Asha-Jyothi annual fundraiser in Fairfax, VA on 23rd

Fairfax, VA: Asha-Jyothi (AJ), a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting education and healthcare for the underprivileged, has been very successful in creating awareness, garnering support from corporations and local community ever since it started a 5K run/walk event in 2009. Being a 100% volunteer based organization has been helping AJ in using 100% of the donations and race proceeds for the cause. In 2011, AJ had over 1400 participants across multiple cities raising over $500,000 combined over the past three years. AJ is poised to repeat a similar level of success this year.

Over the past 3 years, AJ 5K/1M Charity run has grown leaps and bounds not only in terms of the funds raised and people reached out, but also the communities involved nationally and internationally. Today this run is organized in globally in cities like Fairfax, Dallas, NJ, Kansas City and Fremont (CA).

The director of Potomac River Running Ray, who organizes many races in the area said "AJ 5K has grown quickly in a short period of time and now has the attention of the local running community". One of the key success factors is the activity following the run where, participants are greeted with energizing music, food, and refreshments. Kids have a blast with activities like moon bounce, face painting and Bollywood dancing. Thanks to generous sponsors, fabulous prizes (including a ticket to India, gift cards, and spa certificates) are given out to the race winners along with many raffle prizes. Washington Post reporter Moira E. McLaughlin summarized it as 'Talk about footloose and family-friendly. Runners can aid underprivileged Indians, and learn a few Bollywood dance moves at the post-race party. During the run, volunteers will babysit and entertain kids'.

AJ supports education for over 800 hundred students on an ongoing basis and many others on as needed basis. About fifty people per week avail free health checkup and medications as a part of healthcare program. In addition, AJ also supported people in need during emergencies such as earthquakes in Haiti, and floods in South Asia. Talking about Asha-Jyothi, Hemanth Ganta, Operations Director of AJ, said 'In 2009, AJ started its Charity Run/Walk with a lot of hope and a big promise. It was unclear as to how much we could do. Today, we have a rhythm and our focus is on how effective we can be'.

One of the unique aspects of AJ campaigns is the ability for a donor or the donor's family and friends to participate at the event. This provides the transparency that many donors seek and increases their trust in the organization, which usually results in giving more. A donor wrote to AJ after one such campaign and said 'My Mom and Dad spoke to me for a long time about the school function and distribution. They were full of tears and overjoyed to see the ceremony and felt very happy that we all as a team made this happen'.

AJ will be holding fourth annual fundraiser run event in Fairfax, VA on September 23rd, 2012. Come join us and be part of the fun and contribute to a good cause by registering at http://www.asha-jyothi.org/?page=2012Run

For any enquiries, please contact us at contactus@asha-jyothi.org