Dear friends and supporters of Sevalaya USA,
Happy New Year! Thank you for your support over the last year. Projects funded by Sevalaya USA make a difference in the individual lives of the people in the communities that we serve. Your support is vital to our success.
In August 2018, Sevalaya USA raised $2100 to contribute to the Kerala Flood Relief efforts of Sevalaya, India. On the eve of Onam, a team from Sevalaya, India distributed clothes to 2000 families who lost their homes. Materials were distributed at the Apna Ghar camp in Kanjikodu village and in Mulampuzha hill tribal colony. We are touched by the generosity of our donors, who made it possible to raise funds in a very short time.
In November 2018, Sevalaya USA successfully raised $500 for blankets, pillows, sweatpants and sleeping bags for families affected by the Camp Fire and staying at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church shelter in Chico, CA. Additionally, we raised $1750 for the Butte County Fire Relief Fund to support the schools affected by the Camp Fire in Butte County.
Thank you for your continuing support for the education of underprivileged children at the Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School in Kasuva village, Tamil Nadu. In July and August of 2018, Project Teachers’ Salary sponsored annual salaries of two teachers. During the same period, Sevalaya USA sponsored 155 students for a year and created one Student Endowment fund with $1501.
We are excited to announce our new project, Project Education. Starting in November 2018, Sevalaya USA is making distributions towards two categories:
Basic student needs aid at $130 a year per student.
Full educational aid at $250 a year per student.
We aim to fund the education of a total of 400 students. Please refer to our website for detailed information. This project grant runs from November 2018 to October 2019. So far, we have made good progress towards our goal by providing full educational aid to 58 students. We need your support to fulfil our goal of 400 students.
Thank you to Sundar Ramanathan and Sneha Sreeram for hosting a Facebook birthday fundraiser and increasing the visibility of Sevalaya online. A very special thank you to longtime supporter Vijaianand Thirunageswaram for fundraising year after year to support the mission of Sevalaya.
Our longtime supporter and a very generous donor, Dr. S. Krishnamurthi from Tulsa, OK spent a day with the children and staff of Sevalaya on his last visit to India, providing valuable feedback and support. We also want to thank all our supporters who registered for Sevathon 2018. We had 26 participants and we look forward to having many more in 2019.
A quick and easy way to double your contribution is through employee giving programs. Many corporations match employee donations to our organization. We will do all paperwork on your behalf. Another way to support us is through AmazonSmile. Use this link to do your shopping (http://smile.amazon.com/ch/82-1291775) and Amazon Smile will donate to Sevalaya USA.
We are also looking for volunteers to join our team. For additional information, please visit us online at sevalaya.us and facebook.com/SevalayaUSA.