IndiaPost.com - SAALT volunteers participate in 'Be The Change' service

NEW YORK: Over 2,000 volunteers around the country spent a Saturday in October giving back to their communities as part of SAALT's 'Be the Change' national day of service. On October 4, volunteers, most of them students, contributed their time and energy to service activities in Atlanta, Boston, the Bay Area, New York City, and Washington D.C., as well in over 40 other cities covering some 50 campuses. Be the Change offers an opportunity for community members to take actions that reflect Mahatma Gandhi's widely-recognized message- "Be the Change that you wish to see in the world." "SAALT's 'Be the Change' event occurs every year around Mahatma Gandhi's birthday to commemorate his message of community action," explained Ramya Punnoose, SAALT's National Be the Change Coordinator.

"This year, Be the Change volunteers participated in activities such as revitalizing local parks in East Brunswick, New Jersey; packaging books for prisoners in Washington, DC; restoring the bay in San Francisco; and working with mentally and physically disabled children in New York." Volunteers reported that participating in Be the Change helped them become more aware of issues and communities that are often invisible.

"As a Be the Change participant for three consecutive years in Boston, this event is something I eagerly anticipate each fall," said Vani Nambudiri, a volunteer with Harvest Food Pantry in Boston. "Yesterday, working at the food pantry, I was quickly reminded of the poverty that is prevalent - but often neglected - in the local community." Many volunteers also participated in voter registration and education efforts to engage South Asians in the upcoming elections in November.

Joanne Rodrigues of Georgetown University's South Asian Society noted, "It was exciting to be a part of the civic process and help newly-arrived immigrants and first-time voters to understand the intricacies of the system." The theme of this year's event, Solidarity in Service, resonated with many of the participants. "The twenty of us were able to affect over 60 refugee families in the area. The theme of this year's Be the Change sums up how I felt," remarked Jamal Nadeem at the University of Arizona, one of the campuses that held Be the Change events.

The values of Be the Change resonate with the event's partners and sponsors as well. Jeet Bindra, President of Chevron's Global Manufacturing Operation, says, "The spirit of Mahatma Gandhi is the spirit of giving - of sharing what you have with those who are less fortunate. Providing hope and help to those who need it most is not only a great motivator, but a great reward." Dr. Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer with Sodexo, which also supported Be the Change, echoes the importance of Be the Change in today's world: "The commitment of service to our communities in which we live and do business is imperative to our future success.

The success of our society is intimately intertwined with a commitment to volunteerism both on an individual and organizational level." Be the Change started this year with kick-off events featuring inspiring speakers including Navjeet Bal (Commissioner of Revenue in Massachusetts), Sam Quiah (freelance consultant for Development without Limits), Lovely Dhillon (Executive Director of the Law School Consortium Project), Sonya Pelia (General Secretary of Maitri) and Robert Egger (founder of DC Central Kitchen).

The service day, which originated on the University of Michigan campus in 1997, has become a national event sponsored by SAALT that draws a diverse range of community members. SAALT is a resource for individuals and organizations that seek to conduct Be the Change each October.