Bay Area celebrates 2nd annual PVSA awards ceremony
Oct 27, 2019 (San Jose, CA): VTSeva is a certifying organization for administering the PVSA (President’s Volunteer Service Awards) to volunteers. In 2018, from 23 chapters of VTSeva in USA, almost 51 VTSeva volunteers received the awards, out of which Bay Area volunteers excelled by taking 24 awards. The youth volunteers received 9 Gold, 3 Silver and 12 Bronze awards. The awards are based on age of volunteers and number of hours they put in volunteering. Additional information can be found here.
Bay area VT Seva volunteers received 24 awards. 9 GOLD, 3 SILVER and 12 BRONZE !
Sri Ranga Jayaraman, Director of Neurodiversity Pathways, chief guest of honor for the event, acknowledged all the youth volunteers with presidential awards.
He is the former associate dean and CIO of Stanford Graduate School of Business and also former CIO of Nvidia. Sri Jayaraman, inspired the volunteers with his speech and emphasized the inner meaning of "SEVA" - meaning of giving back to the society. How each and every one of us need to switch the passion of giving from mind to the heart. When you give through the heart, you give more.
Bay area VT Seva director Mrs. Archana Bindu kicked off the occasion by thanking all the volunteers and their parents for supporting the activities and taking an active participation throughout the year. In 2018, VT Seva also received a $4k grant from PayPal to procure digital colposcopes to aid in cancer screening camps in India and Nepal.
VT Seva received $4k grant from Pay Pal in 2018 !
Bay Area VT Seva Secretary Mrs. Rukimini Vemulakonda spoke highly of the number of community activities taken up by the volunteers such as Speak your vision (speech contest - fund raising), Chess for vision (chess contest - fund raiser), Court Vision Classics (CVC - Basketball fundraiser), along with providing homeless shelter lunch, Environment activities, adopt a street activity, Habitat for humanity, Bone marrow drives, and assisting friends of children with special needs.
Another exciting news is of receiving a congratulatory letter from City of Santa Clara !
Mrs. Kausalya Nallapa inspired the audience by giving details on multiple BayArea community activities taken up by the volunteers along with thanking adult volunteers Mrs. Sowjanya Mallepudi for coordinating with friends of children with special needs organization and Mrs. Menaka Noru for the monthly burritos for homeless.
VTSeva volunteers also volunteered at Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) - a support network for disabled individuals and their families. Special guest and consultant Ms. Shiow Chen spoke highly of the volunteers and their contribution to the facility.
2019 fundraising goals were shared with the group to support Netra Vidyalaya and Tribal students. One of the youngest youth volunteer, Mr. Sriteja Kataru who is just 11 yrs old gave a donation of $1075 from his birthday gifts as donation to VT Seva. He talked passionately about his reasons for donation. His parents are his greatest inspiration.
The event continued with presentation of awards by Sri Jayaraman. All the parents and volunteers shared their acknowledgments by signing large poster cards inscribed with the volunteer’s name, picture and what inspired them to join VT Seva.
Bayarea VTSeva volunteers completed 1200 hours of community service activities collectively by more than 50 volunteers and raised $25,477 to support 245 students.
For information on how to get involved in bayarea, contact Mrs. Archana Bindu at bayarea.director@vtseva.org
2019 Bay Area goal is to sponsor 20 visually challenged students and sponsor 100 special equipment for blind children.
WE NEED YOUR HELP !
YOU can help by sponsoring a child for one year for just $365/yr. Click here to sponsor. You can also sponsor special needs for the blind for $150/yr by clicking here. Other ways to donate are at vtsworld.org/donate
All profiles at: VTSWORLD.ORG/AWARDS
EKTA KARKALA
GOLD
My name is Ekta Karkala and I am a senior at Saint Francis High School. Outside of school, I enjoy teaching music classes at FCSN, playing competitive golf, and spending time with my family.
One of my favorite aspects of VT Seva is the diversity of activities that youth volunteers are able to participate in. From helping protect the environment to building playhouses for low-income families, encouraging a variety of service opportunities allows volunteers to develop passions for different social causes while learning how to impact their own communities.
