On Saturday, Sept. 7, nearly fifty runners joined together on Tech Green to run a 5K/10K for the education of underprivileged Indian youth. Hosted by the Atlanta Chapter of Asha, Running into the Fall was planned to raise money to feed and educate families in India and raise awareness of Asha’s run club that focuses on improving physical fitness in the Atlanta community.
Asha Atlanta is a nonprofit organization that works to build a volunteering community that stands for socio-economic change for the education of youth in India. The organization’s primary goal is to feed families in underprivileged areas in India while also working to provide access to schools in these areas. Asha also supports these families by providing vocational training for women and relief for disaster-affected communities. They also focus on computer skills for the visually impaired and increasing the retention of female students.
Formed at Tech campus twenty-two years ago, Asha Atlanta has continued to grow, with over 50 chapters worldwide. The organization is completely volunteer-run and includes volunteers from the Institute’s campus along with others from the greater Atlanta area. During the year, Asha holds several other events to raise money for their cause, including concession stands at football and basketball games. The funds raised from Running into the Fall and other events throughout the year are used to feed families in India in locations such as Nishtha and Kalyania.
Murali Sethuraman, Ph.D. ECE and athletics coordinator for Asha shared his hopes for the impact of Running into the Fall.
“So there are two main goals here. One is to get more people into running, and more people into fitness and physical activities. But the ultimate goal is to use this to spread awareness about our projects and help raise money. For people who sign up for all of these runs, the registration fee is taken as a donation to our cause back in India. That is the primary motive here and this is also a means by which we spread awareness about our running program and other activities that we do around campus,” Sethuraman stated.
Several people from around Atlanta came out Saturday to show their support. Friends of current volunteers attended, enjoying the opportunity to engage in physical activity and a buffet breakfast while learning more about Asha Atlanta. When asked about their motive for running, many named close friends who were involved in Asha Atlanta who encouraged them to participate. Others joined because of their love for running and desire to contribute to a good cause.
Utkarsh Mishra, Ph.D. ROBO and co-president of Asha Atlanta emphasized the prominent effect of friendship on Asha for Education’s impact. He shared his own experience of getting involved in Asha Atlanta.
“I joined ASHA through some of my friends who were already a part of ASHA. I came to know about this cause. I knew about a lot of other volunteer activities back in India, and it was great to be part of it. First of all, I came for friendship because I was talking to a lot of people, and then I stayed for the cause. It is actually very surprising what impact small donations and small amounts of effort can bring to underprivileged people back in India. That is something that I am proud of that I am contributing to,” Mishra said.
As a close-knit community, Asha Atlanta utilizes running to strengthen bonds, while inviting anyone to be a part of the goal of raising awareness and funds for quality education for Indian youth. Even for those who are beginners at running or those who know little about socioeconomic despair in India, Asha welcomes all who are willing to contribute to the noble cause.
Running into the Fall also has a goal of raising awareness for Asha’s fall running program. Mishra discussed the impact of the fall running program on raising funds for families in India.
“We have a fall running program. So, this run actually promotes the fall running program, which will happen for the next twelve weeks throughout the fall. So this running program raised almost $500, so it’s enough to almost fund twenty-five families back in India,” Mishra said.
The running program is open to everyone in the Atlanta area who enjoys physical activity and wants to contribute to a philanthropic cause. The program is set to begin on Sept. 14.