A big Thanks to all ATS members, patrons, sponsors, and volunteers for supporting the ATS fundraiser. This page displays the final update as of May 2016.
Donations Received:
$23,066.78
Disbursement to SEWA: $630 on 12/04/2015
Disbursement to SEWA: $1,209.78 on 12/07/2015
Disbursement to SEWA: $1,711.25 on 12/18/2015
Disbursement to SEWA: $2,189.40 on 4/30/2016
Disbursement to TNF : $5,918.39 on 12/21/2015
Disbursement to TNF : $3,649.00 on 4/30/2016
Disbursement to Udavum Karangal : $2,369.74 on 12/21/2015
Disbursement to Udavum Karangal : $1,459.60 on 4/30/2016
Disbursement to AID India : $3,632.00 on 4/30/2016
ATS Member direct field contribution: $300 2/1/2016
List of donors that have contributed $50 or more to ATS Flood Relief Fund. ATS extends its gratitude to everyone who supported the effort. ATS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and your contributions may be tax deductible. Please also check with your employer on matching your donation. Most employers match your donation. ATS encourages patrons to support the supported fundraisers and to donate through other bona fide organizations.
Poker Night Charity Donation $9080
– ATS thanks Karthik Angamuthu and Rajini Ram for organizing this fundraiser
Suvai/Radj Govindasamy $3000
Dine for Chennai – $1450 (Paradise Biriyani Pointe – $850, Biriyani Pot – $600)
– ATS thanks Malathy Jey, Selvi Shan, and Arthi Thyagarajan for leading this effort
GOVINDASAMY THANGAVELU 1,000.00
Dance for Chennai – $800
– ATS thanks Agni Dance, Aishwarya Vishwanathan, Shilpa NK, and Prakash Mohandoss
Masala Yatra/Chaya Rao 500
Ranjani Vaidyanathan 500
satyanarayanan Thirumalai 250
Elan Vasudevan 250
Mathews Chacko 250
Mallik Devulapalli 250
Niranjan & Hema Pillai 250
Yoga Breeze 250
Dhinakar Karuppuchamy 200
Arunachalam Narayanan 200
Suguna Governor 200
Kishore Paidimarri 150
Suma Aithal 150
Ketan Shah 101
Arthi Thiagarajan 100
Shan Muthian 100
Ilango Thangavelu 100
Vicson Victor 100
Rajesh Jagadeesan 100
Vijay Jeevaraj 100
Samineni Suryanarayana 100
Vyjayanthi Kannan 100
Prema Ranjit 100
Aarthy Gurumurthy 100
Malarvizhi Krishnaswamy 100
Ananthakumar Shanmugavelu 100
Kumaran Kunka 100
Muralidharan Subramanian 100
Mathavi Paramas 100
Srinivas Guduri 100
Venkatesh Thirukonda 100
Praveen Koneru 100
Piruthiviraj Loganathan 100
satheesh Puthisigamani 100
Vijayan Korattur 100
poovannan rathinam 100
SANKAR MUTHUSAMY 100
Dhivhya Nagappan Natarajan 100
Vaishnavi Ramanujam 100
Ranjith Ezhilmaran 100
Krishnaswam Anbarasu 100
IndiSource Technologies Inc. 100
saravanabavan vaitheeswaran 100
Manikanda Prabhu PERIASAMY 100
SANKAR MUTHUSAMY 100
manish bajaj 75
Shanmuga Sundaram 70
Avishek Roy Chowdhury 50
Sankara Muthukrishnan 50
Malligeswari Ramesh 50
Ramdas Ramakrishnan 50
Ramasamy Baskaran 50
Earl Follis 50
DINESH KUNNATHUR RAGUPATHI 50
Baskaran Kannan 50
Tamilselvan Kulandasamy 50
Sundararajan Chidambara 50
P Ramachandran 50
Jaikumar Vijayan 50
Mohan Karuppusamy 50
Ramanathan Venkatasubramanian 50
viswanathan gopalakrishnan 50
Ram Ganesh 50
PRAVIN KUMAR VENKATRAJ 50
Chandran Venkatachalam 50
DINESH KUNNATHUR RAGUPATHI 50
Bala Beddhannan 50
Srinivas Kunapareddy 50
Sumitha Damodaraswamy 50
ATS Cares!
As you all know, Chennai and surrounding areas have seen unprecedented rains in the past few weeks leading to flooding in most areas of the town. Currently there are thousands of people evacuated from their homes, many are trapped in their own homes with no access to food or clean water.
ATS has set up a Flood Relief Fund that will be open until December 09, 2015. Let us come together and help Chennai! Please donate what you can to support the relief efforts. Austin Tamil Sangam is donating $500 towards the fund.
