PRESS RELEASE: Over 2500 Volunteers Mark Gandhi's Birthday through Service Activities SAALT's Be the Change National Day of Service Inspires Civic Engagement through Community Service For Immediate Release October 6, 2009 Contact: Aaditi Dubale/Mou Khan 301.270.1855/saalt@saalt.org Over 2500 Volunteers Mark Gandhi's Birthday through Service Activities SAALT's Be the Change National Day of Service Inspires Civic Engagement through Community Service btc 2009 boston group shotWashington DC- Over 2,500 participants around the country marked the first Saturday of October by giving back to their communities through Be the Change, SAALT's National Day of Service. On October 3, community members including students, retirees, and professionals contributed their time and energy to service activities in Atlanta, Boston, New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC, as well as over 50 other cities and campuses. "SAALT's Be the Change National Day of Service takes place annually near Mahatma Gandhi's birthday to commemorate his message of community service and action," explained Aaditi Dubale, SAALT's National Be the Change Coordinator. "This year, volunteers participated in a variety of activities including restoring a water-damaged food pantry in Rhode Island; constructing homes in Detroit and Alabama; assisting with the Boston Pancreatic Research Walk; and registering individuals to join the Be the Match Bone Marrow Registry nationwide." BTC 2009 Logo Participants echoed Mahatma Gandhi's messages of compassion and service when they spoke about the day's impact. "By being involved in the community, we not only give our lives perspective but we create a better world for all members of our community to live in," noted Swathi Bonda, a volunteer in Washington DC. "I really value that we, as South Asians, come together every year in support of this mission." The theme of this year's event, Giving in Action, also resonated with participants. Tom Abraham from Rutgers University - New Brunswick, one of the many campuses that held Be the Change events, remarked that the day was "an eye opening experience for me. I can't believe about 20 of us in an hour did enough work to feed 1,800 families." Participating in Be the Change also helped volunteers become more aware of issues in communities that are often invisible. Shikha Prasad, a volunteer through Ohio State University, shared that "going to ASHA Ray of Hope helped me realize that domestic violence still exists in our community." Be the Change partners and sponsors affirmed the values of the event. "Coming together to help our neighbors and communities develop their potential clearly BTC 2009 boston clothesreflects the meaning of Mahatma Gandhi's famous 'Be the Change' quote that we celebrated today," said Sodexo's Vice President of Food & Nutrition Product Development and Pan Asian Network Group (PANG) Chairperson Nitu Gupta. "If we don't take a leadership role in enhancing the lives of others...who will? As I reflect on the uplifting impact of this day of service-it just makes sense. I am so proud of PANG and Sodexo's partnership with SAALT and look forward to continuing this team effort to make it a better tomorrow" Kick-off events featured inspiring speakers including Kalpen Modi, Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the White House (Washington DC); Premal Shah, President of Kiva.org (San Francisco); Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (New York); and Manisha Bhatt, Family Law Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services (Boston). BTC 2009 san jose cookingThrough Be the Change, SAALT offers the opportunity for community members to take action by serving as a resource for individuals and organizations that seek to serve in their communities each October. Starting with its inception at the University of Michigan in 1997, Be the Change has grown to become a national event sponsored by SAALT that draws a diverse range of community members who fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's widely-recognized message: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." #### For additional quotes from participants and pictures from the event, please contact saalt@saalt.org. SAALT is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering full and equal participation by South Asians in American civic and political life. Be the Change 2009 Participating Cities/Campuses: Cities: Atlanta Austin Boston Chicago East Brunswick, NJ Ft. Lauderdale Jacksonville, FL Hartford, CT Murray, KY New York City North Brunswick, NJ Philadelphia San Francisco Springfield, MA Washington, DC Campuses: American University Law School Baruch College Baylor University Boston University Brookdale Community College Brown University Columbia University Drexel University East Tennessee State University Emory University Florida Atlantic University Florida International University George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Law Center Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard University Hofstra University Indiana University Long Island University Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology Michigan State University Midwestern University New Jersey Institute of Technology New York Law School New York University North Carolina State University Northeastern University Ohio State University Pace University Pennsylvania State University Rutgers University - New Brunswick Rutgers University - Newark Santa Clara University Seton Hall University South Dakota State University St Johns University SUNY Binghamton University SUNY Stony Brook University Temple University Texas A&M Texas Tech University The College of New Jersey University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Arizona University of California - Hastings College of Law University of Central Florida University of Connecticut University of Florida University of Georgia University of Houston University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign University of Kansas University of Kentucky - Lexington University of Maryland - College Park University of Miami University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill University of Oklahoma University of Pennsylvania University of Rochester University of South Florida University of the Sciences in Philadelphia University of Tennessee at Knoxville University of Texas at Arlington University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Tech Wayne State University Williams College National Partners and Sponsors: Sodexo Chevron Beta Chi Theta Delta Epsilon Psi Delta Phi Omega Delta Sigma Iota Iota Nu Delta North American South Asian Bar Association Kappa Phi Gamma Sigma Beta Rho Sigma Sigma Rho South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters