The VT Seva Detroit branch had an incredible fourth quarter filled with impactful activities and initiatives to support those in need. From community service projects to creative events and successful fundraisers, the volunteers demonstrated immense dedication and compassion. These efforts provided opportunities for learning, collaboration, and making a difference in the lives of many. Here is a summary of activities carried out by VT Seva Detroit from October to December:
Youth Board Events:
DAV Flower making project.
EyeGlass Drive
Community Family Life Center
Salvation Army Bell Ringing Day 1
Salvation Army Bell Ringing Day 2
Capuchin Service Center
High School Club Events:
IAE:
Craft Kit for Children Hospital
Play Place for Autism kids
Leaf Raking for Seniors
Turkey Craft Making for Children Hospital
Play Place for Autism Kids
NFHS VTS:
Poster making for food drive
Paper Bag Decoration for CARES
Trunk or Treat Decoration and candy passing for CARES
Troy High VTS:
Treat for Troops
Halloween Science Scavenger Hunt at Cranbrook Institute of Science Museum
Archimedes Event at Cranbrook
WIHI:
Turkey Craft kit for Mott Children Hospital
Detroit Events:
RAAS 2024 Promotion
VTSEVA Detroit 9th Annual RAAS
Detroit Fundraisers:
Outreach Project
Youth Board Events:
07/30/2024, 08/01/2024, 11/26/2024 DAV Flower making project
Youth Lead: Shruthi Adduri
VTSEVA Detroit Youth Board participated in the DAV volunteer program to assemble FORGET ME NOT flowers. The forget-me-not is meant to serve as a symbol of remembrance for servicemen and women and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The flowers came on perforated sheets and these flowers are affixed with a glue dot, and added a stem/DAV label. Volunteers met over 3 days to assemble 5000 flowers. It was a rewarding experience to be able to make these flowers and contribute to the efforts of giving back to the veterans.
Youth Volunteers - Aanya Das, Aarush Kollu, Advithi Kothaplli, Akshat Shrivastava, Atiksh Pardeshi, Avni Patel, Ayraa Swarnkar, Bhavita Sagi, Kushi Kanumuri, Mugdha Gupta, Pahal Shah, Rachana Raghunatha, Rishi Harish, Rohan Patil, Sai Sri Ram Karnati, Sanchi, Shreya Shetty, Shreyas Posam, Shruthi Adduri.
Links:
10/31/2024 - Eyeglass Drive
Youth Lead: Varshan Muhinthan
VTSEVA Detroit Youth Board collected 168 pairs of gently used eyeglasses to donate them to those in need in Sri Lanka. By donating old, used glasses in good shape, participants of this drive allowed for the people of Omanthai, Sri Lanka to be prescribed and sent glasses by a local doctor free of charge. Thanks to all the participants for giving a second chance to your glasses and a better vision to those in need.
Youth Volunteers - Aanya Das, Oviya Jaisankar, Jishnu Kandalam, Sai Karnati, Hajanathan Muhinthan, Varshan Muhinthan, Rachana Raghunathan, Swara Rege, Shreya Shetty, Shalini Srinivas, Shraya Ved, Varshini Barla, youth from Atomic Toads Robotics team and youth from Cosmic Toads Robotics team.
Links:
12/14/2024 - Community Family Life Center
Youth Lead: Rishabh Mavatoor
The youth board had an amazing time volunteering at the CFLC. They helped pack produce, canned goods, toiletries, and dairy, then loaded them into the cars of people in need. The team was able to assist around 100 households. This experience was meaningful, as it gave them a deeper understanding of how privileged they are to have food every day and how they can make a difference for others who may not be as fortunate.
