Fun-A-Thon 2003
Total 136 people have participated in annual 'Fun-A-Thon 2003' event on August 3rd, 2003. This is the first fund raising and fun filled family friendly event organized by Bighelp since its incorporation in July 2002. Participants came from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
The response from all participants was phenomenal and heartening. Total $2018 was pledged on the day of event and some participants have informed us latter that they would like to contribute more. Mr. Anup Sodhani has sponsored the education for 7 children. Mr. Sudhakar Tadepalli has started sponsoring the education of 2 children on occasion of his twin daughter's birthday. Dr Jagannadha Rao has donated his 27" TV to continue sponsor 2 children those who have been getting his support since October 2002 through Bighelp. TV was bought by Mr.Srinivas for $100 on the same day of event. Mr. Srinivas Chaganti has sponsored 2 kids. Mr. Satya Duggirala, Mr. Anand Dave & Mrs Pallavi have sponsored one kid each. Mr & Mrs. Deepak Wadhwa informed us that they will be sponsoring kids soon. The generous donations from all participants were a pleasant surprise for the organizers.
Due to inclement weather conditions, this initially planned outdoor event had to be moved indoors to American Legion in Norwood, MA. The event has started right on scheduled time of 11:30AM and continued till 4:00 PM. The highlight of the day was the delicious food sponsored by four Indian restaurants which include Karma India from Arlington Heights, Jaipur Café from Norwood, Jewel Of India from Waltham and Gourmet India from Burlington and mouth watering food prepared by volunteers Hameeda, Jyothi, Haritha and Phalguni, inspiration and enthusiasm shown by all volunteers and participation of kids in fun filled games organized by Dr Sunitha Kandula & Mrs Kuntal Poonatar.
Following are the winners in Fun-A-Thon competitions.
| Name of game/competition | First prize winner | Second prize winner |
|---|---|---|
| Coloring competition | Shalini | Meghana |
| Jellybean Spoon | Sanjay | Sadhana |
| Four Corners | Sahil | |
| Simon Says | Sadhana | Meghana |
| Musical Chairs | Rahul | Vijay |
| Guess Jelly Beans | Sudhakar |
Our sincere thanks to all restaurants for supplying delicious food, all volunteers for their hard work and making this event a success and fun-filled. To name few, following is the list of people who helped us organizing this event.
| Srihari Valiveti (Function coordinator) | Srinivas Batchu (General Secretary) | Mrs Anjani Batchu |
| Dr. Jagannadh Rao | Dr Sunitha Kandula (Games) | Mrs Hameeda Shaik |
| Mrs. Jyothi Griddaluri | Mrs. Haritha Valiveti | Mrs. Kuntal Poonatar (Games) |
| Mr Vijay Panchakshari (Photographs) | Mrs Sri Latha Panchakshari (Reception) | Mr. Sudhakar Tadepalli |
| Mrs Sukanya Tadepalli | Mr Srinivas Chaganti | Mrs Kavitha Chaganti |
| Mr Naveen Kota | Mrs Surekha Kota | Mr Anand Dave |
| Mrs Phalguni Dave | Mr Amer | Mr Subbaiah |
| Mr Mukund Kottawar | Mr Mahesh Jamolla | Mr Meda Ramesh |
| Mr Paresh Poonatar | Mr Ramana Koukuntla |
2 Indian community news papers have covered the news.
With sincere appreciation,
S.Chand Pasha
President, Bighelp For Education.