Fundraisers:
On the 30th of January, Asha AZ held the Glimpses of India, a presentation of dance, drama, music and cuisine from the four corners of India. The event was a great success; the 800 strong audience enjoyed the folk dances, lecture demonstrations on yoga, Bharathnatyam and the fusion music. Volunteers prepared home cooked food for over 800 people, giving them a different taste of India. Glimpses of India helped Asha AZ garner about $6000; it also introduced a number of potential volunteers to Asha and its activities.
Fundraisers have a dual purpose: to raise funds and, more importantly, to raise awareness about Asha. Such programs provide an avenue to reach new donors and volunteers. Fundraisers also provide volunteers with tangible results for their efforts, thus keeping alive their involvement with Asha. Volunteers get satisfaction by organizing a successful program and from working for a good cause.
All Asha chapters hold fundraisers; some like Berkeley's Images of India are large programs that showcase India's cultural heritage. Other chapters have organized cricket matches, Carrom tournaments, pledge drives, and concerts by distinguished musicians or local talent. Innovative ideas include tutoring program where volunteers teach students, who donate a token amount to Asha. Chapters also collaborate with other organizations such as Net-IP, SPIC-MACAY and AID to organize fundraisers.
Asha volunteers have come up with amazing ideas for raising funds, most of which have been wildly successful. The Work an Hour program, which was the first Asha wide fundraiser, comes to mind. The new chapters can make use of the existing ideas and expertise available with volunteers in the older chapters.
The feeling of team spirit is perhaps the best outcome of all the hard work that goes into making a successful fundraiser. The effort draws all Asha volunteers together and renews their commitment to the cause of education!
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New
Chapters!
Asha would like to welcome the newest chapters
into its fold: Davis (Amit @ 916 781 2735), Houston
(Diana @ 713 440 7350), Irvine (Rajneet @ 209 324 0576),
Yale (Bratin @ 203 772 2713), Urbana Champaign (Ranjini @
217 328 046).
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Dallas, May, Contact Farida (972 599 1433) |
The playgrounds at the intersection of Forest lane and Inwood road in Dallas will soon be the site of some cricketing action, thanks to Asha Dallas' double wicket tournament! |
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Irvine, March 3rd, Contact Rajneet (209 324 0576) |
Asha Irvine, one of the newest Asha chapters is off to a flying start! Look for the Asha booth in the UCI women festival. Volunteers are also raising money by running concession stands in the Bren Events Center during basketball games and concerts. |
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NYC/NJ, April 11th, Contact Ranjeet (201 795 2193) |
Surbahar, an evening of Indian film music, will be held at the Miller Auditorium in Columbia University, New York. |
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Silicon Valley, May 2nd, Contact Poornima (408 730 9206) |
Renowned violinist L Subramaniam and Grammy winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt will be performing at a fundraiser for Asha and AID at the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco. |
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St. Louis, April 4th, Contact Garima (314 863 8286) |
Asha St. Louis will be holding its annual Carrom/Table Tennis/Chess tournament at the Gandhi Center. The event starts at 12:00 noon and will be followed by a Hindi light music concert performed by a local band. |
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Stanford, March 7th, Contact Prateek (650 497 5711) |
Asha Stanford is hosting a Holi celebration on March 7th. Other than the (mandatory) playing with colours, the fundraiser at Stanford University will have Antakshari, Indian games and food. |
The Asha* Program: A program that simultaneously raises funds and increases personal involvement. It enables a group of people, the Asha Stars, to fund a particular project for a period of time. They can track the project's progress, know where they are making an impact, interact with children, and thus get a sense of fulfillment. The next edition of the newsletter will explain the program in greater detail. This edition lists a few of the Asha* projects.
Asha* Projects
Project Gahora, Uttar Pradesh:This project is intended to fund the construction of a school in Gahora, UP for grades I-IV to support 120 children. The children currently attend an open-air school. The school building will consist of 2 rooms, a verandah and an office room. This project has been funded entirely by Dr. Ahuja, a resident of Indianapolis.
Youth Dreams, Orissa:Asha-LA has helped the government schools in 5 villages of Bhadrak District to lower its student to teacher ratio. A one-time contribution of $800 was used to cover infrastructure and reading materials for 560 children. Annual funding of $1200 helps in supporting 6 additional teachers at these schools. Contact Deepak Nayak (510 713-7745) for further details.
Seize the Moment, West Bengal:For children at Midnapore, who work in the fields during the day the opportunity to attend school is scarce. Asha-LA's support of $1750 provides for uniforms, stationery and nutrition for 363 children. Provisions are also being made for medical aid and check ups for the students. Contact Kaushik Sen (818 346-2712). for more information.
Bustee Welfare Center, West Bengal: Since 1971, this NGO has been providing free primary education, nutrition, health care and guidance to children from slums in Calcutta. After class 7, the children are placed in outside schools and vocational training centers, and their progress monitored. Asha-NYC/NJ has given the BWC $1500 each year, for the past two years for approx. 300 children in the three BWC schools and about 475 in other colleges and vocational training centers. Annual funding of $1000 is raised by Tia Sircar.
Children at the Bustee Welfare Center, an Asha* project in Calcutta.