JAN 2023, Vol. 6,No. 1

Dear supporters of Sevalaya USA,

Happy New Year to all our friends and supporters. A big thank you for your generous donations. In the second half of 2022, Sevalaya has supported the education of 303 students, bringing the total to 591 students for the year 2022. Our goal of reaching 600 students is within reach.

With a generous donation from a donor, Sevalaya provided scholarships to students who are going to college and need financial assistance. With their donation, Sevalaya is able to support the higher education of 11 students at various colleges (Sridevi Arts and Science College, Sriram College of Arts and Science, DRBCCC Hindu College, Nazareth College of Arts and Sciences, Jaya Engineering College and Annai Violet Arts and Science College). These students are interested in a wide variety of majors- Engineering, Commerce, Agriculture, Computer applications and Business.

With support from our donors, we were successful in supporting the following:

• Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School by providing funding for regular training in various sports on campus, buying sports equipment and helping students participate in tournaments

• The construction of a senior home in Zamin Endathur and supporting the seniors living in the Thanjavur senior home

• The children in the Swami Vivekananda Boys’ Home and the Mother Teresa Girls’ Home and seniors at the Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa old age home with a grant towards Diwali celebrations.
  

Year-end Fundraiser

Sevalaya USA thanks supporters for their generous donation towards the San Jose Family Center winter drive. We received two car loads of blankets, sheets, shampoo and food worth nearly $2000 and delivered them!

Board Member Visit to Gayathri Memorial Vocational Training Center

On November 30th, 2022, Board Member Prasad Manickavasagam visited the Sevalaya Pattinappakam Gayathri memorial vocational center.

He described it as a very heartwarming experience and shared that “This economically backward area is in the middle of several luxurious apartment complexes. In the midst of all the huts and dilapidated buildings, the Sevalaya center was brimming with activity. Several women were being trained on tailoring. In an adjacent hallway, small children were doing their homework under the supervision of a teacher. On the third floor of the building, Karate training was going on for kids to build up their self-esteem.”

Thank you to our supporters for participating in two fundraisers in August, 2022:

1. A virtual RunWalkForSeva 5k/10k event (Aug 26-Sept 5) which included 45 participants and thirteen donations. This fundraiser supported the education of eight children. We wanted to acknowledge a supporter who walked 70 miles in 10 days. Supporters hiked in different places, in India, at Soaring Eagle Park in Seattle WA and at Vasona Park, Campbell CA.

2. SEVATHON

Sevalaya USA also participated in the

Bay Area Sevathon organized by India Community Center at Vasona Park on Aug 28th. We had 5 participants. Thanks to ICC for organizing Sevathon and providing a platform for the local nonprofits to raise money.

Amazon has ended its donation program, AmazonSmile. Thank you for supporting us for six amazing years!

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

aug 2022, Vol. 5, No.2

Dear supporters of Sevalaya USA,

As we celebrate five years of Sevalaya USA we want to thank our supporters and volunteers for our continued success. We cannot sustain this amazing work without your generous

contributions and the work of our volunteers who have helped us with legal advice, coding,

fundraising, website redesign, administrative work, etc. Thank you!

Upcoming fundraisers include:

1. Sevathon 2022 Aug 28, at Vasona Park, Los Gatos Run/Walk/do Yoga/Dance: 

Please register at http://konnectme.org/event/join/3451499/?ref=3266697  and make sure

"Sevalaya US" is selected in the "Sevathon-2022 Non-profit partners" drop-down

menu.

2. RunWalkForSeva 2022 - Sevalaya USA's Virtual Run/Walk from August 26,2022 - September 05, 2022. Please register at: https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Cupertino/RunWalkForSeva.

Since January 2022, Sevalaya USA’s Project Education has supported the education of 354

students at the Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School. Food endowments have been set up to sponsor free breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the students and seniors. We are proud to announce that all 147 XII STD students at Sevalaya's Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School passed their final exams. Best wishes to all of them in their future endeavors.

