Friday, October 30, 2009

$2400 in 24 Hours, Please Donate!

I am delighted to be conducting a fundraising drive for $2400 within 24 hours starting now (Friday, October 30, 2009, 7pm PDT). The funds are for the Asha For Education, a non-profit voluntary organization dedicated towards increasing literacy among children in India.

Please go here to donate online through a secure web site.

Some facts about Asha for Education that appeal to me:

Asha for Education is entirely volunteer-driven (no paid office-bearers), sponsors a variety of projects all aimed at bringing change to the underprivileged children of India through education. These projects are as diverse in scope (from non-formal education in rural areas to formal schools in violence-troubled areas, from state-wide quality-improvement projects to the adoption of small schools that educate children of farm laborers).

Asha for Education has received the highest-possible 4-star rating from CharityNavigator.org, buoyed by the fact that 98.3% of funds raised go to the projects.

Asha for Education chooses the projects on a completely secular basis, regularly follows up with the projects, and has a rigorous and transparent process (including accounting -- see web page) for funding.

I am hoping that my circle of friends, family, and other acquaintances will spend a few moments reading about this wonderful organization and generously contribute (any amount, please consider a minimum of $25).

I am privileged to be part of the Team Asha Marathon training program, who, through their excellent endurance training program that has trained over 1,000 marathoners, helped me through the summer and fall of this year, culminating last week in the Silicon Valley marathon event, where I completed my first marathon run.

If you have any questions, please send me an email, or comment on the blog article.