Youth Volunteers - Aanya Das, Amogh Mavatoor, Hajanthan Muhinthan, Rishabh Mavatoor, Shreyas Posam, Varshan Muhinthan
Adult Volunteers - Niveditha Mavatoor, Komathy Muhinthan
Links:
12/20/2024-12/21/2024 Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Youth Lead: Oviya Jaisankar
The youth had a wonderful time bonding and singing Christmas carols during the event. It was incredibly inspiring to see the generosity of so many individuals who stopped to donate to the Salvation Army. This event continues to be a meaningful and uplifting tradition to conclude a year of volunteering, and the youth are excited to participate again in the future.
Youth Volunteers -
Friday: Aanya Das, Riya Bagri, Rishi Harish, Oviya Jaisankar, Adith Aswin, Saksham Patel
Saturday: Oviya Jaisankar, Sai Karnati, Aanya Das, Ansh Patil, Advithi Kothapalli
Adult Volunteers - Harish Jaisankar, Priya Jaisankar, Jaisankar Kannan, Srinath Babu Karnati
Links:
12/21/2024 - Capuchin Service Center
Youth Lead: Amogh Mavatoor
The youth volunteered at the Capuchin Service Center in December.
In this event, volunteers all worked together to help run the Capuchin Services Christmas Giveaway. They helped stock presents, helped attendees shop for presents, and helped greet and register attendees for this event. We helped over 300 families and around 600 kids during this event.
Youth Volunteers - Aanya Das, Amogh Mavatoor, Mihir Inamdar, Rana Nagoji, Rishabh Mavatoor, Tarun Senthilkumar
Adult Volunteers - Niveditha Mavatoor, Neeladhri Das
Links:
High School Club Events:
10/16/2024 - IAE - Craft Kit for Children Hospital
Volunteers gathered for a mini craft kit-making event to benefit children in the hospital. Each kit included a paper ghost cut-out, eyes, a mouth, and stickers for decoration. It was a meaningful way to kick off the first in-school event of the year.
10/20/2024 - IAE - Play Place for Autism kids
Volunteers assisted at the Play-Place for Autism's "Costumes and Candy" event by setting up, decorating pumpkins, passing out cider and donuts, and cleaning up. The event brought joy to kids with special needs and their families.
11/17/2024 - IAE - Leaf Raking for Seniors
Volunteers helped rake leaves for senior citizens in Troy, clearing over 20 bags of leaves in total. This effort was a rewarding way to support the local community.
11/20/2024 - IAE - Turkey Craft Making for Children Hospital
Craft kits designed for Thanksgiving were created for hospitalized children. The kits included decorative items to embellish turkey cut-outs, ensuring the kids felt loved during the holiday season.
12/08/2024 - IAE - Play Place for Autism Kids
Volunteers supported the "North Pole Stroll" Christmas party at the Play-Place Autism and Special Needs Center by organizing games, serving lunch, and managing activities.
Youth Volunteers - Sreenika Perumalla, Jennah Najor, Joseph Najor, Jewel Najor, Jacob Najor, Swara Patel, Kori Jones, Helena Fawaz, Deekshi Chittala, Arya Patel, Himanish Pasula.
12/09/2024 - NFHS - Poster making for food drive
Volunteers created posters to promote a food drive accepting canned goods, non-perishables, and diapers. Donations could be dropped off in Room 907 through December 17th.
11/13/2024 - NFHS - Paper Bag Decoration for CARES
Volunteers partnered with CARES to decorate paper bags for the food pantry, bringing color and creativity to the project.
10/21/2024 - NFHS - Trunk or Treat Decoration and candy passing for CARES
Volunteers joined CARES for their Trunk or Treat event, decorating buses and handing out candy to the local community.
11/07/2024 - Troy High - Treat for Troops
In collaboration with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department, volunteers collected over 17 pounds of candy for troops. Contributions came from Troy and Novi participants.
10/26/2024 - Troy High - Halloween Science Scavenger Hunt at Cranbrook Institute of Science Museum
At Cranbrook Institute of Science, volunteers guided children through exciting experiments as part of a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt. The event was educational and enjoyable for both kids and volunteers.
