Two feet and a pair of running shoes!

Sikhcess and Team Asha have teamed up to host our First Annual 5K Family Walk/Run to help promote education in both the United States and abroad.

All registration fees and fundraising will support making education possible to children in low-income and underserved areas. Each runner makes a big impact in helping us afford books, resources, and outreach materials.

Sign up today as we take one step closer to changing the lives of children and their families!

Date : 9.26.10 (Sunday)
Location : Chicago, Illinois
Time : 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Contact : info@sikhcess.org, or call 630.533.1346

Click the link below to get started!

http://ashanet.org/chicago/blogs/asha-sikhcess-5k/register/

The event is less than three weeks away and will attract many families and young adults who want to support the cause. If you are interested in learning more about event sponsorship or volunteering at the event, contact us at info@sikhcess.org.

Widely known as one of the premiere North American events in the South Asian community, Bhangra Blowout features some of the top Bhangra teams in the U.S. and Canada. The 17^th annual event takes place this weekend in Washington, D.C and showcases eight teams that will compete for $7,500 in cash prizes. Bhangra Blowout has been recognized as one of the largest gatherings organized by college students in the South Asian community.

Sikhcess has been selected as a partnering non-profit and will have members and information available for weekend participants. We promote positive change within our communities, giving back and serving selflessly.

Bhangra Blowout and Sikhcess are excited to share our passion with a diverse crowd. Many of our Sikhcess campaigns bring different people together and they are able to see the underlying cause of “seva” despite different backgrounds. “This year I was interested in seeing if we would be able to work more proactively with something in the community that directly impacts our local area. Having attended previous events, I was impressed by the service and operations at Sikhcess campaigns,” says Amandeep Saini, Bhangra Blowout Director.

We look forward to seeing some amazing local talent on stage, celebrity appearances, and talking with the crowd. This event is a true testament to the extreme level of dedication and energy from dancers and committee members across the country. Exceeding expectations every year, we expect a crowd of more than 4,000 people!

Bhangra Blowout is on April 17^th, 7pm at DAR Constitutional Hall in Washington, DC. Buy your tickets online at Bhangra Blowout before the event sells out! Thank you for your support!

by Poonum Kaberwal

It’s great to know we have the leaders to make it happen, but what about having a fundraiser of your own? What if you want to put together an event for a good cause, have fun doing it but aren’t sure where to start?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

• The first step in organizing a fundraiser is defining your goals. You need to have a purpose that everyone can support. The more specific you are, the better your energy will be spent and the better the results. Ask yourself questions such as “why do you need the money?” or “how much money do you need?” or “who can we help?”

• When deciding your fundraiser event, keep in mind the income level of your community, what events have worked in the past and something that can target a wide ranging age group.

• Next, build your team. Designate a few people to guide the event and then assign ownership of different tasks that need to be done. Don’t fall into the trap of doing everything yourself. Let those guiding the event trust those responsible for getting each task completed, giving them goals and deadlines.

• With your goals defined, event selected and team organized, you can then discuss the all important budget. This will ultimately determine where your event will be and how many people you need to attend. Most importantly, select a prize or prizes that you can give at the end of your event, which is a big “Thank You!” to everyone that participated, making it fun and generating excitement.

It’s recommended the above steps should be completed about 6 months prior to your event. This should give you enough time to build a strong foundation for your fundraiser.

• With the budget determined, you need to then select your event location. It’s best to have at least 5 options and visit each one, thoroughly discussing who we are and what we do, but also their level of sponsorship. Have your fundraiser selected at least two months prior to the event.

• This is also the time to start marketing your fundraiser. With the heavy lifting done regarding budget, team roles, event selection, etc, your team can now focus its energies on spreading the word. This means creating flyers, sending emails to your friends and community (do not spam) and posting the event online. Continue to market until the final day before your fundraiser, even if you exceed your participant goals. Some people may not show up.

Never underestimate the power of online marketing. We almost doubled our total turnout for the bowling fundraiser in the last week by posting a blog and with reminders on Facebook and Twitter at no expense.

Finally, as the fundraiser approaches, assign your team to handle specific tasks during the event, such as checking in your guests, taking pictures, setting up tables and chairs, decorations, etc. If you need more help, make sure to find interested volunteers within your community to participate.

