December 2020 Newsletter

“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Empower and Excel (EnE) wishes you and your family a VERY Happy New Year! Let’s hope that 2021 is a better year for all of us.

Although 2020 wasn’t exactly the year we had planned for, and while things weren’t all bright and rosy, we still have many things to be grateful for. From being able to spend more time at home with family to learning new skills and finding newer ways to care for our community, we gained a fresh perspective of life – to appreciate all that we have. We are very proud of our EnE volunteers who expressed their gratitude by wholeheartedly reaching out and helping those less fortunate than them during these challenging times.

As we wrap up the Year 2020, EnE Founder Ayesha Charagulla has a few words to say to us:

“This year has presented us with some unique challenges, and some have turned into wonderful opportunities. As we were unable to do in-person volunteering services since the pandemic began in March, we quickly planned remote opportunities for all our volunteers and it’s amazing how all of us adopted to the new norm and never stopped giving back.

E&E has been working harder than ever before to ensure we can be there for our community. Throughout this challenging year, our volunteers, donors, and supporters have stuck by our side, enabling us to continue to pursue our vision to teach our children the critical importance of caring for others and for the greater good when most needed. Your support is what kept the E&E dream alive through even the most difficult times currently we are in. Please see our 2020 highlights in the attached infographic below. This would not have been possible without you. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your support. On behalf of the E&E, we want to wish you a happy holiday season and a joyous new year.

We’re looking forward to our continued services in 2021 and all that we can accomplish together to serve our communities in need! – Ayesha Charagulla

We would like to give a big shout out to our team member Alpa Kohli’s family who donated $6000 to build a hydrotherapy setup for AshaJyothi children as part of the Physiotherapy project. This is going to be a great workout resource for disabled children. We are very happy to see this coming to fruition. Thank you Kohli family for making this happen!

In December, EnE organized a virtual workshop offered by Zen Mind. Former monk, Rajan Shankara conducted this session which was well received by our youth volunteers. The focus of the workshop was to guide children & youth on how to stay calm and focused and allay the anxiety that shelter in place has brought upon us.

As we wait for the vaccines, let’s continue to be diligent in our duties and responsibilities in curbing the spread of the pandemic. Most importantly, let’s be optimistic about a better 2021!

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.

Stay Safe, Everyone!!!

2020 INFOGRAPHICS

Now for a Quick Recap of Our December 2020 Activities:

SPREADING JOY DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

A Sweet Gesture to Show We CARE

• Handmade Cards for AshaJyothi: This holiday season, EnE volunteers brightened up the hearts of orphan special needs children at Asha Jyothi, India by sending beautiful handmade cards and letters to them. Through their personalized messages they reminded them that they are not forgotten but there is indeed someone in the world who loves them, is thinking about them, and praying for them.

Spreading Holiday Joy through the Goodness of Baked Goodies

• Our youth bakers’ spread the happiness of the festive season by baking goodies for senior retirement centers and shelters. Thank you, December Bakers for your sweet generosity.
• We bake these goodies on a rotational basis as follows: Week 1: Cookies, Week 2: Brownies, Week 3: Muffins.
• Our East bay volunteer bake goodies every week for friends on the East bay streets, for seniors at retirement communities, and for guests at a family resource center.

Spreading Love through Home Cooked Food

We are very proud of our young EnE volunteers who have been cooking delicious wholesome meals for those in need. From sandwiches to burritos to pasta to grab-n-go meals, they have been making it all. Some of the centers EnE volunteers supported this month with their amazing culinary skills are:

• Homeless in San Jose: Distributes food to the homeless encampments in San Jose.
• JW House: JW House provides a comfortable space for the patient’s families so they can stay close to the hospital.
• Family Supportive Housing (FSH): FSH provides shelter, food, and safety-net services to families in need and guides them towards self-sufficiency.
• Fremont Teen Center
• Fremont Winter Shelter
• Grab and Go Lunch Packs and Dinner for East Bay Friends in Need

Supporting Love for Education

• Tutoring Students from Low-Income Communities: EnE volunteers continued to provide additional academic support to students from low-income communities.
• RAFT: RAFT is a local teaching resource that provides STEAM projects to teachers and schools at a low cost. EnE has partnered with RAFT for the very first time to provide STEAM activity kits. These will be assembled at home and the completed kits will be dropped off by the assigned dates.
• Providing Support to a Special Needs Person: Arjun has been supporting a twenty-two-year-old special needs person. His mom has been all praises for Arjun’s kind demeanor, empathy, and diligence. Good job Arjun. We are proud to get this positive feedback about you and that you never gave up.
• Tutoring Students at Jeena: EnE volunteers continued to provide academic and drawing support to autistic children at the JEENA organization.