Uttrakhand relief project meeting updates!

[Nitin Garg]

Forwarding email from Dhwani on Uttrakhand relief project. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dhwani Shelat <shelat...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Subject: Re: Urgent: Conference call : 3 pm EST , today!!!!
To: Nitin Garg <nitin...@gmail.com>

 Can you forward this to everyone in all OVBI groups for me and Birjoo?

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 3:58 PM, Birjoo Vaishnav <birj...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear All,

 

Craziest experience: 

Dhwani and her group could not hear Me, Madhubhai, Sujan, Ram, Arun, Sanjayji,  and four other's group-we used the same conference call number and pin code but had two parallel calls! I had only heard of Parallel universes in theory so far :)

1)

Arun shared his inspiring stories-without expectation just calling non-aol people for any amount-5/10$ without too much explanation, just citing that we have active volunteers on the ground distributing food packets etc-1000$ in a week. He asked friends and employees to give any amount 1,5,10$-instead of using it for megamillion lotto etc.

 

2) Madhubhai gave an inspiring overview of relief work that has happened before:

OVBI is partnering with AOL and IAHV on the ground as these organizations have established credibility-even Indian army lauded the spirit and enthusiasm of our volunteers, them being the vital hands and feet needed to distribute the food packets sent by several humanitarian organisations. 

          - We want to represent OVBI when reaching out to Indian community in    order to raise awareness of our presence, and to project AOL and IAHV as partnering organisations.

           -Lot of people eager to donate at this time owing to the awareness of the impact of the calamity, this sensitivity usually dies down in two weeks

          - Our track record is spectacular  every dollar donated is used for relief, both material and long term rehabilitation and trauma relief operations. Our partnering organisations are one of the only ones found on the ground both for immediate relief as well as for long term rehabilitation and sustainable support mechanisms.

 

3) Sanjayji from NJ pointed out that we need short video clips documenting the relief work, Ram from video team has volunteered for that project.

 

4)Sanjayji  also suggested reaching out to Indian online communities such as Sulekha, desiclub etc to raise awareness. Sujan is going to help co-ordinate that effort. 

 

5) We need  to reach out to the indian communities in person/their email lists etc in a systematic way. In each city there are community leaders who are looking for organisations doing good work on ground-they usually collect the money and send it out-we have been the chosen charity by United way and Red cross during tsunami and gujarat floods, they funneled their funds to us because of the long term impact we have created consistently. So we can easily partner with local indian leaders and religious/social/political communities. Dr. Bharati Kalyani is helping with doctors community we need more people, hopefully a couple  from each city who would champion our cause, be up todate with our efforts and interact with their local city leaders. ( If interested please contact me or Dhwani or both)

 

6) A team of two or three people to reach out AOL leaders to share and include in their newsletters.( If interested please contact me or Dhwani or both)

 

7) Lastly after the call I called Dhwani to ask why she did not show up and she was wondering the same-apparently we had a parallel universe call-haha( surely there must be a more physics based explanation for this but thats a topic for research after success of this project lol)

 

Jai Gurudev,

Birjoo

-

 

 

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 3:31 PM, Dhwani Shelat <shelat...@gmail.com> wrote:

• Flyers at temples, Indian Stores, Indian restaurants and other Indian community places- It's easier to tap into these resources.
• Door to Door- Take some pictures, statistics, posters - Ask for contribution ( Please see Shrungi's flyers attached)
• Reach out to HR of your respective organizations and see if they would like to contribute and/or match up your donations
• IAHV Donation Link ( https://secure.iahv.org/donations.aspx?project_id=123)
• Reach out to churches, local organizations, local community/volunteer organizations and see if we can partner with them for this relief campaign.
• Facebook Out reach ..
• Sanjay Pandey- TV Asia, Prathima from NYC knows some one from TV channel, .Let's see if we can get a flashing IAHV news link on those websites / tv shows..
• Local Radio Stations - Chandni from Chicago has got connections with the radio stations.. We will create a radio script in next few hours and share it with everyone..