Volunteering among students who are equally passionate about improving the community is something that inspires me to be a part of VT Seva. Being able to collaborate and develop friendships with other volunteers adds another dimension to the many benefits of service.
Ekta's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/EKTA-KARKALA/2018
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ABHINAV NALLAPA
GOLD
I am Junior at Bellarmine College Preparatory. My other Passion are Robotics & Programming
Why I Joined VT Seva: Inspired by friends volunteering at VT Seva, seeing how fun and impactful VT Seva is
Loved opportunity to participate in such a wide range of activities
My Favorite Activities: Adopt-a-Street
I love seeing how much nicer our street has become since we started
Speak your Vision Speech Contest: Enjoyed organizing activity from start to finish, and seeing the funds we were able to raise for Netra Vidyalaya
Abhinav's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/ABHINAV-NALLAPA/2018
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ADARSH NALLAPA
SILVER
Freshman at Bellarmine College Prep
Part of VT Seva for four years
Love Biology and Speech
Inspiration to Volunteer:Meeting more friends I get to volunteer with and the joy of seeing the result of all my work
Favorite Activity: Bone Marrow Drive: Trying to convince people to support a worthy cause is sometimes difficult but always satisfying.
Adarsh profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/ADARSH-NALLAPA/2018
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AMULYA BINDU
GOLD
My name is Amulya Bindu and I am 15 years old. I am a 10th grader and I currently attend Silver Creek High School. I like to dance and hang out with my friends. I have been playing piano for 3 ½ years and I really like it.
The best thing I like about VT Seva is how we help people in need. We do many activities, such as street cleaning, making food, and assisting people, that make us feel good after doing them. I also like how we raise money to help the visually impaired children in India by giving them food, educating them, and clothing them.
Something that inspires me to be a part of VT Seva are the visually impaired children in India who are doing their best to be the best. They work so hard in whatever they do, and they even do some things better than us. This inspires me to also work hard to help them with everything that they need.
Amulya full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/AMULYA-BINDU/2018
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ANOOHYA PANIDAPU
GOLD
My name is Anoohya Panidapu, and I'm a sophomore at De Anza, majoring in chemistry and math. I have been volunteering with VT Seva since 2016. Through VT Seva, I've had the chance to be a part of various events, from the Nepal fundraiser (where we sold my paintings and raised over $2500) to sandwich-making for the homeless. My sister and I are able to support the children at the Netra Vidyalaya School for the Blind in India through tutoring the kids in our community. In the year that we've been tutoring, we have raised over $7500 to support the Netra Vidyalaya kids' education. Through all these events, VT Seva has instilled in us a true sense of community, and that inspires me to continue working together to help the world around us.
Anoohya full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/ANOOHYA-PANIDAPU/2018
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APOORVA PANIDAPU
GOLD
My name is Apoorva, and I’ve been volunteering with VT Seva for three years. My experience with VT Seva has been amazing, because it brings the community together to help those in need. In each event, I’ve had so much fun with my friends, working together to help create change, whether it be through making burritos for the homeless or selling paintings to aid Nepal after its devastating earthquakes. With VT Seva’s support, my sister and I are able to support Netra Vidyalaya kids in India through tutoring our own community’s children. We are very happy to have raised over $7500 dollars to support their education. VT Seva inspires me to always work to help make the world a better place, and I can’t wait to keep working with this wonderful organization to give back to the community with my friends and family.
Apoorva's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/APOORVA-PANIDAPU/2018
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DIVITHA DODDI
GOLD
I'm Divitha and I am a junior at Evergreen Valley High School. I have been a part of VT Seva for two years. My favorite activity is burrito wrapping. Although it gets messy, the end results shock me every time. I am inspired to be a part of VT Seva because I can give back to the community on a regular basis.
Divitha full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/DIVITHA-DODDI/2018
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HARSHITA POLISETTY
BRONZE
My name is Harshita Polisetty. I am currently a senior at Evergreen Valley School. I love to dance and sing. In my free time, I like to spend time with friends and family. I have been apart of VTSEVA since I was five. One of the things I like about VTSEVA is the community that we formed. Because I was apart of this organization for so long, I was able to grow as an individual who cares for the community. Coming together with friends and helping others was rewarding as well as very fun. Seeing that we can help people from all the way across the world to the people in our community, is one of the reasons that motivated me to join VTSeva. The fact that we were a part of someone’s smile whether it was indirectly or directly is what pushed me to continue participating in VTSEVA. Helping in the monthly activities that were provided by VTSEVA made me realize that I would want to continue to serve the community and people as I transition into a new chapter of my life.