This is a general outline on how to host a fundraiser but there is plenty of good information online as well. Your best resource, however, is Sikhcess. If you have an idea for a fundraiser or want to organize an event, make sure to let us know. We have the experience to help guide you through any event and can help get the word out to make it successful. If you’re interested, we can email you a copy of the outline we used for the Strike for Success Fundraiser a few weeks ago.

We want to see all our regions feel empowered to do what they can for their community, from fundraisers to volunteer services to feeding the homeless. Let us know if there’s anything we can do, to help get you started: to having fun and also giving back!

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

Kevin Saini won the bowling competition so we’d like to give him a big congrats! Overall, everyone had a good time. Pizza was served, strikes were bowled and most of all, everyone got to meet the people behind Sikhcess and those that support it. It was a great way to mix and mingle in a fun atmosphere to raise money for a worthwhile cause.

Following are some of the photos from the event, but to see them all, please visit us on Facebook!

Kevin Hundal reminding us that “you are the change.” Thanks Kevin!

Guests check in and get ready to bowl.

This team is all about team work!

Party time with the neon lights!

After all that bowling, it was time to eat some pizza!

Definitely having a good time!

Amit Singh hanging out with Kevin Hundal

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

]]> http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-a-success/feed/ 3 http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-bowling-fundraiser-this-saturday/ http://www.sikhcess.org/strike-for-sikhcess-bowling-fundraiser-this-saturday/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:58:42 +0000 Amardeep http://www.sikhcess.org/?p=1381 Don’t forget, Sikhcess’s Chicago region is hosting a bowling fundraiser this Saturday, February 6! We appreciate everyone who has committed so far, but there’s definitely room for more! If you think any of your friends or family might be interested, please let them know and pass the word!

So come out and join us for a fun night of friends, food, fun and bowling. We can make the world a better place, one pin at a time!

Please stop by here for more details.

Also, we’d like to mention that this event is a great example of our city executives creating a fundraiser working with their community and Sikhcess volunteers. You too should feel empowered to do the same thing in your cities as well! If you need any guidance on how to start a fundraiser or have any questions, please let us know!

By Amardeep Singh Rehal

Volunteers will help prepare the nutritious meals by assembling them into food packages. Packages will contain a Veggie Sandwiches, Peanut-Butter Jelly Sandwiches, Granola Bars, Bananas, Potato Chips and Bottles of Water.

Volunteers will help cut up veggies on Friday night and prepare the packages on Saturday morning. The packages will then be delivered.

How you can help:
• We are looking for volunteers to help out on Friday night at 5:00 PM to help cut the veggies and prepare them for the morning.
• Saturday morning at 8:00 AM we will need volunteers to help prepare the wraps and packages.
• Once the packages are ready, we will need drivers (around 9:30 AM) to help deliver the meals to homeless on the streets and to shelters in the Bay Area.
• If you can not make it to the event, you can always donate at the location or online! For donations on site, please call 909.262.8730. For online donations, please visit www.sikhcess.org/about/donate.

We need YOU to come and volunteer some time!

Project Description: Sikhcess serves thousands of freshly prepared, delicious, and healthy food packages to the needy in cities across the world. Each city is responsible for creating and serving a vegetarian menu that fits their community’s unique needs.

This effort starts with volunteers arriving early in the morning to cook individualized meals. Throughout the day, volunteers help package the tasty and nutritious meals by assembling them into food packages. Packages contain healthy, freshly prepared vegetarian entrees, bottles of water or boxes of fruit juice, granola bars, and other desserts. Once ready, these packages are distributed to the needy on streets and in shelters.

Every month, the homeless and needy take delivery of these food packages. In exchange, Sikhcess™ volunteers receive countless hugs, smiles, and a heart-felt “thank you”, many times over.

I thought about a leader who began a purposeful movement to dissolve racial divides and ensure equal rights and opportunities for all of the world’s citizens. The movement initiated by Martin Luther King Jr. continues today, fueled by the enduring compassion and commitment of leaders in all of our communities.