A generous donation of $4000 ensured that students were provided regular training in various sports on campus. These funds were also used to support students participating in tournaments. 97 boys and 72 girls participated in the sports camp offered at school in May. The girls’ basketball team won 2nd place in Thiruvallur district basketball championship. Congratulations to the team!

Our longtime supporter Vijaianand from Texas raised $5300 to support the education of 25

students in Sevalaya for a year. He has also set up 11 education endowments to provide sustained support for Project Education.

Many thanks to Hindu Cultural and Community Center for a grant awarded in March 2022 and for their continued support.

Here are some additional updates:

Sevalaya Chennai has been offering various health care services to the tribal communities at Samaritan Hospital in Gudalur, Nilgiris District thanks to our donor Arjun Vijayakumar.

Board Member Anandi Lakshmikanthan visited the Sevalaya Campus in Kasuva and met with Sevalaya founder Mr. Muralidharan, staff members and teachers of Sevalaya. She also visited the Pattinapakkam Community Center, a tsunami-affected area of Chennai, where fishermen and their families live. With a very generous donation from a donor in 2021, a corpus fund has been set up to support the operating expenses of the center.

At this community center, we support various classes for children. Participation is open to both boys and girls- computer (16 attendees), karate (30 participants) and tuition classes (25 attendees). There are also classes for adults, especially tailoring classes for women with 25 participants.

We also want to showcase the progress of the construction of the senior home in Zamin Endathur.

We need your support to continue our work. One easy way to support Sevalaya is to shop on smile.amazon.com. It is the same Amazon you use, and the products and services are the same. Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and select Sevalaya USA from the charity list. Whenever you shop on smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.

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

Jan 2022, Vol. 5, No. 1

Dear supporters of Sevalaya USA,

Happy New Year! As we reflect on 2021, we are thankful to our Sevalaya supporters for their generous contributions. This new year brings some new changes and some not so new challenges.

In 2021, Sevalaya USA’s Project Education supported the education of 543 students at the Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School. In addition, a generous donor funded two projects (upgrading the kitchen and pantry areas in Kasuva campus), where around 2000 students and a hundred seniors are served free lunch everyday. Funds were also provided for buying sports equipment for the students.

A big shout out to Vasavi Seva Foundation, San Francisco Bay Area, for funding two humanitarian projects, the renovation of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Senior Home in Kasuva campus and the installation of pavements at Image, a home for mentally challenged in Thevaram, Theni, Tamil Nadu.

Thanks to a generous donation from a supporter, Sevalaya, India has undertaken a construction of a 5044 sq. ft. new senior home, accommodating 30 senior citizens, in Zamin Endathur in Tamil Nadu. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the home was performed on March 24th, 2021.

We are excited to announce ​​the funding of a new project, Vocational Training Centre at Pattinampakkam, a neighborhood in Chennai, where most of the residents depend on fishing for their livelihood. With a very generous donation from a donor, a corpus fund has been set up to support the operating expenses of the center. Sevalaya India conducts computer training classes and tailoring classes for young men and women, enhancing their employability. The center also conducts tutoring and karate classes for children.

In October 2021, 48 supporters signed up for the RunWalkForSeva virtual fundraiser and ran in the rain, climbed mountains, hiked trails in Africa, and walked on local roads and in local parks. They raised enough funds to support seven students for one full year, which includes school supplies, classroom materials, uniforms, books, extracurricular activities and also support part of teacher salaries.

Board Member, Anandi Lakshmikanthan, visited the Sevalaya office in Chennai and met with Sevalaya founder Mr. Muralidharan. Mr.Muralidharan shared that the schools, which have been closed for in person instruction for more than a year after the Covid-19 breakout, have reopened and that children are being given masks and are practicing safety protocols to keep everyone safe.

Thank you for your overwhelming support for our Holiday Fundraiser for the San José Family Shelter. We donated pillows, comforters, sheets, bath mats, sanitizers, groceries, and other items worth $2000.

We need your support to continue our work. One easy way to support Sevalaya is to shop on smile.amazon.com. It is the same Amazon you use and the products and services are the same. Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and select Sevalaya USA from the charity list. Whenever you shop on smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.

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