August 2019 – Newsletter
Welcome School Year 2019-2020! Summers went by really quickly and before we realized it we are already into the new school year. The beginning of new academic year is always exciting bringing in new learning, new activities, new projects and of course lots more opportunities for VOLUNTEERING!
After a very busy summer for Empower and Excel, packed with many summer special activities, we now look forward to diving into the new school year with renewed energy to continue with our various volunteering activities.
Special Mention: Recently, the CEO and founder of Empower and Excel, Ayesha Charagulla, was interviewed by a tech news website known as Superb Crew. This was a great opportunity for other people to learn about EnE’s mission including all our projects, volunteers, and the future of this nonprofit. Kudos to our amazing team for making this interview possible.
https://www.superbcrew.com/empower-and-excel-npo-with-a-mission-to-empower-children-and-youth-to-give-back-to-the-community/
A few important announcements before we dive into our August 2019 activities:
-
Clothing Drive: In collaboration with Empowering World Change (EWC), EnE is conducting a clothing drive wherein volunteers will collect usable clothes and we will arrange for pickup or drop off. Each 13 gallon bag gets one volunteer hour. There is no limit on the number of bags you can collect. All collected items will go to Sacred Heart organization in San Jose. Drive ends on 30th September.
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090948afae2aaaf49-201915
-
Bliss Box Birthday Gift Drive: EnE has partnered with Birthday Giving Project to give Bliss Boxes locally. This project is a way to support very low-income parents who want to give their child a special and meaningful birthday party, but just can’t afford it. The birthday boxes/bags you create will therefore be a gift to both the children who receive them AND the parents who get to be the “givers”. Each box gets 2 volunteer hrs. There is no limit on how many boxes you can collect. Drive ends on 30th September.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948AFAE2AAAF49-201914
-
E&E would like to see write-ups from our volunteers about their experiences and learnings. These will be included in the blog section of E&E website. The best ones will also be nominated at different places to feature your story. There is no big or small write-up. It is a freestyle blog writing. Volunteers can submit multiple write-ups. Please send your write-ups to empowerandexcel.np@gmail.com
-
Finally!!! We are all set with the PVSA transition from the old system to the new! EnE has been re-certified and good to go. All your historical data is now accessible to us. Until further notice, continue entering your volunteering hours in the following google form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14aCCBe74pU2ZQP2gdxXMGD3m0-8tKklzazClDQaB2rA/edit
-
Please renew your annual membership with EnE and submit the waiver form.
Renewal fee: https://empowerexcel.org/donate/
Waiver: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrz95vHT19wAfMuClIGcl5fRdF1KXk2ZkcLlZeuks_cMJh2Q/viewform?c=0&w=1The $30 annual volunteer donation requested during renewals covers volunteer insurance and E&E T-shirt. Other costs such as SignupGenius fees, Website maintenance, non-profit memberships, activity registrations, PVSA certificates and awards are covered by company matching funds.
-
We are very happy to let you know that we collectively dedicated a total of 315 hours to our community in August 2019. As always keep up the good work of volunteering to make our community a better place.
by: Tanisha Tol
Now for a sneak peek into our August 2019 activities :
Serving at Shelters
- As a part of our project, Feeding Friends with The AshaJyothi Welfare society, we held Independence Day and Rakshabandhan celebration! This meal was sponsored by Kohli family. It was a very heartwarming experience! Thanks to all our August sponsor families: Alpa Kohli, Shivi Fotedar, Sanjay Charagulla, Madhuri Kumar, Satya Anumolu, Kumar Balabhadra, Meha Selva, Vasu Madhav.
- If you are interested in sponsoring a meal at AshaJyothi to feed ~70 abandoned special needs children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, speech & hearing impaired, polio, down syndrome etc., please visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948afae2aaaf49-20199. Various sponsorship options available ranging from $200 for full day meals to $80 for just lunch or dinner to $45 for just breakfast. Donate at https://empowerexcel.org/donate/ or mail the check or pay by cash.
- Sunday Friends: Our volunteers helped out children from low income communities with activities such as arts, crafts, games and reading. They helped out with cooking. They also organized back to school supplies for the community.
- Kitchen Work at City Team Shelter: Our volunteers did an amazing job cooking, organizing pantry, serving dinner and clean-up at a homeless shelter.
Our Special Friends and Beloved Seniors
- At “Jeena Academics Program” and “At Friends Together-Surya”, our volunteers spent quality time with their special needs friends doing various activities and bonding with them. It’s very inspiring to see the positive impact that our volunteers are making on our community!
- Our Laundry Helpers did an amazing job at Priya Living Retirement Community. The seniors are very grateful for their service.
- Led by Tanisha Tol, our volunteers had a successful recital at Westmont Retirement Community playing piano, violin, guitar, and even singing.
- Knitbuds leader Mrudula Chodavarapu did an awesome job knitting beanies and scarves with seniors for the homeless and chemo patients.
- Our volunteers helped our seniors with their tech issues related to smart phones, apps, laptops, iPads, tablets etc.
Community Activities
- At JW House, our volunteers cooked and served delicious meals for families undergoing medical crisis. These families truly appreciate what our volunteers are doing for them. We even got a call from JW House with special thanks!
- Our volunteers helped setup and conducted a fun event for the community. Everyone had a blast! Keep up the great work!
- Community Service at CityTeam San Jose: Our volunteers helped the needy by making food bags for them at a local shelter.
- Watershed Action Day: Our volunteers joined South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition (SBCCC) and friends/partner organizations and helped clean along the banks of the Guadalupe River. It was very inspiring to see their hard work in scorching heat! Way to go volunteers!
- Tri City Valley (TCV) Food Bank: Our volunteers helped people pick food at a food bank and also helped fill a lot of backpacks! It was a great way for them to help out their community.
- Nursery Work: Volunteers helped with various gardening activities.
- Anika Agarwal conducted two Bollywood fitness classes at Alum Rock library on 3rd and 10th of August.
Summer Programs & Other Events & Activities
- Dallas Chapter Activities: Our Dallas volunteers made food bags for the needy for pickup at a food pantry.
- Summer Activities at Library: Our volunteers taught Finch Robotics sessions at the library! There was a great turnout and the session was a great success!
- Interview by tech news website and Superb Crew.