Great Work everyone!! Inspiring ideas!! Lets get busy..

Let us know if you have any questions or need any resources to accomplish this mission.

Cheers,

Dhwani Shelat

201-681-5432

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 2:43 PM, Anil Sharma <sharm...@gmail.com> wrote:

Host Access Code: 864032*
Participant Access Code: 864032#
Conference Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1500
Subscriber PIN code: 427284#

Call Agenda:

 Updates from Media team on newsletter, appeal letter
 

  Arun Ganeshan's inspiring collection of already $1000 by door to door knocking

  Team formations and assignments.. 

Various ideas of out reach, ( Reaching out to churches, neighbors, office, see if some corporate can match dollar to every dollar you can raise etc) 

 

 

Hear story from one OVBI member Arun Ganeshan from New Jersey....

The Princeton NJ chapter for OVBI reached out door to door campaigning for help. I collected $1000 in the last 2 days of door to door campaign in the Indian community in Princeton. I feel very blessed to be a part of this massive campaign that OVBI is doing to assist the disaster relief work. Still 17,000 stranded and lot of people without food.

I was first hesitant and people thinking twice but everyone got involved for the cause. They contributed $10 - $50 and also expressed the anguish for the suffering people have to undergo because of this disaster. They are questioning why local authorities could not handle it more effectively. 

Just want to share as a part of motivating other people to do the same. Kudos to all of you to initiate the conversation and get it rolling

God bless!

 

 

 

[Dhwani Shelat]

Just to provide latest updates:

1. Prathima ( NYC), Sanjay Pandey ( TV Asia, NJ), Gayatri Mani are working on a script for giving to local radio stations and also working with tv stations to do a story on IAHV efforts at ground site.
2. Shrungi has made flyers. Click this link  Fund Raising Flyer to download flyers. These flyers can be printed, distributed at local Indian temples, Grocery Stores, Restaurants, your office
3. Prathima , Anil Sharma, Abhishek Goel, JItesh, Alex - working on OVBI newsletters- which will be distributed to OVBI Distribution list.
4. Shrungi Sujan Alisha are working on content which can be posted on various websites ( Sulekha, garam chai, meet up etc)
5. Anil Sharma and Team are trying to highlight this project on OVBI  Landing Page (http://ovfabi.org/)..  . They also have posted recent pictures, updates at https://www.facebook.com/OverseasVBI
6. Twitter users are welcome to tweet about it at https://twitter.com/OverseasVBI

1. IAHV Donation Link ( https://secure.iahv.org/donations.aspx?project_id=123)

1. Find updates at http://www.artofliving.org/uttarakhand-floods-immediate-call-relief-action
2. " There are 30 Art of Living rescue-volunteers managing all the distribution work at the airport. “Focusing on supporting the trauma-struck people, we have raised Rs. 2 lakh in a day’s time,” coordinator said, adding further, “We are giving healing and conducting trauma-relief meditation for the evacuees too, who are reaching the airport as a transit before they move ahead for their hometowns.”

Stay tuned for more updates. Don't think twice before approaching some one to fund raise for this humanitarian project.

Be an INSTRUMENT Of bringing relief to the impacted ones..

Birjoo and I are here , if you need any resources, if you have any questions...

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 6:49 PM, Dhwani Shelat <shelat...@gmail.com> wrote:

Please use the updated flyers without AOL Logo for printing, distributing and sending it out to local news letters

Thanks Guys!

[Dhwani Shelat]

Greetings,

A lot of positive stories of out reach are coming in about our fund raising out reach.

Team Members have printed flyers and distributed at local temples, Indian Grocery Stores, Indian stores and streets. Local businessmen are donating to our cause if you take 2-5 mins to explain them.
( Click this link  Fund Raising Flyer to download flyers)

Students from universities are reaching out to their student bodies, Indian Associations for fund raising activity.

