What is Be the Change?
Be the Change 2007 Press Release
Be the Change Participating Cities/Campuses

What is Be the Change?

MISSION
Be the Change is an annual event sponsored by South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT), which fosters leadership and community engagement through volunteerism and service. Formerly known as the National Gandhi Day of Service, this event draws individuals who believe in the values espoused by Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders who have devoted their lives to public service and engagement in their communities. Occurring during the weekend closest to Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, Be the Change empowers participants to engage in collective civic action based on Gandhi's values of equality and passion.

VISION
To establish Be the Change as a widely recognized and well-respected event that fosters involvement in community service and civic engagement. Be the Change will provide the platform for meaningful service that highlights the universal beliefs of compassion, selflessness, and unity.

HISTORY
The first Gandhi Day of Service took place on October 4, 1997 at the University of Michigan. Organized by the Indian American Student Association (IASA), the vision was to unify people through the common goal of serving communities in need. On that day, 200 students throughout the campus collaborated for a day of speakers, group interaction, and a range of volunteer projects. The tremendous response received for Gandhi Day of Service led to its expansion in 1999. SAALT hosted the first National-level Gandhi Day of Service and it was a huge success, involving 20 universities and 2000 students nationwide. SAALT has continued to organize a national service day for South Asians over the past five years. Last year, more than 7,000 volunteers from 200 universities and organizations contributed nearly 25,000 hours of community service.

OBJECTIVES

• Encourage South Asians and others around the country to collectively engage in community service.
  
• Identify and develop leaders in the South Asian community nationwide.
  
• Foster effective partnerships with local and national organizations.
  
• Build unity within the South Asian community and coalitions with other groups in America.
  

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Deepa Iyer/Neha Singhal 301.270.1855

October 9, 2007

Over One Thousand Volunteers Participate in Service Activities Around the Country as Part of Be The Change: National Day of Service

On October 6, 2007, SAALT (South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow) hosted Be the Change, an annual national day of community service with participants from cities across the country, including Washington DC, New York, Boston, and the Bay Area. The event engaged individuals and community groups who believe in the values espoused by Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders who have devoted their lives to public service and civic engagement.

More than 1000 volunteers contributed over 2000 service hours in 35 cities and campuses including Vanderbilt University, Ohio State University, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and the University of Arizona (full list is below). Participants engaged in a variety of service events including practicing English conversational skills with students in ESL classes, making welcome packs for new refugees, sorting donated books at a local library, beautifying a city park, preparing food at a homeless shelter, distributing domestic violence awareness bags to local stores, and many others.

“This year, SAALT engaged more campuses and cities than ever before,” said Neha Singhal, National Coordinator. “We received requests for information, resources and guidance over the past six months from individuals interested in being part of this national event.”

The theme of Be the Change this year was "Building Bridges" which symbolizes the importance of developing partnerships with non-South Asian community and immigrant groups as well as within the diverse South Asian community itself. Washington DC volunteer, Madhuri Singh, who volunteered at the Virginia Refugee center, said, “Our group made welcome packs and organized resources for the resettlement of refugees. It was important for me to move from just hearing about the stories of refugees in the media to speaking with the people who orient new refugees to the U.S.”

This spirit of individual service led to a feeling of collective engagement as well. Volunteers at the Bay Area kick-off left with these powerful words from Raj Jayadev with Silicon Valley De-Bug: “Soak in what the experience is and put it in a larger context than today and your life, but in a context of a movement, a context of a moral inventory.” Julie, a student volunteer in Boston, noted that “…there are so many things that I take for granted without realizing it because I live in my college bubble a lot of the time…so a chance like this to give back is really great."

Be the Change events started with a kick-off event featuring inspirational speakers including Annetta Seecharran (South Asian Youth Action) in New York, Shikha Bhatnagar (Akshaya Patra) in Boston, Raj Jayadev (Silicon Valley De-Bug) in the Bay Area, Frances Nam (Sodexho) in Washington DC, and Sonali Sadequee (local Atlanta activist; please note that the Atlanta event will occur on October 13th).

Be the Change 2007 national partners included Bangladeshi American Foundation, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters (SAMAR), Muslim Public Affairs Council, Delta Phi Omega Inc., Kappa Phi Gama Inc., Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and the Sikh Coalition. Be the Change 2007 was made possible through the generous support of Chevron and Sodexho.

The service day, which originated on the University of Michigan campus in 1997, has become a national event sponsored by SAALT that draws individuals within and outside the South Asian community. The event offers an opportunity for community members to take actions that reflect Gandhi’s widely-recognized message – “Be the Change that you wish to see in the world.”

For additional quotes from participants and pictures from the event, please contact Aparna Kothary (Aparna@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 Participating Cities/Campuses

Main Cities:
Washington DC
New York
Boston
Bay Area
Atlanta

Additional Locations:
Asha for Education Minnesota Chapter
Baylor University
Brown University
Columbia University
Florida International University
Miami Day College
Michigan State University
New York University
Nova Southeastern University
Ohio State University
Purdue University
Rutgers University
Ryerson University
Temple University
Texas A&M University
UMDNJ- New Jersey Medical School
University of Arizona
University of Florida
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of Miami
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of Texas, Austin
University of Texas, San Antonio
University of Virginia
University of Washington-St.Louis
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Vanderbilt University
Villanova/Philadelphia