Harshita full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/HARSHITA-POLISETTY/2018
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MAITHREYI NARAYANAN
BRONZE
I am Maithreyi Narayanan and I’m a junior at Foothill High School, Pleasanton. I moved to California last year and as I was settling down I came to know about VT Seva and have been volunteering since then. Personally, the best part was the burrito wrapping because this task made me realize that anything we do can be done better and faster as a team. Another activity I also enjoyed was the Bone Marrow drive. It was fun because we were able to spread more awareness about the how the bone marrow benefits so many people with leukemia and lymphoma. The team was very happy because each time we did this drive we saw an increase in the number of people signing up. My aspiration is to pursue a career that will provide me with an opportunity to help improve the community’s health quality conditions and learn about their needs which resonates with VT Seva’s vision. (VT SEVA'S VISION IS TO SEE ALL CHILDREN AND ADULTS OF THE IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITIES OF INDIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO QUALITY EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AND ENABLE THEM TO LIVE WITH DIGNITY AND PRIDE). The activities I participate with VT Seva Team makes me realize that the purpose of life is to show compassion and to help
Maithreyi's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/MAITHREYI-NARAYANAN/2018
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RAGHAV CHENNA
BRONZE
14 years old, Freshmen at Evergreen Valley High School
Like playing basketball, and video games
Been part of VTSeva for 2 years
Best thing about VTSeva is meeting new people & making friends during events, while helping people & community at the same time
Inspiration is to help the community, and the children with special needs.
RAGHAV'S full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/RAGHAV-CHENNA/2018
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RADHIR CHENNA
BRONZE
Volunteering for 3 1/2 years
Motivation to join was to help children around the world.
Inspiration to take up challenging projects was the amount of other people dedicating their time to help the educational needs of under privileged children in the world
Most fun activity was planning and running the CVC basketball tournament which funded Natya Vidyalaya in India, which helped visually challenged children
RADHIR's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/RADHIR-CHENNA/2018
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RAHUL MAMTORA
BRONZE
My name is Rahul Mamtora and I am currently a senior at St. Francis High School. I enjoy playing basketball, doing creative work related to sport/entertainment, designing apparel line of products, and securing relationships with professional athletes.
I’ve been playing basketball since first grade and have seen how every aspect of basketball can be translated into a value of life. The value of being unselfish is where VTSeva and Court Vision Classics (CVC) event fits in. VTSeva has given me an opportunity to mix creativity, sports, and charity resulting in making an impact to visually challenged individuals and raising $10K over the 2017 & 2018 events. I thoroughly enjoyed doing event planning, marketing, design, sponsorship and outreach for CVC. VTSeva has enabled me to giving back to those in need, while enjoying the game I love so much.
Rahul's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/RAHUL-MAMTORA/2018
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ROHAN BINDU
BRONZE
My name is Rohan Bindu and I am currently a senior at Evergreen Valley High School. Some of my hobbies include playing and teaching basketball, learning computer science, and going to the gym.One of the things I like about VTSeva was how, through this organization, I was able to combine my love for basketball and my passion for volunteering, to create a tournament which helped those in need. Through this experience, I learned a lot about myself and the marketing world, and created bonds with the visually challenged kids in India.The constant perseverance of helping those in need is one of the main reasons which inspired me to be a part of VTSeva. From making burritos to building playhouses to huge donations, every single event has a purpose, as we always put their needs over ours. Whether it be the monthly activities or fundraising events, this organization never fails to put a smile on everyone’s faces.
Rohan's full profile:
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SAHANA NORU
SILVER
My name is Sahana Noru. I’m a junior and I go to Evergreen Valley High School. I have been a part of VTSeva since 2015. I think the best part of VTSeva is volunteering with others and helping others in the process. There are many events that I enjoy such as burrito wrapping, FCSN, and the conducting the Speak Your Vision speech contest. The most inspiring part of VTSeva is seeing the effect that our volunteering has on the community. Helping others makes me feel like my volunteering is making a contribution.
