AN EkamUSA EYA NEWSLETTER

Changemaker of Month nomination - Please cast vote!  

We are honored to have Dr. Sai Lakshmi and Ekam nominated for 'Your Mark on the World - Changemaker of Month' award. The award goes to the nominee that gets the most votes. The last date for voting is Friday, June 28. 

Vote now! 

To vote, please click on 'Vote Now' link above, then scroll down, select Ekam USA (where you see photos of Dr Sai and our EYAs), and click 'Next'.

These young guns made it, you could too

Varun, Jay, Sai, and Nathan are all set to receive the President's Voluntary Service Award (PVSA) for volunteering their time to bring about positive change in society. These youngsters have put in more than 100 hours of time each, specifically for Ekam events/actvities. Congratulations to the fabulous four! We look forward to more youngsters from Ekam chapters making the cut.

	Varun Murlidhar, EYA, Charlotte Varun enjoys baking cupcakes and cookies for Ekam fundraisers. He was part of an Ekam group that visited Ronald McDonald house a few times to cook meals and bake for the families living there. He volunteers at other local organizations like Bright Blessings and Promising Pages. Varun has also raised funds through a Caring Crowd campaign for an Anganwadi in an Indian village. He has just completed his sophomore year in high school.
	Jay Puskuri, EYA, Dallas Jay has been volunteering his time since middle school. He has sorted food at food banks,  helped in street cleaning activities and spent time at camps for children including those for children with special needs. He has been at Ekam booths set up at various events in Dallas. Jay has also created Caring Crowd online campaigns. He was part of the EYA  team that raised funds for village schools in Tamil Nadu. He is going to be a senior in high school.
	Saisahithi Kodali , EYA, New Jersey Sai never tires of doing little things for others, because sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of her heart.  For Sai,  life is not only about making a living, but also about making a difference. She makes time to be there for people, make plans with them and to let them know she cares.  Sai has raised funds for Ekam by approaching different businesses. She also planned a carnival to fundraise. Sai has just completed her sophomore year in high school.
	Nathan Puskuri, EYA, Dallas Nathan  has volunteered in several week-long camps for young kids as well as in camps for children with  special needs. He has helped write several Caring Crowd online campaigns for fundraising and was part of the Dallas EYA team that raised funds for village schools in Tamil Nadu. He has also volunteered for organisations such as VT Seva, Lions/Leo club, and the North Texas Food Bank. Nathan is going to be a senior in high school.

Baton Rouge’s EYA Chapter brings tables and cheer to  a school in Orappam village

The Ekam Youth Ambassadors of Baton Rouge helped the Government  Higher Secondary School at  Orappam village get 11 sets of benches and desks for its children.

Government school at Marudepalli village gets a helping hand from Baton Rouge EYA 

Baton Rouge’s EYAs also helped  the  school get a water tank, a water purifier, as well as tables and chairs.

Charlotte EYAs make the children of Sorpanandal village  smile

The Ekam team at Thiruvannamalai district  used the funds generated by the EYA of Charlotte to buy tables, chairs and playthings for children (1 to 5 years) of the  Sorpanandal village anganwadi.

 Funds raised by EYAs of Midland, Texas,  brings a water tank to Salavakkam   

The Ekam Kancheepuram team used the EYA funds sent by the Midland Texas chapter,  to meet the water and sanitation needs of Salavakkam village.  

EYA of Dallas contribute clean drinking water to Primary School at Muneerpallam 

The Government Primary School in Muneerpallam village  purchased a water purifier with the help of funds raised by EYA of Dallas Chapter.  The young children now have access  to clean drinking water. This should contribute to better health by eliminating their exposure to water borne diseases. It should also help improve their learning by reducing number of missed school days due to sickness. The school also purchased steel chairs with the funds.

