Playing intense and gripping games that brought back memories of the recently-finished Cricket World Cup, four teams from New Jersey made their way into the next stage in the “YFS Cricket For Charity” tournament organized by Sewa International New Jersey & New York recently.
Out of 28 participating teams, 16 took part in the qualifying games played on June 18 at Lincoln Park, Jersey City. With an eye on the “De Ghuma Ke” (Hit Real Hard) trophy and satisfied that they fought hard for a higher cause, the teams played to win with zeal and grace.
The “YFS Cricket For Charity” benefits Sewa International’s Youth For Seva (YFS) Vidyadaan (Sankrit for ‘Spreading Knowledge’) project that supports educational expenses of poor children in urban slums and villages in India.
“So far, more than 300 donors have come forward to support this event and we have raised a total of $25,000,” said Ravi Chandra, the event’s organizer.
Rockers, Vivekanand, Pinch Hitters and Crazy 10 were the four teams that qualified in the primary rounds. During the day, team Vivekanand won a nail-biting game against Ved Mandir when its player hit a six, when they needed eight runs from six balls. Highest score of the day was 104 runs by Rockers.
Despite the blazing sun, all games were played with a lot of energy and support from spectators. Local food vendor Vatan served snacks.
The final round of games was to be played by the top seven teams on June 25 at Lincoln Park, Jersey City. The teams competed to win the “De Ghuma Ke” trophy. Sewa International volunteers asked families to help poor children, learn more about Sewa International, and to have fun. For other information, visit www.sewausa.org/yfs-cricket.
The top seven teams were Blue Warriors, Eliminators, Super Kings, Crazy 10, Pinch Hitters, Rockers and Vivekanand.
About YFS Vidyadaan
Youth For Seva (YFS) volunteers continuously work with students from less privileged backgrounds and their families with special emphasis on children’s education. Through close interaction, YFS volunteers estimate financial help needed for each family to send its children to school.
Through financial help from donors, YFS volunteers fund children’s education. The immensely popular “School Kit Drive,” “Sponsor A Child” and weekend tutoring sessions are all part of YFS education initiatives.
About Sewa International USA
Sewa International is a service organization active in 17 countries, including the United States. SEWA’s mission is to serve humanity in distress and help the local population irrespective of race, religion, sex or creed while promoting volunteerism.
SEWA is a 501 (c)(3) non- profit organization whose vision is to bring into practice the lofty ideals of Sanatana Dharma: “Service to humanity is service to God.”
Along with supporting development initiatives across the world, SEWA runs many service projects in the United States. SEWA’s flagship project in the U.S. is the Bhutanese Empowerment project that helps Bhutanese immigrants re-settle in the United States.
SEWA chapters conduct DIWALI Food Drives to help local homeless shelters and soup kitchens in cities across the U.S. participate in Adopt-A-Highway programs to help keep our environment clean, and run a Yuva For Sewa Internship program to allow university students to help in service projects in India and other countries.
SEWA volunteers also organize fund raising events to support development projects focusing on health care, education and women empowerment in India as well as other developing countries.
For more details on SEWA, please visit http://www.sewausa.org. For more details on Youth For Seva visit (www.youthforseva.org).