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The Countdown Begins to Sevathon 5.0
SI Team
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Baylands Park, Sunnyvale is all set to host the fifth edition of the exciting 'Sevathon' on the 14th of July this year. This unique annual Bay Area walkathon, organized by the Indian Community Center (ICC) presents the expat community in the U.S. and especially the entrepreneurs an opportunity to give back to the community. Deriving its name from the Sanskrit word "seva" which translates to ‘service’, the event provides a plethora of non-profit organizations, a platform to spread awareness about the cause they are associated with. Seasoned executives from the Silicon Valley actively participate and mentor NGOs to help them grow, establish and raise funds.

Inviting participants from all over the country, Sevathon sees the entrepreneurs coming in huge numbers to connect with well meaning NGOs and helping these organizations raise funds. "Participating in Sevathon I learnt about so many non profits, it was also an eye opener for me about their causes. A particular organization called Embrace, which had come up with an incubator for babies born in areas without electricity was one of them," says AGK, Director at ICC and CEO, MulticoreWare Inc.

Justifying its name, the Sevathon serves as an opportunity to contribute to combating critical issues plaguing the society, such as hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, curable blindness or illiteracy. The event helps participants learn more about various non profits under one roof. That being the primary benefit there are others as well. While for some this is just a fun outing with friends and family for a cause, to others it is a platform to accomplish their personal milestones by completing the full track.

Sevathon which has seen five successful years has come a long way since its inception in 2009, when the pilot episode of the event saw over 150 spirited walkers. The expected turn out for this year is a whopping 5000. The past editions have seen the participation of many big and small non-profits supporting an array of causes and have received the support of prominent personalities. The previous edition kick started with the torch lighting ceremony which involved ICC table tennis champions Ariel Hsing and Lily Zhang. The event saw 62 Bay area non profits participate and raised $60 thousand collectively.

Akshaya Patra USA, BITS Pilani Alumni Association, Cancer Institute Foundation, Families for Children, Freedom from Hunger, India Literacy Project, Morgan Autism Center and many other companies have already signed up for this year's event. AG Karunakaran, the CEO of MulticoreWare Inc. and Anuradha Jagadeesh will be co chair the event this year.

In 2013, the ICC has come up with a Teen Internship programme where youngsters will be given an opportunity to directly work with the Sevathon Committee leads. Teens will receive community service hours for work completed. The motivation behind the same is to provide youngsters with exposure to real world.

Registrations for the event have already begun and the non-profit organizations and supporters who have not yet registered can login to the website (http://konnectme.org/event/view/44334/sevathon-2013) and be a part of the exiting event. "If you support a Non Profit, then promote it at Sevathon," says Anuradha Jagadeesh.
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