
Vibha Connection
By Vibha Connection
Vibha Connection is an extension of the Vibha mission to educate, empower and enable every individual who wishes to make a positive difference in the life of the underprivileged child. Topics covered will include project spotlights, social issue deep-dives, action center updates, call to action, anything that would benefit the Vibha family.

Vibha ConnectionApr 10, 2023

Running and Living!
Starting from rock bottom with a simple 5 min routine every day and modifying his training to what his body needed, Earl was able to turn around his life, reach newer heights and become an inspiration for others. How far will your running journey take you? How will it transform you?
Find out more about our speaker today Earl Hooks on IG @hookdonfitness and Hookdonfitness@gmail.com.
Check out our other episodes in this Running Series:
Running and Giving Running at Next Level! What it takesIt takes all of 5 mins for you to move towards a path of fitness. Vibha DreamMile is celebrating its 25th year and is the perfect event to train towards, not to mention a lot of fun for the entire family. Please register here: https://runsignup.com/TheDreamMileBayArea2023

What it Takes
Runners can be ambitious, they set preposterous goals and don’t rest until they achieve them. Have you ever wondered about what it takes? Let’s find out in this episode. There’s insights and life lessons you don’t want to miss.
Hear from our guest speaker, Maya Bisineer (IG @thinkmaya). Mom, entrepreneur, Boston Marathon finisher, triathlete and an inspiration of all.
And if that inspired you, the 2023 season of the Vibha Striders Half Marathon Training Program starts soon! For more information and to register, go to https://www.striders.vibha.org/
Listen to this episode on any of your favorite podcast app … https://anchor.fm/vibha-connection
Sources
The Real Story of Kathrine Switzer’s 1967 Boston Marathon
Running at Next Level
From couch to running multiple rounds of Mission Peak*, meet Anil Chandran! An alumni of the Vibha Striders program, techie during the day, clicking pictures for fun, parent of two at all times and running sometime in between. Listen to his journey and get inspired!!!
*Mission Peak is a popular and challenging bay area hiking destination, gaining 2000ft in 3.1 miles.
@clicks.by.anil, https://www.clicksbyanil.com/
Vibha Striders: Half Marathon Training Program
https://www.facebook.com/VibhaStriders/

Running and Giving
Running for a cause gives us that extra impetus to exceed our limits for a higher purpose. This is what makes athletic fundraising so effective. It also builds community with the volunteers, strengthens the organization and eventually helps us evolve into a better version of ourselves.
Register for Virtual Dream Mile (September 2022) at https://dreammile.org/
Register for Sevathon (Sunday, Aug 28 @ Vasona Park) at https://tinyurl.com/VibhaAtSevathon
For more information about Sevathon, visit https://iccsevathon.org/
Sources:
https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/fundraising-through-races
https://greekreporter.com/2021/12/12/stylianos-kyriakides-marathon-man-runner-greece/
Title music by Campfire by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031
Additional Music “Beautiful Oblivion” by Scott Buckley – www.scottbuckley.com.au

Following the Funding Trail
As volunteers, your top priority often is raising funds. You work hard for it. We believe it is important to match that passion with information on how the funds are used. Who decides what to fund, how much to fund, how do we monitor the funds. Come join us as we lead you through the Funding Trail.
If you would like to submit projects for potential funding by Vibha, please click here (bit.ly/Vibha_ProjectsProposal).

