Our activities thus far...
REACH IN US Foundation has been in operation for little over one year. In this Newsletter we briefly summarize our activities thus far.
We are happy to report that Chanda and I were nominated for Volunteer Family of the Year during Volunteer Fairfax 2019 Service Award (http://www.volunteerfairfax.org/non-profits/winners-19.phphttp://www.volunteerfairfax.org/non-profits/winners-19.php ) ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Congressman Connolly and the entire leadership of Fairfax County along with 300 guests. We were also informed by Pam Michell, Executive Director, New Hope Housing that two of us and our foundation will be recognized as Outstanding Volunteers of 2019. We were deeply touched by these honors and it gave us the confidence that REACH IN US is indeed on the right track.
We are happy to report that Chanda and I were nominated for Volunteer Family of the Year during Volunteer Fairfax 2019 Service Award (http://www.volunteerfairfax.org/non-profits/winners-19.phphttp://www.volunteerfairfax.org/non-profits/winners-19.php ) ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Congressman Connolly and the entire leadership of Fairfax County along with 300 guests. We were also informed by Pam Michell, Executive Director, New Hope Housing that two of us and our foundation will be recognized as Outstanding Volunteers of 2019. We were deeply touched by these honors and it gave us the confidence that REACH IN US is indeed on the right track.
- We had our first fundraising walk in September 2018. We raised ~$18,000 from our supporters from Washington DC area and elsewhere in US. In addition, the founders and board members put additional $22,000 of seed funding giving us a solid start.
- Thus far we have made the following disbursements:
- $15,000 to Maharogi Sewa Samiti for the purpose of buying Fowler beds (adjustable beds) for the Leprosy Hospital in Anandwan and construction of one class room for Sadhana Vidyalaya in Nelgunda, Hemalkasa.
- $6,000 to SEARCH, Gadchiroli to cover the cost of two months of OPD services and to support one Fellowship for a young individual working with a non-profit organization for one year. This Fellowship is aimed at generating the next generation of social workers who can carry on and advance the work started by previous generation.
- $5,000 to New Hope Housing Corporation (http://www.newhopehousing.org/) in Alexandria to defray the cost of providing information technology services to families with children of families who live in Permanent Supportive Housing managed by them. The support came in the form of paying for internet services of providing computers where needed.
- We have established contact with Cornerstone, which is an organization in Reston serving families of limited means (https://www.cornerstonesva.org/). We will soon be notifying all of you of volunteer opportunities at their centers.
- We are working to identify individuals who are at a critical stage in their lives where a small amount of financial help (paying college tuition, paying for child care) can make a decisive different in their life’s trajectory. We are currently working with one immigrant family and are working closely with them to help them achieve their goals of self-sufficiency and advancement. We will be supplying further details on these activities as they mature.
- Chanda and Ravi visited Anandwan, Helamkasa and SEARCH, Gadchiroli for two weeks during January 2019. During that time, Chanda conducted training sessions for nursing staff, worked in the Hemalkasa Clinic and conducted post-operative care workshop for patients and their families after the surgery camp in SEARCH. Ravi gave lectures in Physics with hands-on demonstrations to students from 8th grade to senior BSc students as well as to teachers in Hemalkasa, Anandwan and Indian Institute for Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune. In addition we visited Snehalay in Ahmadnagar (https://www.snehalaya.org/) that has been working for past 30 years on women’s empowerment and Muktangan in Pune (https://www.muktangan.org/) focused on deaddiction services for past 33 years. We were inspired and impressed by the dedication and accomplishments of workers in these two institutions and are identifying ways in which we can support their activities.
- Chanda has been conducting educational activities at shelters operated by New Hope Housing at Bailey’s Cross Roads and Kennedy Shelter. She has given talks on various healthcare and health promotion related topics (such as chronic conditions, hygiene, STDs, nutrition).
- Chanda and Ravi have been organizing children’s activities every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 pm at Sherwood Library, Alexandria since March 2018. Approximately 15 children (number varies each week) with ages from 5 to 13 years from families living in Permanent Supportive Housing attend this activity. The main focus is on strengthening their basic math and language skills while also providing fun activities with games such as Uno, Memory game and other hands on projects. They have been assisted by Ulka Mantri and Madhuri Karandikar. Ajit Gupte has joined Chanda and Ravi since March 2019 and has established a rapport with several children in the group. NHH leadership has expressed their appreciation of the contributions this activity has been making to children’s lives.
- Madhuri Karandikar has organized a group to provide balanced nutritious and tasty lunch to clients at Bailey’s Cross Road Shelter. They have already served lunch in March and April and have filled the calendar for rest of 2019.
- (http://www.volunteerfairfax.org/non-profits/winners-19.php).
Please mark the calendar for Heart and Soul Walk 2019 on 29th September at Lake Accotink, Springfield, VA. We humbly request you to check our website for further details on these activities.
Thank you very much for your support and encouragement.
Sincerely,
Chanda Athale, President
Ravi Athale, Vice President and Treasurer
Sharayu Tulpule, Secretary and Board Member
Raj Patil, Official Agent and Board Member