The Cupertino Volunteer Fair. A countless number of teens go here every year to find new opportunities to learn, grow, and give back to the community. Here I found a small, humble, organization that ended up becoming a big part of my life. The first time that I walked through PRAGNYA's double doors, I immediately felt at home. Everyone was starting to set up for a social session, running around, setting up chairs, and welcoming the children and their parents. For the first half of the session, I shadowed an Ally. The sheer amount of care she put into making sure her assigned child was happy and participating was admirable. I immediately wanted to do the same. The second session, I was assigned a child who just wanted to run around. Making the best of the situation, I turned his running around into a game of hide and seek. When he realized I wasn't behind him, he went to look for me. When he finally found me, I rushed and hid in a different spot. This game went on for the entirety of the session, and when it ended, I felt so much happier, knowing that I made a child smile. A few days later, I got a message from the child's mother, saying how happy she was about her child being engaged in the program, even if it was not the orthodox way of doing so. The original message read: "it so happened that at the end of [the session] he did not want to leave [to] play more with Nidhi..." Reading this, I was ecstatic! I often longed for a chance to do good, and I had finally found it. PRAGNYA has such a tight-knit, caring, and supportive team who want to see the kids excel through social and academic immersion. That day, I realized PRAGNYA's strength as a community: is and will forever be powered by love. #PRAGNYA #Awareness #POWEROFLOVE
A heartfelt post by PRAGNYA Ally Nidhi Kandi.