March 2020 – Newsletter
Who would have imagined that the entire world would face a crisis of this magnitude! We started the new year with a few cases of coronavirus and before we knew it, it had become a full-blown pandemic by March 11. Sadly, this coronavirus outbreak has claimed numerous lives, crushed the economies and swamped the healthcare system. While the end does not seem to be in sight, eventually the outbreak will slow down as predicted by various epidemiological models. Let us keep faith that the world will rebuild itself in this aftermath and we will take concrete actions so that we are better prepared to handle similar events.
In the wake of Coronavirus, EnE has temporarily suspended all its volunteering activities as per the ‘Stay-at-home’ order issued by Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. We are proud of our volunteers who continue to find creative ways to give back to the community. Some have started knitting beanies and baby blankets, others have started making care packages and school supplies kits at home, while some are offering online classes. Keep up the great work, volunteers!!!
In the meantime, the EnE community should collectively keep the spirits up, and continue to positively contribute to our community by taking all the due steps and precautions to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Let’s Stay Home, Stay Safe, and Keep Others Safe!
Stay Tuned with Us on Our WhatsApp Group for Updates on the following:
- Volunteer Appreciation Event scheduled for Saturday, 16 May, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM.
- Presidential Volunteer Servicer Award (PVSA): Continue logging in your hours with us. For more info on PVSA awards qualifications, go to: https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/eligibility
- Mother’s Day Luncheon Saree Event by Ms. Namrata Mohan, Social Studies Teacher at EVHS to be held on Sunday, 17th May at Ulavacharu restaurant in Sunnyvale.
- Sunday Friends Volunteers: Those who have registered with Sunday Friends may have received an email link allowing volunteers to continue volunteering through online and in-home activities. Please reach out to Ayesha or Kavitha via WhatsApp for more information.
- Resuming Volunteering Activities: We at EnE are closely monitoring the situation and we will resume our regular activities only once the ‘Stay at Home’ order is lifted and we have clear directions from our Governor.
Few Reminders:
- We are in the process of hours auditing. Soon you will hear on who are qualified for PVSA awards
- Record your Volunteer Hours: Please keep your record up to date with us at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14aCCBe74pU2ZQP2gdxXMGD3m0-8tKklzazClDQaB2rA/edit OR, you can record your volunteer hours in a google sheet and share it with us at: empowerandexcel.np@gmail.com
- Shopping on Amazon: Please use the following link to shop on Amazon.com: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-3656395. When you shop using this link, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to EnE.
- EnE Website: Stay tuned to EnE’s new website at https://empowerexcel.org/
Some Useful Resources Available During coronavirus (COVID-19):
- iGebra: In view of the current situation, we are providing free online fun classes and workshops for elementary, middle school, 9th and 10th graders with our partner iGebra. Donations are recommended but not required. Workshop details available at: https://bit.ly/2QjDRgY.
- Emergency Community Pantry by Sikh Food Pantry, Santa Clara County: This is a county supported program for elderly who are living alone, those with existing health conditions, such as diabetes, chronic asthma, etc., and with low income/resources. More information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScanDuBPTE_t0nhTIcgrl8_ojkgOKXjXG3c6oIjWEppT3fECg/viewform
Since we officially ended our volunteer year 2019 on 31st March 2020, and with fewer activities to report this month, we will do a quick recap of our various volunteering activities throughout the entire year in the photo snapshots below.
- Our EnE volunteers together logged in 12,500 hours of volunteering during the entire year from April 2019-March 2020.
by: Tanisha Tol
Now for a Sneak Peek into Our March 2020 Activities:
Our Dedicated Volunteers at Work During COVID-19
- Dallas Team: Our Dallas team collected 182 pounds of food to support the community in need. Keep up the great work!
- Care Packages for Homeless: olunteers worked very hard to prepare non-perishable food packs and care packages for those in need. Kudos to their commitment!(https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948afae2aaaf49-care1)
- School Supplies Kits for Low Income Community Children: Volunteers school supplies kits including school bags, lunch bags, pencils, pens etc. for those in need. Kudos to their dedication! (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948afae2aaaf49-school)
- Pizza Delivery to a Shelter in San Jose:Since Cook n Serve at the Shelter was cancelled, our volunteer delivered pizza to the homeless shelter. What a great way to show your love for our community. Keep up the amazing work!
