August 2025, Vol. 8, No. 2

Dear supporters of Sevalaya USA,

Thank you for your support! Your gift is changing lives. It allows students to pursue their dreams by providing the tools, training, and resources they need to succeed. Since the beginning of 2025, we have supported 228 students. We are far from reaching our goal of supporting 600 students and need your continued support. 

We have exciting news to share! At Sevalaya’s Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School, Kasuva Centre, 135 students appeared and passed the Std X Board Exams, with 114 students scoring First Division! In addition, 165 out of 166 students have successfully passed the Std XII board exams! Congratulations to the students of Sevalaya.

Thanks to Ekam Foundation for a grant to support the vocational training of students in the community college in Kasuva Village, Tamil Nadu. In the second batch which ran from 1st July 2024 to 31st Dec 2024, 35 students were trained in residential electrical work and 35 students were trained in refrigerator & AC repairs. Out of the 70 students, 60 have been placed in jobs.

The Hindu Community and Cultural Center (HCCC) has continued its support of Sevalaya USA. On March 1, Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, the Consul General of India at San Francisco, awarded a grant to Sevalaya USA at HCCC in Livermore.

Thanks to a generous grant from Mara Breech foundation, teachers of Sevalaya were given training in 38 districts of Tamil Nadu. Our sincere thanks to the Give Foundation for their generous grants toward three human services projects: Elderly lives matter, Gift shelter to a destitute child, and Mission No child homeless. With a successful fundraiser, our long-term supporter Vijaianand raised funds to increase his educational endowments to 17 and his annual educational support to 25 children.

Campus visits:

In February 2025, Sevalaya USA board member Anandi Lakshmikanthan visited the Sevalaya campus. She stopped by the Montessori classrooms where the children were having lunch and spoke to teachers and students in elementary and high school classrooms and shared lunch with the students. She also observed the basketball coaching of students, courtesy of the Hi 5 Foundation.

One of our long-term supporters, S Raghavendran visited the Sevalaya campus in May 2025. Noticing that the cafeteria staff carrying heavy serving vessels full of food during lunch, he was able to work with the Sevalaya team to upgrade the wheels on six existing trolleys designed to carry heavy objects for a reasonable cost. This helped make the process of serving food smoother for all the staff. He was also able to hire a master chef and assistant to prepare lunch and dinner for 120 people during the summer months and provided a needed break for the cafeteria staff. We would like to express our deep gratitude to S Raghavendran for his continued support.

Special Projects:

We made a $1800 grant toward Project Education Essentials for establishing network infrastructure to connect the smartboards in the classrooms of Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School at the Kasuva campus. This aims to enhance digital learning and interactivity by enabling seamless connectivity and access to online resources through smartboards.

Sevathon 2025

Sevalaya USA is participating in ICC Sevathon 2025. Please register for the event and support this work. We are raising funds to support the education of the underprivileged children studying in the school run by Sevalaya in Chennai.

Please register for the event at https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Sunnyvale/ICCSevathon and support us. 

In-Person Events: 10K, 5K, Tiny Trots 1K

Virtual Events:   Virtual 10K, Virtual 5K

Please remember to select Sevalaya USA in the "Please choose the Non-Profit Organization you wish to support" drop-down menu.

We are also looking for volunteers to join our team. For additional information, please visit us online at sevalaya.us and facebook.com/SevalayaUSA.

Sincerely,

Sevalaya team

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 Board members: Anandi Lakshmikanthan, Venkat Prasad Manickavasagam, Mani Subramaniyan

Legal advisor: Pooja Sudarshan

Newsletter: Vidya Kilambi, Anandi Lakshmikanthan