Prathima from NYC and Gayatri Mani have worked an awesome Radio Script. Please get in touch with her at prathima...@yahoo.com if you would like to share this with your local radio stations

Sanjay bhai from TV Asia and Birjoo have finished working on covering story of relief work by VBI team in India.  Sanjay Pandey will be taking this further.

Sai from Florida has worked over night to build the updates on OVBI website. Please check it out at http://ovfabi.org/ .More udpates will be posted as we continue to get sound bytes, pictures and stories from India.

Kalpana Alex Jitesh have worked on OVBI newsletter and it has been sent out to everyone. If you did not receive a copy, please let me know, and I will forward you a copy...

People have been reaching to their HR offices today. People have printed pictures and posted in their office space, have set up donation box in cafeteria, have reached out colleagues for generous contributions.

Alisha Sujan and few others are working on content to post it to various websites.

Birjoo has practically not slept in last 48 hours as he is spending day time focusing on out reach efforts here and at night time, he is on calls with India volunteers, understanding their needs and challenges, so we can cater accordingly. Bravo Birjoo!

I have sent out personalized emails to my friends and family .. Sharing the template below.. Feel free to edit as per your needs to share it with others..

Great Work!!  In such a short time, because of YOU, we have got people started thinking and being aware of what is happening in India.

Let us know if you have come across any new challenges or accomplishments. Stay tuned for more updates.

Birjoo and I spoke to local leads in India last night and they are so energized to hear that a huge team from USA is supporting them. These volunteers are working long hours in dangerous climatic conditions to rescue others.  Please continue to keep them in our prayers and send them blessings.

~ Dhwani and Birjoo
 
 
Email template used by Dhwani:
  I am sure you are aware of the catastrophic damage that has taken place in Uttrakhand in North India.

 

Flash floods and landslides that hit Uttarakhand last week killed nearly 700 people.

 

Death toll has crossed 700+ and thousands of folks are missing.  People are stranded and hungry. In this time of crisis, IAHV ( International Association of Human Values) and VBI ( Volunteer for Better India) team has stepped up to provide medical supplies, dry food packets, trauma relief and to help as per the need of the hour. 

 

Please check http://ovfabi.org/ for the relief efforts being made by our Volunteers over there.. 

 

In short amount of time, we need to generate huge funds to support the ongoing relief work. It would be great if you could take a moment, to donate and encourage others to donate. All the contributions are tax exempt and going through a very secure, safe site of IAHV. 

 

A Team across USA Has been formed in last 48 hours to help with fund raising efforts. Please let me know  if you would like to be part of this team. 

 

Every small amount of contribution counts towards bringing immediate relief. Deeply appreciate your support and prayers. Please let me know if you need any other info on this matter.

An appeal for Uttarakhand VBI volunteers jumped into action from the first day after learning the mishap caused by floods in the Himalayan region of Uttrakhand. OVBI appeals concerned Indians to Donate Here are the few updates about Uttarakhand Relief Efforts: ·         VBI volunteers on the ground from day 1 in Jolly Grant Airport helped distribution of food, healing and counseling to the evacuees rescued from Gangotri and Kedarnath. ·         VBI volunteers are working with the local para military forces to dispatch and distribute hundreds of tones of relief material and send more than 100,000 food packets to the affected areas via chopper to remote areas of Kedarnath and Gangotri. ·         VBI is also mobilizing food and volunteers across India to increase relief work. 60 truck loads of materials already been dispatched from Saharanpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Chandigarh reaching Dehradun today. These will be distributed through camps set up in Gauchar and Guptakashi. ·         VBI volunteers lauded by the army for braving tough conditions and raising the morale of the group and for having the biggest contingency team of volunteers on the ground distributing and taking care of the refugees. Unfortunately it is come to attention that there were warnings ahead of time given to the government that such a disaster and flash floods could happen and infrastructure needs to be developed, but they were not heeded ·         VBI is also working with experts to understand the reason behind the landslides, and to generate a volunteer assisted disaster management network for better preparedness in case of unforeseen calamities in susceptible areas like this, given the impending warning of heavy rains again. ·         Please click on this link to view the photographs

[Dinesh Maheshwari]

I donated 1000$ and my company (salesforce) will also be matching this amount to iahv for uttrakhand.