10/18/2024 - Troy High - Archimedes Event at Cranbrook
Volunteers explored historical inventions and replicas at the Cranbrook Science Institute while assisting with their Archimedes Event.
11/25/2024 - WIHI - Turkey Craft kit for Mott Children Hospital
Volunteers assembled turkey craft kits for patients at Mott Children's Hospital. The project spread holiday cheer and creativity.
Detroit Events:
September-November - RAAS 2024 Promotion
VT Seva volunteers demonstrated incredible dedication, braving all kinds of weather to promote RAAS 2024 and raise awareness about VT Seva’s impactful work. Over the course of several weeks, they organized events at local grocery stores and the Canton Temple, where they encouraged both cash and online donations. Their collective efforts resulted in significant contributions to support the education of 4 visually challenged children for a full year.
Volunteers -
Vani Groceries: Vanitha, Neha ji, Durga ji, Mythili ji, Praveen ji, Lavanya ji, Shraya, Jishnu, Khushi, Advithi, Sai
India Groceries: Srinath ji, Vidya ji, Anand ji, Kavi
Hindu Temple, Canton Volunteers: Pallavi ji, Shilpa ji, Srilatha ji, Prashanth ji, Srinath ji, Avni, Bhagya, Shreya, Supraja
Troy India Groceries: Chandrasekhar ji, Kanchana ji, Vijay ji, Bala ji, Rathneesh, Kishore.
Links:
VTSEVA Detroit 9th Annual RAAS
RAAS-2024 – VT Seva Detroit 9th Annual Event
The VT Seva Detroit branch celebrated its 9th Annual Cultural Event RAAS-2024 with great success, raising funds and engaging the community through various activities.
Some of the key highlights of the event:
• The VT Seva Detroit Board honored dedicated volunteers and donors with an evening of music, dance, games, food, and celebration.
• VT Seva Detroit Board and Youth Board members shared updates from various Community Service Projects and Youth board activities.
• Over 450+ people attended, which featured 13 cultural performances, engaging games, and an open-floor dance.
• VT Seva Detroit Raised funds for over 300 visually challenged and tribal students’ education.
Video Links of the event:
Detroit Fundraiser Events:
12/25/2024 - Outreach Project (6Oct-31Dec)
What an incredible group of youth contributed to Outreach 2024! Their dedication and effort in securing donations until the very end of the year made a significant impact on the education of visually challenged students in our Nethra Vidyalaya Schools through the Outreach Project. Between October 6 and December 31—just 86 days—42 youth raised $26,518 through 224 donations. This incredible achievement supports education for more than 72 visually challenged students for an entire year.
Youth Volunteers - Oviya Jaisankar, Sai Sriram Karnati, Sathvik Thirumalakanduri, Bhavita Sagi, Shruthi Adduri, Anirvin Ramanan, Adhip Pisipati, Sneha Donepudi, Swara Rege, Sreenika Perumalla, Samriddhi Pathak, Kaustubh Dingari, Pierce Dzanbazoff, Bhagya Shetty, Sanyog Iyengar, Arya Patel, Kushi Kanumuri, Alicia Ramos-Versescu, Harini Kopparapu, Rathneeswar Balamurugan, Aanya Das, Abhiram Mudeganti, Advithi Kothapalli, Akul Madamshetty, Ritvija Mahabhashyam, Shreya Shetty, Lillian Applebaum, Shivani Nimmagadda, Anvika Perumalla, Pranavi Annavarapu, Avantika Nair, Riya Bagri, Himanish Pasula, Varshan Muhinthan, Shipra Valli, RoboKnights FTC Team, Deekshita Chittala, Jennah Najor, Andrea Zou, Aditi Jethri Kompally, Hiba Zyna, and Izyan Zunair.
Links:
Blog compiled by Rachana Raghunathan
Video compiled by Shreya Shetty
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