Four years ago, Milpitas resident Renuka was at her wit’s end. She was over 70 years old, and living alone in California, one of the most expensive states of America, without a car or a steady job to support herself. The responsibility of caring for family members back home added to her anxieties about aging in America.
On her way to a job interview in Fremont, on bus number 317 one dark evening, Renuka noticed an illuminated sign that read ‘Sewa International’ as the bus turned a corner. Recognizing the Indian name, Renuka noted it down, resolving to look up the organization later. Today, she believes that that chance sighting of the Sewa International signboard changed her life. “God found a way for me,” she said.
A Chance Encounter
On December 9, 2023, Renuka was among the dozens gathered at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto for Sewa International’s annual fundraising banquet organized by its Bay Area chapter.
Over appetizers and coffee – and between chats with Sewa donors, volunteers and guests – she described how her life had changed in the past four years. After seeing its signboard from the bus window, Renuka called Sewa International, and discovered that it was a charitable organization run by Indian-Americans. They were willing – eager almost – to help her.
She told the person on the helpline that she was a private chef who desperately needed a car to get to clients spread out all over the South Bay.
“‘No car, no job,’ I told them.”
A few weeks later, Sewa called Renuka to say they had found a Fremont resident who was willing to donate his car to her. Sewa paid for the car’s insurance, registration, smog checks and obtained all the required documentation to assume ownership of the vehicle, giving her the means to find work, become self-sufficient and earn a dignified living without asking for anyone’s help.
A few months later, when the pandemic hit and Renuka tested positive, she couldn’t travel home to India and had to check into a motel to self-isolate. Again, Sewa volunteers came to her rescue, bringing her groceries, essentials, and even meals every day.
“I always get emotional when I see these people,” she said, pointing to the Sewa volunteers hustling to make last-minute preparations for the banquet. “Because in today’s time, who will help you out like this?”
A Celebration to Mark a Momentous Year
Sewa International’s brand of selfless service has touched thousands of people like Renuka through charitable programs in the fields of disaster relief, education, child welfare, and women empowerment. In the U.S. a network of thousands of volunteers from over 47 chapters sustains the organization. The Bay Area chapter celebrated its 13th Annual Banquet on December 9.
Rakhi Israni, Director of Public Relations for Sewa USA, and Dr. Anurag Mairal, President of the Bay Area chapter shared hosting duties for the gala. Nearly two hundred and fifty people attended the event and pledges for donations were already trickling in before the event began, announced Dr. Mairal.
After a brief prayer to Lord Ganesha, Rabbi Serena Eisenberg and Barry Kramer from the American Jewish Committee led the ceremonial lighting of the menorah, a Hanukkah tradition that also acknowledged the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict on the Jewish community. The Consul-General of Israel in San Francisco, Marco Sermoneta also spoke on the occasion, thanking the Indian-American community for their solidarity.
Guests at the gala enjoyed performances by Dil Se, a South Asian a capella group from UC Berkeley, the Oakland Taiko Group, and San Jose State University’s Sahara dance troupe. Between performances, Dr Mairal and Ms. Asrani recapped the year’s highlights.
2023 was a milestone year for the Bay Area chapter of Sewa: they doubled the number of volunteers, took giant strides in their youth mentoring programs, and secured a substantial grant from Americorps for their flagship program ASPIRE.
ASPIRE (Achieving Students Progress, Instilling Resilience, and Excellence) is a free after-school program designed to help children from underserved communities in the Bay Area. Sewa volunteers collaborate with specially appointed tutors to provide additional tutoring, homework assistance, and fun workshops like robotics. The program benefits approximately 400 students across three elementary schools in Newark but expansion plans are underway after the AmeriCorps grant.
‘Paropakarartham Idam Shareeram’
A vital cog in the ASPIRE machinery is program director Sudha Prabhunandan, who helped the program get off the ground and steered the application for the AmeriCorps funding. For Prabhunandan, who has lived in the Bay Area for the last 25 years, 2023 was a watershed…
After a fulfilling corporate career working in organizations like Cisco and LinkedIn, she quit her job, determined to give back to society in the latter half of her life.
“I firmly believe in ‘Paropakarartham Idam Shareeram’,” she said, referencing a Sanskrit verse that translates to ‘the body is given to us to help others’. Before joining Sewa full-time, she volunteered in the ER ward of a hospital, helped prepare meals at the Livermore Temple, and organized grocery donation drives in the South Bay. Full-time community service was the logical next step for her.
“On my last day at LinkedIn, I had no idea about Sewa. All I knew was that I wanted to be in community service,” she said. “But it felt like a calling because the very next day I found out about Sewa and here I am!”
The AmeriCorps funding has uplifted the ASPIRE project. As program director, Prabhunandan is drawing on all her corporate experience to scale the program and deliver maximum impact to all stakeholders. For instance, she is trying to set up collaborations with community colleges and high schools, so that students can volunteer as tutors for community service credits. Another innovative intervention is engaging senior centers in the program and inviting them to spend time with the children, creating a wholesome bond between the youngest and the oldest generations of our community.
ASPIRE is making headway under the stewardship of its able program director: “I am not retired,” says Prabhunandan, “I am just reinventing myself!”
A Legacy of Charity
By the end of the night, Sewa Bay Area raised a whopping $160,000. Alongside its fundraising efforts, the gala also celebrated the volunteers’ hard work and their continuing dedication to community service. Among them were 38 Sewa youth volunteers who received the Presidential Volunteer Services Award in 2023.
Recognizing groundbreaking social service outside the organization, Sewa presented its Excellence Award to April J. Rovero, who founded the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA) after her own son succumbed to prescription drug abuse.
The act of appreciating, acknowledging, and serving communities outside of the Indian diaspora is integral to Sewa’s ethos. From disaster relief drives all over the world, to helping children from underserved Latino communities at home through ASPIRE, Sewa centers the practice of charity. Entrepreneur and longtime Sewa benefactor Vijay Pullur sees this act as paying forward the goodwill Indians have received in America.
“We have two legs to stand on,” he said. “The first leg represents where we came from, the second one represents where we are. And it is important to do good in both communities.”
Pullur believes that by engaging with communities across the United States, organizations like Sewa International are not just making the world a better place, but are also cementing the legacy of Indians as a charitable community.
“We don’t want to be thought of as opportunistic people who came here seeking opportunities, made their money and are happy living among themselves,” he said. “So it’s extremely important for the Indian community to be part of this ecosystem and support the local communities.”
To know more about Sewa International, click here.