Giving Back Through Gratitude and Action

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are grateful for. Everyone expresses their gratitude in different ways; here is how a few friends and I gave back to people in need.

On October 18, 2025, at Bethpage State Park in Nassau County, NY, over 75 Long Islanders attended a 5K run to support Aim for Seva, a nonprofit that provides education to underprivileged children. I organized this event in collaboration with Manya Prakash, Vishwa Vasudevan, Naren Ranganathan, and Arjun Rajagopalan to raise funds and awareness for the cause. Thanks to the generosity of our runners, we raised over $3,000.

The event brought together people of all ages for a healthy activity. Participants ranged from young children to adults, with many families running together! The success of the 5K emphasized the growing impact that collective efforts, when backed by passion, can create. New York was the first chapter to take this step, but the newly founded Youth Chapters across the country will soon follow suit.

On October 26, 2025, Aim for Seva held its annual donor appreciation event, for which each 5K participant received a complimentary pass. Many of our runners were a part of the audience, and their generosity during the fundraising portion of the event helped sponsor the education for hundreds of students for the upcoming year! Right before presenting our funds, we shared Aim for Seva's impact, which we experienced as teachers in one of their schools, with the whole audience. As a team, we’re glad that we were able to make a positive impact on the lives of underprivileged children in rural India.