Sahana's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SAHANA-NORU/2018
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SAHASRA VELLANKI
SILVER
I have been doing VTseva for around 3 years, I think VTseva is a good way to give back to the community. I first joined VTseva when I was around 9 years old, during this time period I have done many activities such as, burrito making, bone marrow drives, adopt-a-spot, and much more.
My favorite activity that I do with VTseva is the burrito making. I like it because we get hands on experience by cooking, along with feeling good about helping others.
Sahasra's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SAHASRA-VELLANKI/2018
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SATYA VEMULAKONDA
SILVER
My name is Satya Vemulakonda. I am a Junior at Leigh High School. I play football and wrestling.
What is the best thing you like about VT Seva: VT Seva has allowed me to make new friends and work together to make our community a better place.
What inspires you to be part of VT Seva: Mostly the friendships I have made through volunteering. Make friends and give back to the community while having fun.
Satya's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SATYA-VEMULAKONDA/2018
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SERENA GANDHI
GOLD
Hi! My name is Serena Gandhi. I'm eleven years old and attend Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale. I like to sing and read books. The best thing that I like about VT Seva is that I get to volunteer at many different places, and meet many new people. My older brother inspired me to join VTSeva and so we can volunteer together as a family.
Serena's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SERENA-GANDHI/2018
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SHREYA SRINIVASAN
GOLD
My name is Shreya Srinivasan and I am a junior. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball and am also on my school’s yearbook staff. One thing that I like about VT Seva is that it helps a variety of causes and allows me to help different people. I am inspired to be part of VT Seva because of the impact that volunteer work has on the lives of others. By participating in these activities, I am able to provide for many people.
Shreya's full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SHREYA-SRINIVASAN/2018
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SRIJA PONNA
BRONZE
My name is Srija Ponna and I am a senior at Notre Dame High School. I have been volunteering with VT Seva for six years now. My favorite thing about VT Seva is that they work to improve both local and international communities. I appreciate that being a volunteer with VT Seva, it allows me to directly contribute to the people in need around me and also help underprivileged people in India.I am inspired to be a part of VT Seva because of its dedication to improving the lives of marginalized communities. I genuinely love that as a volunteer with VT Seva I can do my part to make the world a better place, even if it’s just through seemingly small acts, such as preparing food for homeless shelters, picking up trash from the streets, collecting food for second harvest food banks, fundraising and packing kits for floods and fire hazard victim families, helping special needs children with arts, music, etc. and raising funds to support the education of the blind children in India.
SRIJA'S full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SRIJA-PONNA/2018
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SRITEJ PONNA
GOLD
My name is Sritej Ponna and I am a freshman at Archbishop Mitty High School. I have been volunteering for VT Seva for over 4 years and have participated in many local events like making burritos to serve the homeless, involving in bone marrow drives, and helping special needs children learn how to draw, dance, and make music.My favorite part about VT Seva is that you can combine your passion or hobby with volunteering. One of my favorite hobbies is playing chess, and using that, I led a chess tournament to collect funds and donated to a visually challenged school in India.The different events and opportunities to help people in need is what inspired me to join VT Seva. Other organizations usually only help in one specific aspect, but VT Seva has many aspects it works on, like helping the blind children, the environment, the homeless, children with special needs and much more.
SRITEJ'S full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/SRITEJ-PONNA/2018
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VIVEK VEMULAKONDA
BRONZE
Hi, I'm Vivek Vemulakonda. I am currently a 9th grader at Leigh High School, I enjoy playing football and basketball during my free time and my favorite subject at school is probably math2.
What is the best thing you like about VT Seva: I like during VT Seva how you get to help people who are less fortunate and you can help in your own way to make it better for them.
What inspires you to be part of VT Seva: I am inspired by just the fact that you can help other people as normally the human race is greedy but for a little bit of time we change that when we get involved selflessly into the activities.
VIVEKs full profile at: https://www.vtsworld.org/Awards/VIVEK-VEMULAKONDA/2018
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