Adeet Phanse of West Windsor is recruiting youth volunteers for India Foundation of Metropolitan Princeton with the goal of helping both the local and global Indian community. A graduate of SciCore Academy, he is now a freshman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A specific focus of the group is raising funds and awareness for Ekal Vidyalaya, a nonprofit organization working to develop education in rural areas of India.
“I first heard about Ekal Vidyalaya through my father, who visited a musical show in 2012 and afterwards told me all about the Ekal mission to spread literacy in India,” he says. “Growing up in the United States, where public education is not only free but encouraged, I had no idea that so many people still went without education in my mother country of India.”
“I think that education is a basic right that all children should have,” Phanse says. “During those critical formative years, an education is a valuable thing that a child can have as it will insure that they expand their knowledge of the world while also providing an opportunity for them to succeed later in life.”
Phanse was inspired to do something for the community and to raise awareness of lack of basic education in India. “I am fortunate enough to have access to an education that will allow me to get a job and thrive later in life,” he says.
The group has visited several senior citizen nursing homes to present a cultural show with Indian and American dance, song, and music. The youth also organized fundraising activities such as a bake sale, a book sale, a raffle, and a tea sale. “By the end of 2013, we had raised enough money to support five Ekal schools ($1,825) and we look forward to repeating this accomplishment this year.”
Call 609-275-1061 for information about joining the group.
