To raise awareness of Sankara Nethralaya in the Greater Milwaukee area, Samabhavana Foundation, a local non-profit organization, organized a 5k Walk and Run on September 16th at Lapham Peak Unit, Delafield, WI. This event was organized in collaboration with Sewa International USA to raise funds to support the philanthropic activities of Sankara Nethralaya USA. About 150 people participated enthusiastically and made this a memorable fun fun-filled family event.
The event started with flagging off the Walk and Run by Adavi Anand at 9.00 a.m. At the conclusion of the walk, attendees were engaged in meditation and yoga sessions in a scenic outdoor space in the park in pleasant weather. These sessions were coordinated by Sekhar Mogalapalli and Suneetha Mogalapalli from the Art of Living organization. A highlight of the event was vana bhojanam, a delicious meal served on plantain leaves to the attendees that were seated in the park.
The afternoon session was choreographed by Madhuri Patibanda, the singer. Madhuri delighted the audience with her melodious songs for more than an hour.
Children and audience members danced delightfully to the tunes of popular songs from Indian films. Prizes were distributed to men, women and children who were the winners of the run.
Shriram Kelkar and Raghava Kondapalli informed the participants of the activities of Sewa International USA. Chandra Mouli Sarswathi and Bashid Bepar represented SNUSA. Chandramouli expressed gratitude towards SNUSA president BalareddyIndurti for guiding and organizing this event. They gave an overview of the SNUSA activities as a fund-raising arm of Sankara Nethralaya and encouraged the audience to donate.
Dr. Hari Bandla, the founding member of the Samabhavana Foundation, emphasized that the goal of their foundation is to do an annual walk and run, raise funds and donate to a well-deserved Nonprofit organization with roots in India. He reiterated that the foundation is proud to donate to SN USA this year. The walk and run event was successful in raising more than $3000 towards donations to SNUSA. Hari Bandla thanked the participants, donors and sponsors who contributed towards this donation. He expressed gratitude and appreciation to the executive members of the Samabhavana Foundation who planned, organized, and executed this successful event. These members included Adavi Anand, Ravi Nadendla, Sai Yarlagadda, Venkata Reddy Kusukuntla, Amaar Veluri, Chandra Inampudi and Srini Kalicheti.
Special thanks to Mr. Polireddy Ganta and his team for cooking the meal, serving the food and volunteering throughout the day to make this event successful. Thanks are also due to Telugu Association of Greater Milwaukee, MilwaukeeTelangana Association, Wisconsin Shirdi Sai, ATA Milwaukee Chapter and New Berlin United sports group for their collaborative efforts in making this event successful.