As a Sikhcess volunteer, I have had the unique privilege to serve alongside some of those leaders who draw from the inspiration of visionaries such as Martin Luther King Jr. and are actively shaping a wave of change that transcends cultural, religious, and economic divides.  During Sacramento’s Feed the Homeless campaign in April 2008, over fifty volunteers from diverse college campuses, congregations, and communities converged at the West Sacramento Sikh Temple.  These leaders (of all ages!) came from all walks of life, but brought with them a shared vision of creating a better world and a shared enthusiasm for serving their community. The result was truly incredible. In just two days, 1,300 meals were prepared and delivered to the Sacramento homeless and hungry.

Since the April Feed the Homeless campaign, Sikhcess volunteers in Sacramento have joined together over and over again to give back to their community—during Operation Backpack in July to provide children in need with backpacks and school supplies, during the Community Clean-up in September to clean and revitalize a community park, and during yet another Feed the Homeless pledge last November.

For me, Sikhcess has become an example of what can be achieved when a group of like-minded individuals come together to make a positive impact on their communities, and I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to be a part of it.

What I have learned from leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and the leaders in my own community is that the ones that have the most impact—the ones that tear down barriers and create social change—are those who immerse themselves in the world. They are the ones who engage themselves in their communities and create lasting bonds with the people whom they serve.  They are the ones who transform differences into an open dialogue of ideas, beliefs, and opportunities. We too can also become these leaders learning from their selfless actions and community commitment.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on community and diversity as we reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.

By Deep K. Jodhka

Sikhcess™ Detroit and RB1 are teaming up to raise school supplies for students from inner-city Detroit, Monday January 18 through to Friday, January 22, 2010.

Please join our cause and help equip Detroit children in need with the tools to succeed.  Every donation counts!

What to Donate:
pens
pencils
crayons
notebooks
folders
backpacks
erasers
markers
organizers
reading books
textbooks

Old reading books / textbooks / backpacks are welcomed

Anyone interested in tutoring with Sikhcess STARS this semester please email us at detroit@sikhcess.org!

You will be helping kids improve basic reading, math, and analytical skills.  If you need community service, this is a way to fill that requirement and you’ll be making a difference in a child’s life!

We work with inner city students across Metro-Detroit, the United States, and have recently gone international, too!

How you can help:
• We are looking for volunteers to be a mentor / role model / teacher to at-risk inner-city youth with poor educational opportunity.
• Volunteers work with one or more students each week to teach basic reading, math, and analytical skills.
• Volunteers also participate in developing and leading exciting lesson plans including science, history, and current events to bring greater visibility and global awareness to students.
• If you cannot make it to the event or volunteer your time, you can always donate online!  For online donations, please visit www.sikhcess.org/about/donate.

We need YOU to come and volunteer some time!

Project Description: Sikhcess™ serves thousands of freshly prepared, delicious, and healthy food packages to the needy in cities across the world.  Each city is responsible for creating and serving a vegetarian menu that fits their community’s unique needs.

This effort starts with volunteers arriving early in the morning to cook individualized meals.   Throughout the day, volunteers help package the tasty and nutritious meals by assembling them into food packages.  Packages contain healthy, freshly prepared vegetarian entrees, bottles of water or boxes of fruit juice, granola bars, and other desserts.  Once ready, these packages are distributed to the needy on streets and in shelters.

Every month, the homeless and needy take delivery of these food packages. In exchange, Sikhcess volunteers receive countless hugs, smiles, and a heart-felt “thank you”, many times over.

The lay person becomes legendary, and stories where world-renowned authors create themselves using nothing more than a blog, and billion-dollar companies joyously reward self-starters on Facebook with vacations.

Video History of Coca-Cola’s Facebook Fan Page

Taking a page out of the other guys’ books, we’re going to ask you to help us grow Sikhcess in all realms social media – starting with Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter.

To our dedicated volunteers around the world, we want to reward your dedication. Between today and February 1, For every 1,000 people who join our Facebook Fan Page, we will randomly select 5 people to receive our brand new Sikhcess 2010 t-shirt!

The Official Sikhcess Facebook Fan Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Change-the-World-Join-Sikhcess/247238197562

Sikhcess on Twitter
http://twitter.com/sikhcess

Fans of Sikhcess on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1126887

Fans of Sikhcess on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/sikhcess

All you need to do is join.  Really, it’s that easy!

In the next few days we’ll release at least one more exciting opportunity to win a great prize.  Stay tuned, and have your webcams ready !!!