In case you wonder:"I don't think I have any special skills....how can I make a difference?"....

By volunteering some time, each of us, including YOU, can make a big difference on the lives of others! The inner satisfaction and richness gained from this process is far beyond your expectations.
Even when you think that you don't have the right qualifications to help, then just sit down for a minute, read the inspiring Indian story (click here) and realize that each of us has unique abilities, and an enormous potential!

We always welcome volunteers, and are always looking for new ideas and suggestions, including new ideas for fundraising projects! You too can make an incredible difference in the life of so many children, who are so appreciative of our efforts to help.

What are possible ways to raise funds?

You can organize fundraisers with your school, parish, youth group or family. Use your creativity to come up with fun ways. Here are a few examples:

• You can buy or sell the beautifully embroidered greeting cards whenever you meet friends and relatives. They also make excellent presents that can be framed.
• Everybody has a jar at home with lots of money change.....ask your friends to donate that change....which together can make a big difference!
• Ask your club (youth group, book club) to sponsor a child together. For example, if your group has 15 members, only 7 cents per member per day gives $30 per month....enough to sponsor a needy child in India or Africa.
• You can host a party with:
  • food and drinks
  • a slide or movie presentation
  • a silent auction
  • a "date" auction
  • music and dance
  • games with prizes donated by local businesses
• A yard sale of items that you or your friends no longer need.

We have brochures, slides, photographs, etc. available to assist you with your fundraising efforts. Please contact us for further information.

---

Here are a few excellent examples of previous fundraiser events:

• On June 3, 2006, we had a fun dinner and entertainment evening in Davis to raise money to construct an urgently needed building for the Periyakrishnapuram school (click here).

• On March 10, 2001, the schools of the St. Jacob parish in Borsbeek, near Antwerp (Belgium) did a major fundraising event to remember Lent: students and their family and friends went on a 10 km walk or a 30 km bike ride. Thanks to sponsorship, approximately 219,000 Belgian Franks (approx. $ 4,800) was raised to help the educational programs for children in the rural villages in India. Please (click here) to see photographs of this event.

Rochelle Frank-Bobell and Shanti organize dinners for their friends, and the proceeds are used to sponsor orphans in India.

On Sunday, May 4, 2003, the Belgian Club of Northern California hosted a fundraiser and invited Koen Van Rompay to give a slide presentation about Sahaya International. Money was collected and cards were sold to support the children programs in India. In addition, on September 25, 2004, on November 19, 2005, and on November 25, 2006, the Belgian Club hosted three times a special "Belgian Beer and Friet/Fries" fundraiser event in Hayward, California. The event was well attended and in addition to the legendary good food and beer, a silent auction was held with many art items, books and household items donated by club members. The proceeds went to 3 charities, including Sahaya International.

 

In 2004, the Gospel Justice Committee of the St. James Parish in Davis also became closely involved with Sahaya International, and has been raising money on a continuous basis to help our program overseas. In addition, several committee members have become dedicated sponsors of Indian children through our orphan sponsorship program .

Students Against Global AIDS (SAGA) is a group of students from the University of Maryland (Baltimore County) and the University of Maryland Medical School. The group, led by Tara Raviprakash, raised HIV awareness to their fellow students and raises money for Sahaya's HIV programs.

In the Summer of 2005, several teams of friends organized yard sales in Davis, and the proceeds were donated to Sahaya International. Innovative ways were used to attract passing people to come and take a look at some incredible deals!

On May 6, 2006, the GSA club of Davis organized a picnic, with lots of good food, entertainment (songs, skits) and a silent auction. All proceeds went towards Sahaya International's fundraising efforts for the Mother Teresa school in India.

Mount Shasta Fundraiser for the construction of the Jawahar Matriculation School From June 18-2, 2008, to help raise the funds for this school, a team of 3 (Ramin Yazdani, Lauren Vaage and Koen Van Rompay) climbed Mount Shasta in California this past week (June 18-21). They made it to approximately 13,000 feet (very close to the summit of ~14,000 feet) before rapidly changing weather conditions with extremely strong wind gusts forced them to retreat to avoid further danger. The same evening, a lot of lightning was visible in the skies (which led to many forest fires in the region). A more complete picture story of our trip can be seen at this link (and click then on "slide show"): http://www.flickr.com/photos/17225747@N08/sets/72157605802532247/