Solving for Inequity in Education
The first step to making a difference is to say “I care”.
A school may have all the resources it needs, but if the students, teachers and community are not engaged, learning outcomes are bound to be affected. Motivation is at the crux of the issue of inequity in education and this is the problem Sikshana, a pioneering NGO started to solve, one school at a time. Partnering with the government to reach the remotest school, they have scaled to multiple states and are now building solutions for the next gen problems.
Prasanna Vadayar, CEO of Sikshana and Scotlin Maryma, Vibha volunteer and Project Manager of Sikshana will take us through their journey of Sikshana and its growth across India.
Also, sign up for an in-person Dream Mile Marathon, hosted by Vibha Bay Area at https://runsignup.com/bay-area
Sources:

Stories of Change
Can you imagine an adventurous boat ride in the jungles of Sunderban just by being part of an NGO like Vibha? This episode is about stories. Join us as two Vibha veterans take us down their memory lanes and share their journey.
We volunteer for various reasons - to make an impact, solve a problem, learn new skills, build a community, guided subconsciously by the question “What’s in it for me?”. As we continue on our journeys to change something, we often find that it is us who really change. We invite you all to join Vibha, volunteer for any cause that speaks to you, find your own adventure, and write your own stories.
Volunteering in the United States
America's Health Rankings - Volunteerism
The Relationship Between Happiness, Volunteering, and Donating

The future of giving
Episode 4 of Vibha Connection brings a conversation with a team of dynamic youth leaders. Our very own Vibha Youth volunteers Jiya Singh (Bay Area), Shreya Ravi (Dallas), Dishi Shah (New Jersey) and Siya Singh (Atlanta) share their insights and experiences with volunteering and beyond. With a giving heart and can-do attitude, they remind you to practice gratitude, prioritize giving and do more with whatever you have.
In “From around the Globe”, we talk to another youth role-model - Krisha Thakker, a high school student from San Diego, who with the initiative she took to generate support for India’s Covid relief efforts, reminds us that even small actions can have a big impact.
In "A Good Word”, you will listen to a story of human determination and how one person can bring about meaningful change.
Vibha’s board member Keyur Shah also shares an update on Vibha’s Save Lives, Save India campaign that raises funds and provides much needed relief efforts on the ground. Visit the campaign website for the details and please do contribute however you can!
Listen to Vibha Connection - A Podcast series at https://anchor.fm/vibha-connection or any of your favorite podcast app.

A Spotlight on Vibha's Mission
Vibha Bay Area is proud to bring Episode 3 of Vibha Connection, a podcast for the Vibha family. Understand the Vibha 3.0 focus on public education and listen to some of our leadership team’s insights. “A Good Word” will inspire you with a story of human determination and the hope literacy brings. In ”From around the Globe”, we call prospective participants to Dream Voice, organized by Shankar Mahadevan Academy & Ramachary’s Little Musicians Academy in conjunction with Vibha Atlanta. Link HERE. And a call for help to support Vibha’s Fundraiser to reach and assist COVID impacted communities in India. Link HERE.
Sources used in this episode include
http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/out-school-children-and-youth
https://en.unesco.org/themes/right-to-education
http://righttoeducation.in/know-your-rte/
Stay engaged with the Vibha Community.

Project LeapForWord
Vibha Bay Area is proud to bring Episode 2 of Vibha Connection, a podcast for the Vibha family. Learn about project LeapForWord, understand it in-depth with an interview with Pranil Naik, Founder of LeapForWord, Jyothi Wadmare, Program Manager for Vibha and Kshitij, Project Lead and Vibha volunteer. Be inspired with "A Good Word" and in "From around the Globe" this time learn from a youth volunteer at Dallas Action Center about ‘Study Buddy’ a unique program to help Bhutanese refugee children, and so much more. Stay engaged with the Vibha Community.

New Beginnings
Episode 1 of Vibha Connection is produced by the Vibha Bay Area team. We introduce the Podcast series to the audience explaining its mission and goals. We interview Durgesh Das, CEO of Vibha and look back at 2020 and its highlights, challenges and achievements. Durgesh also talks to the vision of Vibha and reaches out to its volunteers. An excerpt from Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We climb” will appeal to volunteers to take that first step, commit themselves to issues they want to impact and “be the light”. We talk to Monika Erande, Executive Director of Vibha Bay Area next. We learn more about Monika, her vision for what she wants to achieve for 2021 and what she needs from us. We end with a sneak peak into the next episode which will spotlight Leapforward, a project supported by Vibha.