- Sketching Lessons: Our volunteer Anoushka is offering online sketching lessons. The course will include the basics of shading a three-dimensional figure and learning how to sketch realistic figures by observing shapes in objects given as a reference to draw. Because the course predominantly includes sketching and shading, the students will need a pencil (not mechanical), eraser, and drawing paper. There is no prior experienced required to do this program because the students will simply be taught the basics of drawing, and develop a foundation for them to then make their own art without guidance. If you are interested unicast Ayesha. We have only 5 spots and we will go by first come first serve basis. Two classes per week, Mon and Thu 4-5 pm.
- Blankies 4 Babies: Our volunteer, Sohini started this new project where she is making baby blankets to donate to those in need. Kudos to her dedication for a good cause!
- Knitbuds Project: Volunteers Trisha and Neha from East bay knitted beanies during their free time to contribute to Mrudula’s Knitbuds project through which she knits beanies and donates them to chemotherapy patients. Volunteer Anoushka, again from the East bay was so inspired by her friends that she learned and made her first beanie! Yay!!! So inspiring and so amazing!
While We Could Still Serve Before ‘Shelter in Place’
- Social Skills with Special Needs: Volunteers helped their special needs friends to work on their reading, writing, and Math all while having fun.
- Cook and Serve at JW House: Our volunteers made another successful dinner at for families facing medical crisis! Great job to our volunteers for making the guests feel welcome. Everyone really enjoyed the dinner and were extremely thankful!
- Laundry Help at Priya Living: Kudos to our volunteers for their commitment towards helping seniors with their laundry chores. The seniors greatly appreciate what you do for them.
Our 2019 Shelter Activities
- Sunday Friends: Our volunteers work with children from low income communities and help them with arts, crafts, drawing, reading etc. They also cook, serve and help with all the cleanup. (https://www.sunday friends.org/)
- Science Experiments: Our volunteers conducted science experiment sessions for kids from low income families.
- Cook and Serve at Family Shelter in San Jose – FSH : Every 2nd Sunday of the month we cook and serve at FSH whenever an E&E family sponsors the meals. For $350, you can feed around 50-60 people. (http://familysupportivehousing.org/)
- City Team Shelter-Kitchen:Our volunteers help with all kitchen work including food preparation, pantry organization, cleanup etc.
- Community Services at CityTeam, San Jose:Our volunteers assisted by receiving and sorting donations, sorting pantry and organizing the warehouse, and preparing food boxes and hygiene kits for low income families.
Our 2019 Community Activities
- Cook and Serve at JW House:Our volunteers prepare and serve delicious meals for families undergoing medical crisis. The families are very impressed with our young volunteers cooking skills and truly appreciate what our volunteers do for them.
- Bollywood Fitness Classes: Volunteer Anika Agarwal conducted Bollywood fitness classes at Alum Rock Library.
- Fitness Dance Workshop: Our volunteers Sritha and Vibha from EVHS led hip-hop dance fitness classes at Aborn Evergreen Branch Library.
- Nursery Work at Our City Forest Nursery:Our volunteers help out with gardening work at this local nursery.
- Helping Clean Our Environment: Our volunteers helped clean our environment by collecting trash at Hayward shoreline, which a vital part of the San Francisco Bay-Estuary ecosystem, cleaning up Alum Rock Trail and the banks of Guadalupe River.
With Our Beloved Seniors in 2019
- Music for Seniors: Our volunteer Tanisha Tol leads and organizes a music recital every month for seniors at Westmont Community Center. Many of our volunteers are excellent musicians and they sing and play various instruments such as the guitar, piano, sarod, sitar, ukulele and violin for the seniors. Our seniors greatly appreciate their efforts.
- Laundry Helpers:Our volunteers help seniors with their weekly laundry chores at Priya Living Retirement Community. Seniors find this service extremely helpful and are all praises for our dedicated volunteers.
- Tech Sessions:Our volunteers help seniors with their technology issues around use of television, smart phones, laptops etc. at Priya Living Retirement Community and at Westmont Community Center.