 

Thanks

Dinesh Maheshwari | +1-510-709-5967

[Deepanshu Sandhuria]

OVBI is organizing a conference call with VBI volunteers in India who are working on the ground to provide relief material to the people affected by Uttrakhand Floods. They have been working tirelessly from day one and also got applauded by Indian Army in giving them a hand in distributing supplies to people.

Please visit the facebook event page below for details and share with your colleagues and friends.

https://www.facebook.com/events/143713242489387/

Jai Hind!

On Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 8:03 PM, shrungi panchal <shrun...@gmail.com> wrote:

hey all,

Here's a coverpage I created for facebook which can be uploaded along with the following links

http://ovfabi.org/

Link for Donation:
https://secure.iahv.org/donations.aspx?project_id=123
(All donations are Tax deductable)

On Mon, Jun 24, 2013 at 6:32 PM, Birjoo Vaishnav <birj...@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow Dinesh, that's amazing!

Nice updates Dhwani! 

You know volunteers on the field-Shweta, Swami Divyanandji,

 Sangita from IAHV India are all so moved by the support of 

all of you and asked me to convey that. 

We shall set up a call with some of them who have been on the ground-several

places where our teams are going and setting camps

have no power so it is very hard to get any information or videos

etc. Please check our FB page for the event and please bring 

NRI non AOLs local socially active and influential people on the call

if you have contacts with them. We want to demonstrate our 

challenges, accomplishments and plans and make them part

of volunteers for better india.

Examples they gave of recent expenses....

 Prices for car rentals are sky high-350$ for three days, 

we have rented a few and four tents for makeshift hospitals/

medical camps that can accommodate 15-20 people,

 each-just the tent costing 700$ each. 

 

Earlier today our medical teams purchased 

80 kg of medicines( I have never heard of medicines

measured that way before)-with more funds we can

save more lives.

Clouds of calamities cannot hide

the sunshine of 

courage, compassion and commitment

that you are.

Just to tell you every moment of you effort 

Is making a lot of difference to a lot of

unseen, unknown lives and inspiring our 

Volunteers on the field. We are a part of

something unimaginably big!

Watch out for the conference call with 

Our team in the field -it is an excellent

Medium to involve non AOL Indians in our

Relief efforts -to make them part of 

(Overseas) volunteers for better India movement.

Details to follow soon...

Jai Hind!

Sent from my iPhone

<image001.jpg> <image002.jpg>

[Sanjay Pandey]

dear ones one of the pic on the web page shows GAYATRI parivar flood relief samagri ... do we have some thing with VBI , AOL , IAHV?

<image001.jpg> <image002.jpg>

--
Warm Regards

Sanjay Pandey

+1-732-947-7504

****************************************
This email is confidential and subject to important disclaimers and
conditions including on offers for the purchase or sale of
securities, accuracy and completeness of information, viruses,
confidentiality, legal privilege, and legal entity disclaimers,

[Hena]

I have sent out details to Indian communities 

Like garamchai and bunch of other indian american publications to

Help us generate funds by either contributing or 

By encouraging their audience to contribute 

Sent from my iPhone

<image001.jpg> <image002.jpg>

[Dhwani Shelat]

Uttarakhand OVBI Google Drive Link has recent posters, flyers, facebook cover page, videos, Radio msg. Save this link location for next few days for easy access to it. 

Please use it as needed in your out reach efforts. 

Today marks one week since Uttarakhand Landslides took place.  Despite the dangerous situations and other challenges, our VBI Team is doing outstanding work on the grounds. Looking forward to our conference call tomorrow. Please visit the facebook event page below for details and share with your colleagues and friends. https://www.facebook.com/events/143713242489387/

Birjoo and I will try to provide more up dates later in the day. Keep up the great work and feel free to reach out to either/both of us for resources/questions. 