The overarching goal of this effort is to support the immediate, mid, and long term relief efforts at Chennai and surrounding areas.
Our campaign objectives are
a) To create awareness of the Chennai+ flooding in the Austin community and
b) To create a local channel for contributions that will be disbursed legally through FCRA compliant organizations.
To support the end goal, ATS encourages patrons to donate through any organization of their choice that they trust. We know that many of our ATS members have contributed to this greater cause through other organizations and fundraising efforts and we appreciate all efforts to support the cause. Recent reports from Chennai and surrounding areas clearly show how badly the areas have been battered by the rains and we must support any and every effort to rebuild the city.
ATS has spent significant time researching and connecting with other Tamil Sangams, Charities, Media, ATS members in Chennai, and NGOs to identify the best approach to handle the ATS donations.
Based on our research, most of the NGOs in India are unable to accept foreign donations since they don’t have FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulations Act) clearance. The best option is to work with organizations with presence in the US that have an established infrastructure to funnel the funds. We interviewed several organizations and checked their credentials to determine the following disbursement plan.
30% of the funds will go towards immediate relief – rescue, food, shelter etc. SEWA International has been carrying out relief and rescue operations and distributing food. Their volunteers have been doing an amazing job.
70% towards mid or long term relief (In the coming weeks/months medical needs are expected to increase and rebuild efforts will require significant investment)
• Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) specializes in such projects e.g. Tsunamic relief, and is planning relief efforts through their volunteer-employee network.
• Udavum Karangal needs help rebuilding Karunai Illam which was affected by the floods
Thank you all again! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach us at [email protected]
About the Organizations:
Sewa International
Sewa International and its sister organizations Seva Bharathi Tamil Nadu jumped into action and started relief activities in affected areas providing 100,000 plus packets of food to areas of Anna Nagar, Red Hills, Villivakkam,Nesapakkam, Mandaveli, BV Colony, Thiruneermalai, Perambur, Triplicane and Egmore Railway Station, transporting people, providing counseling etc. Of the 75 Sewa relief centers, 14 centers were designated as base centers. Food was prepared and distributed involving many volunteers and their families from these base centers.
During the second phase of relief activity, swayamsevaks engaged themselves in relief and rescue operations at various places of Chennai. Thousands of houses marooned and the communication has come to a standstill. Swayamsevaks in co-ordination with NDRF and Armed personnel, are helping in rescue operations in Mudhichur, Mannivakkam. Sewa USA team has released immediate funding of $10,000 and is further is trying to coordinate efforts in Houston, Bayarea, Atlanta.
For more information visit www.sewausa.org.
Tamilnadu Foundation (TNF)
TNF has 41 years of track record in implementing more than 600 humanitarian projects in every district in Tamil Nadu:
* 501 (c) 3, ATG, FCRA approvals
* Not affiliated to any single organization in Tamil Nadu or to any specific geography – we focus on where the REAL need is and are not bound by geography (in Tamil Nadu) or specific NGOs
* All Board Members in the U.S. are volunteers .
* Paid employees in affected areas (shifting them from current education project to relief effort) to implement the strategy developed by Trustees (retired IAS and IPS officials and professionals) in Chennai and TNF USA Board
* Trusted partners and ABC (TNF adopted school) communities in affected areas
* Giving the due recognition to partnering organizations
* Ability to track how much was donated to TNF through your efforts
* Providing evidence (reports, pictures) over time to the donors
* Options to donate in dollars, rupees, online
* Heavy emphasis on wise use of the donations received and in making sure it goes to the needy directly and not through middlemen
Uduvam Karangal
One of their units Karunai Illam at Maduravoyal was totally sunk last week and all the 150 women patients had to beevacuated overnight and relocated to our Unit – SHANTHIVANAM at Thiruverkadu. The incessant rains on 1st Dec. doubled up the havoc by getting, SHANTHIVANAM unit also submerged under waters.
Another Unit – Malarvanam at Thiruverkadu, where the male psychiatric patients, spastic and the old aged are housed is also flooded with 5 ft water inside the home.
Their belongings at both these places were washed away. The food provisions, beds, blankets, clothes have all been soiled. One peculiar thing about our residents who are patients and old aged is that they are still unaware of the grave situation the home is into. All the residents and children were brought to a safe place on the 1st and 2nd floor of our home.
It is a tearful experience to see the neighborhood population homeless and stranded on the streets. Udavum Karangal has extended all help by giving these people food, blankets, dresses, etc. Our donations can make a difference to Udavum Karangal and extend care to the suffering community. These donations will qualify for 100% tax relief under section 35 AC of IT Act.
http://www.helpinghands.org