New Jersey runs for Ekam
Article contributed by Krish Deverakonda 

 

June 2nd, 2019 was a milestone day for Ekam and for countless others who contributed. In Edison, New Jersey, a simple idea arose during a routine meeting - after the success of relatively smaller projects like bake sales and food stands, why not develop something bigger that would bring more money to our cause? Thus, the Ekam NJ chapter formulated a grand plan for a 5K run. Anantha Kondaparthi, Rama Mandulapally, Prashanth Nalabandhu and Ahmed Shareef with the help of five Ekam Youth Ambassadors (EYAs), made a specific two-month schedule for the Ekam USA 5K run. The band of EYAs who rolled up their sleeves and worked hard to make the event a success were: Krish Devarakonda, Ritika Devarakonda, Haris Shareef, Anshul Sinha and Monica Thackalapatti. 

The NJ chapter worked very hard for this event, gathering sponsors, supplies, food, flyers, tickets and volunteers to help. The planning stage required everyone to work together to raise as much money as possible for Ekam benefits. The 5K run was held on Sunday, June 2, 2019 and more than 175 people came to support our cause. At 6:30 AM,  Ekam volunteers arrived with their supplies, along with the DJ for the event, DJ Bala. For the first two hours, the EYAs and adults worked to put things in place. A yoga session was held before the race, engaging many runners and volunteers. 

 Ajay Patil, council member of Edison Town flagged off the 1K race for the kids.  A quick break followed this run allowing adults to get ready for their 5K  stretch.  There were runners of different age groups; some were under the age of five! Dr Sailakshmi, founder of Ekam started the run. After less than 30 minutes, the first and second place winners came in and were applauded by the remaining volunteers at the finish line. Over the next 40 minutes, runners stayed under a canopy tent for arts and crafts, had refreshments made by EYAs and ate meals served by volunteers. Once everyone returned from the run, a quick Zumba session started. Many people joined in for their daily dose of aerobic exercise.

After Zumba, the runners and volunteers had some food, while the head EYAs and adult volunteers gathered around for a  Q&A; session with Dr Sailakshmi. She spoke on healthcare and also shared why she started Ekam. Everyone congratulated Dr Sailakshmi for her outstanding contribution to children healthcare. After the Q&A; session, everyone gathered around for the trophy presentation. The six winners received trophies, the individual sponsors who came to the event received small plaques, and the EYAs who contributed to financing, advertising, and gathering supplies  were met with applause and medals. Once the clean-up was over, the final tally for the proceeds going to charity reached over $19,000! It showed what a simple idea could do for a collaborative task. Now, what will you do for Ekam?

The first Ekam USA Club at a University

The Ekam USA Club at the University of Texas at Dallas is a campus non-profit that works with  Ekam USA to improve the health of mothers and children in underprivileged communities in India. It spreads the word on Ekam's cause, motives and actions so that students are better equipped to intellectually, financially, and socially support the cause.  The club encourages students to get involved with Ekam's mission through local and international volunteer opportunities, fundraising campaigns and awareness meetings, 

"I'm grateful to work with an empowering group of officers here at Ekam UTD. Special thanks to Officers Charukesi, Ananya, Christy, Devi, Anara and Anjali." – Reshma Soundharrajan, President Ekam UTD. 

Inspiring Youngsters to Look Beyond

The Ekam Youth Ambassador's Program pivots on Dr Sai's deep belief that service to others helps bind families through a shared experience and by bridging  generation and cultural gaps.

Volunteering is important as it helps people in need while gives the volunteers a sense of value and pride. Ekam's 'Adopt a District' activity helps connect youth with their roots and places of their parents' origin. In the age of digital distraction and comparative abundance it is important to inculcate the spirit of oneness and giving in children.

Dr Sai makes sure she spends time with the EYAs during her visits to the US to help them better understand the world around them.

Dr Sai Lakshmi with EYAs in Atlanta, US.	Dr Sail Lakshmi discussing with EYAs from St. Louis.
Dr Sai  Lakshmi with EYAs in Pittsburgh.	Dr Sai Lakshmi at an EYA event in Philadelphia.

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