favorite Movie: Spiderman : Homecoming Swadesh Sistla Advisory Board Years with VT Seva: 5+ Years About me: I am passionate about learning and creating. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: The summer after my seventh grade, I visited the Allampally and Birsaipet schools for the underprivileged, as well as Netra Vidyalaya in Visakhapatnam. The weeks I was there were so impactful, as I not only got the chance to form long lasting relationships with my fellow volunteers, but I also learned so much about humility, dignity, and dedication from children much younger than I. It was truly a familial experience, to be called "Anna" or "Thammudu" by a sea of brothers and sisters I had made just days before, to get obliterated at the volleyball net or facilitate my favorite classroom word games, to eat the most bomb rasam rice I've ever had the pleasure to taste besides kids who consistently and unflinchingly put others before themselves. I hope one day to fully emulate the boys and girls from Allampally, Birsaipet, and Netra, and I know I'll be forever inspired by my unforgettable time with them. Favorite Movie: The Dark Knight Esha Bantwal Advisory Board Years with VT Seva: 2.5+ Years About me: I am someone who enjoys serving my community and helping underprivileged and misrepresented people be supported and understood. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: My favorite memory with VTS is from UTSAV 2019. The thrill of performing and being backstage, knowing that our efforts will be going towards a good cause at the end of the evening was motivating. Also it's an annual project and lots of us were anticipating a great show - which I believe it was. UTSAV 2019 will always be memorable to me because its the first UTSAV that I helped conduct and participated in! Favorite Movie: The Parent Trap Chimnay Koimuttum Advisory Board Years with VT Seva: 3+ Years About me: I am passionate about serving community. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: My favorite memory from VT Seva is definitely UTSAV (VT Seva Seattle Annual Event). Also being part of VT Seva has given me the opportunity to serve alongside so many wonderful people. Favorite Movie: Kesar Aakarsh Dhilip Advisory board Years with VT Seva: 4 Years About me: I am passionate about utilizing creative thinking to solve problems. Favorite Memory with VT Seva: I am happy to have been part of the grocery delivery project during the pandemic. Favorite Movie: Interstellar Thank you for reading and supporting the organization with your time and donations.

Yoga not only strengthens one’s physical body, but it also evolves the individual to have a kinder heart! Collective health of the society grows! What more can we ask? It is the need of the day now, and it will continue to be need for the human kind forever! Sign up & Track your Repetitions

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

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