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” - Hellen Keller! 

An appeal for Uttarakhand

VBI volunteers jumped into action from the first day after learning the mishap caused by floods in the Himalayan region of Uttrakhand. OVBI appeals concerned Indians to Donate Here are the few updates about Uttarakhand Relief Efforts: ·         VBI volunteers on the ground from day 1 in Jolly Grant Airport helped distribution of food, healing and counseling to the evacuees rescued from Gangotri and Kedarnath. ·         VBI volunteers are working with the local para military forces to dispatch and distribute hundreds of tones of relief material and send more than 100,000 food packets to the affected areas via chopper to remote areas of Kedarnath and Gangotri. ·         VBI is also mobilizing food and volunteers across India to increase relief work. 60 truck loads of materials already been dispatched from Saharanpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Chandigarh reaching Dehradun today. These will be distributed through camps set up in Gauchar and Guptakashi. ·         VBI volunteers lauded by the army for braving tough conditions and raising the morale of the group and for having the biggest contingency team of volunteers on the ground distributing and taking care of the refugees. Unfortunately it is come to attention that there were warnings ahead of time given to the government that such a disaster and flash floods could happen and infrastructure needs to be developed, but they were not heeded ·         VBI is also working with experts to understand the reason behind the landslides, and to generate a volunteer assisted disaster management network for better preparedness in case of unforeseen calamities in susceptible areas like this, given the impending warning of heavy rains again. ·         Please click on this link to view the photographs

 

 

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 7:37 PM, Dhwani Shelat <shelat...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just to provide latest updates:

1.    Prathima ( NYC), Sanjay Pandey ( TV Asia, NJ), Gayatri Mani are working on a script for giving to local radio stations and also working with tv stations to do a story on IAHV efforts at ground site.

2.    Shrungi has made flyers. Click this link  Fund Raising Flyer to download flyers. These flyers can be printed, distributed at local Indian temples, Grocery Stores, Restaurants, your office

3.    Prathima , Anil Sharma, Abhishek Goel, JItesh, Alex - working on OVBI newsletters- which will be distributed to OVBI Distribution list.

4.    Shrungi Sujan Alisha are working on content which can be posted on various websites ( Sulekha, garam chai, meet up etc)

5.    Anil Sharma and Team are trying to highlight this project on OVBI  Landing Page (http://ovfabi.org/)..  . They also have posted recent pictures, updates at https://www.facebook.com/OverseasVBI

6.    Twitter users are welcome to tweet about it at https://twitter.com/OverseasVBI

7.    IAHV Donation Link ( https://secure.iahv.org/donations.aspx?project_id=123)

8.    Find updates at http://www.artofliving.org/uttarakhand-floods-immediate-call-relief-action

9.    " There are 30 Art of Living rescue-volunteers managing all the distribution work at the airport. “Focusing on supporting the trauma-struck people, we have raised Rs. 2 lakh in a day’s time,” coordinator said, adding further, “We are giving healing and conducting trauma-relief meditation for the evacuees too, who are reaching the airport as a transit before they move ahead for their hometowns.”

[Prav G]

Dhari-Devi-s-Wrath-The-Cause-of-Kedarnath-Destruction

http://www.indiadivine.org/content.php/1090-Dhari-Devi-s-Wrath-The-Cause-of-Kedarnath-Destruction

--

Thanks & Regards,

Praveen

The sign of life is enthusiasm. The sign of success is smile and joy.

 ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

www.artofliving.org

[Zankar Desai]

Prav

I don't you personally and not sure what your name is. The email that you have sent to the people listed on this list are here to help others who have been affected my this calamity. Let's leave it at that point, please don't use this platform whatever other superstitious views and opinions are floating around. 

Thank You

Zankar Desai

317-797-2950
Art of Living Foundation
"Breathe, Meditate, Live"

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