Early this year, I had set a resolution for my 25th birthday. This was to train for and complete my first marathon before the end of 2011 and through it, raise awareness about a cause that I am passionate about. I am running the Chicago marathon which is this weekend on October 9th to raise funds for Asha (Saint Louis Chapter). I hope you will support me by choosing to donate for this worthy cause.

Alternatively, mail cheques payable to: "Asha for Education"
with "Karthik - Team Asha St. Louis 2011" printed in the memo to:
Asha for Education, St. Louis Chapter
PO Box 11205
Clayton MO 63105

Some of you might know that education is something close to my heart. In Saint Louis I have become associated with Asha for Education. Asha, which means 'hope' in several Indian languages is a non profit charity organization that raises funds to educate underprivileged children in India. My fundraising goal for this marathon is $2000 which will benefit the Hippocampus Learning Center project. Hippocampus is a venture that has recently started constructing self sustaining learning centers in Karnataka, India that cater to village children who are not receiving sufficiently rigorous training to pass their Std 10 exams. Each center is headed by a female teacher-entrepreneur. These centers aim to expose each child to an education far beyond what they need to pass the public exam, so that they are successful in society beyond it. [Please click on the link for details] Hippocampus Learning Center project.

For the $2000 that you can help me raise, Hippocampus can build an entire center. I believe we would be changing the lives of these 30-40 children forever. And that is just this year. Since the center is modelled to be self sustaining, this would change the lives of many children, year after year. Their exposure and resulting confidence will touch their families, villages and towns forever. Social entrepreneurship centered around these women-teachers will also change the social dynamic in rural India.