October 2020 – Newsletter

“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.” – Anonymous

Halloween came and went! It felt surreal not going trick or treating and not seeing the kids in the finery of their costumes. But as the numbers of Coronavirus cases keep rising and with the fear that a second wave may hit stronger than the first, it is important for us to do whatever it takes to keep the pandemic in check.

While we all waited in anticipation for our next President-elect, our EnE volunteers rocked the community with their acts of kindness. They baked wonderful goodies with all fervor for the shelters and senior homes, they made scarves for the homeless and the fire victims, they cooked delicious meals with love for those in need, they tutored kids who needed extra help, they did it all! We are very proud of our volunteers for giving themselves wholeheartedly to serving the community in spite of their own school and extracurricular commitments. We are greatly thankful to the parents for supporting their kids and instilling a sense of service in them.

We would also like to thank the anonymous donor who donated a pregnant buffalo to address the need for milk at ASHA JYOTHI, Shelter for Special Needs Kids in India. What a thoughtful gesture on your part!

EnE volunteers, keep rocking, and keep spreading joy in the community through sharing, caring, and giving!

Important Monthly Reminders:

• Volunteer Membership Renewals: We hope you have all renewed your memberships by now. If you haven’t renewed yet, please follow the following steps:
  • Fill the following Volunteer Contract/Waiver Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrz95vHT19wAfMuClIGcl5fRdF1KXk2ZkcLlZeuks_cMJh2Q/viewform?c=0&w=1
  • Make a $30.00 Annual registration (Aug 2020-Aug 2021) donation per volunteer.
  • You can make the payment by Zelle transfer (to avoid fees and 100% comes to the org) to: empowerandexcel.np@gmail.com or online (there is a processing fee) at: https://empowerexcel.org/donate
  • Please see if you can get the company (through workplace) matching for your donation. Let us know so we can keep an eye.
• Volunteer Hours Recording: Please make sure you continue to record your volunteering hours by logging into our new system.
• Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA): To learn more about hours required to earn PVSA awards in each age group, go to: https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/eligibility
• 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.
• Website: https://empowerexcel.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empowerandexcel
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empower-and-excel

Now for a Quick Recap of Our October 2020 Activities:

Volunteer of the Month: Aashka Trivedi

Aashka fundraised $1400 through tutoring to support families from low-income communities with household essentials. Her generous donation is going to be timely help for families struggling to meet their daily needs.

EnE Spotlights

• Get to Know Your Volunteers: This month, let’s get to know what inspires one of our youngest volunteers, Medha Karthik.
• Anoushka’s Art and Sketching Classes: EnE Volunteer Anoushka has been conducting art classes online for the past six months. On the occasion of this milestone, her students participated in an art competition and created artwork with the inspiration of the word “HOPE”. Everyone did an amazing job. We are proud of how far you all have come. Congratulations to Amrit for taking first place and Levin for taking second place in this competition.

EnE Volunteers Support Education Needs

• Tutoring Kids from Low-income Communities:  EnE volunteers are conducting tutoring sessions and providing an additional level of academic support to students from low-income communities who wish to receive help for courses outside of the classroom environment. A big shout-out to one of our youngest volunteers, Medha. She is a 1st grader and she is already tutoring another 1st grader!
• School Supplies Drive:  Last month we donated lap desks and school supplies to students from low-income communities. Some kids shared pictures to show us how they are using the donations. It is so fulfilling to see our efforts having such a far-reaching positive impact.
• Laptop Donations:  Our volunteers are reimaging and donating old laptops to students in the low-income community. Though school districts are temporarily giving chrome books, they are taken away once the school year is done. There are a lot of families who have absolutely no other system to use. Please talk to your employers/ families/ friends who would be interested in donating their old laptops.

Volunteers Teaching Coding in Illinois State

Tutoring Kids from Low-income Communities: Volunteers from the state of Illinois started teaching coding to the children in their communities.

EnE Volunteers Cooking with Love

• Sunday Lunch for Family Supportive Housing (FSH): Our volunteers provided home-cooked delicious meals to FSH on the 2nd Sunday of the month. They are very grateful for our services. Thank you Akhil, Akshath, Anoushka, Anvitha, Swara, and your families for preparing the meals.
• Grab-and-Go Lunch Bags for CityServe’s Compassion Network: Our east bay volunteers provided bag lunches with sandwiches, snacks, fruit, and water to help disadvantaged families. They were thrilled by the fantastic lunches provided by our volunteers. Thank you Akshath, Anisha, Anvita, Reeva, Ria, Ridhan, and your families for the wonderful healthy lunches.
• JW House: Our young volunteers made delicious wholesome hot meals for families going through a medical crisis. These small acts go a long way in giving comfort to families who are going through trying times because of their loved ones’ illness. We are proud of our volunteers who take up every opportunity to serve the community. Thank you, Reeva, Rishab, Ruhan, Varun, and your families.
• Meal Sponsorship at ASHA JYOTHI, Shelter for Special Needs children: Thank you Chodavarapu family, Madhavan Family, Tantry Family, Ramachandra Family, and our anonymous donor for sponsoring one full day meals at ASHA JYOTHI.
• Meal Sponsorship at RIDES, Shelter for HIV + children: Thank you Grover Family for sponsoring one full day meals at RIDES.