- Knitbuds:Our volunteer Mrudula Chodavarapu gave a sense of purpose to the seniors by involving them in her initiative of knitting beanies for chemotherapy patients. She donated 100 handmade caps in 2019 to Valley Medical Center’s cancer patients coping with hair loss.
With Our Special Friends in 2019
- Friends Together- Infuse:Through these programs, our volunteers bring joy in the lives of their special needs buddy by bonding and engaging with them in various activities such as playing, arts, crafts, reading etc.
- Jeena Academics Program:Our volunteers are making a positive influence in the lives of special needs kids by spending quality time with them and helping them with reading, writing and math homework and special skill activities. (www.jeena.org)
- Robotics Program :During the month of November and December, our youth volunteers Pranav & Pavithra led the LEGO robotics lego WeDo 2.0 program for special needs kids. (https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/wedo-2-0-core-set-by-lego-education/45300)
Our Dallas Chapter Activities in 2019
- TX-Serving Meals to Needy: Our Texas volunteers contributed by donating, sorting and preparing food bags for families in need at the Dallas, TX food pantry.
- Academic Tutoring Program for Bhutan Refugees:Volunteer Pareeni from Allen High School, Dallas, TX along with her group of friends has put together an academic tutoring program for refugee families from Bhutan who have been living in impoverished conditions in Dallas/Fort Worth area. Volunteers drive an hour and a half each way to conduct Saturday sessions for these kids. Hopefully this activity will turn into a regular program for these refugee kids.
Some Special Mentions of 2019
- JW House Meditation Garden: EnE volunteers built a meditation garden for families facing medical crisis. EnE also donated a fountain and sponsored a professional gardener.
- Backpacks and School Supplies Donation:EnE donated 200+ backpacks and school supplies to Santa Clara School District Title 1 Schools.
- Clothing Drive: Our volunteers collected 120+ bags of clothes, blankets, shoes, and toys for Empowering World Change (EWC) 15th annual clothing drive.
- Bliss Box Birthday Gift Drive: Our volunteers donated 40 bliss boxes with birthday supplies for low-income families to help them celebrate their kids’ birthdays.
- Stanford Toy Drive: EnE volunteers collected toys worth $5,400 for Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.
- EnE’s Welcome 2020, NY Eve Party: EnE hosted a very successful completely sold out New Year’s Eve Fundraiser Bash for STEAM projects for Bay area’s low-income communities.
Sponsorship Opportunities at Shelters
- SNEHA RIDES – Education Sponsorship:EnE has launched a literacy program to support the education needs of the children at Sneha RIDES with the hope of transforming their lives and giving them a better future. Sneha RIDES is a safe home for child beggars, HIV infected, abandoned abused, exploited, street performers, rag pickers, and runaways. At present 90 children (60 girls & 30 boys) reside here.
- Meal Sponsorship to SNEHA RIDES, Children Home for Kids affected by HIV:Sponsorship opportunities available to feed ~85 abandoned HIV positive children and orphans. Cost: $200 for full day meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), $80 for just Lunch or Dinner, $40 for breakfast. Sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948afae2aaaf49-20201
- Meal Sponsorships to ASHAJYOTHI, Shelter for Special Needs Kids: Sponsorship opportunities available to feed ~70 abandoned special needs children (Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Speech & Hearing Impaired, Polio, Down Syndrome etc.). We are extremely happy to inform you that our anonymous generous donor is doing a “Meal to Meal” matching gift up to 150 meals You are doubling up your contribution in helping to feed special needs children with nutritious food. Please block your dates and help us to make your contribution more impactful. Cost: $200 for full day meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), $80 for just Lunch or Dinner, $40 for breakfast. Signup at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090948afae2aaaf49-2020
- Payment Info:For sponsoring at these two centers, you can make payments online at https://empowerexcel.org/donate/ or by mailing the check, payable to ‘Empower and Excel’ at: Empower and Excel, P.O. Box 21555, San Jose, CA, 95151 U. S. A or even by cash. Please note that online transaction fees are charged to E&E, so please include those fees as well. Please do company matching wherever possible. (Tax-id: 47-3656395)
- A BIG Thank You to:Nirmala Mutte, Sonu Kaul, Alka Poddar, Ramani Cheruvu, Sasha Masson and our anonymous donor for sponsoring meals at ASHAJYOTHI during March 2020.
