Summer Camp 2014

 Who said Summer Camp can’t be cool?

On Saturday 10^th May 2014 , 61 kids poured into the gates of Chattarpati Rajayshree Shahu Maharaj Vidyalaya at 9 in the morning with eager, smiling faces. Our CRY volunteers, who were already there beforehand, welcomed them.

Amey and Kiran CRY volunteers conducting theater and yoga class 

The kids had absolutely no idea about the fun that was in store for them!

The summer camp started off with an encouraging speech by the Mr.  Sudhakar  S Sonawane , Chairman Education Committee  following which all the volunteers introduced  themselves to the children.

We started the day with a yoga session headed by our enthusiastic volunteer Amy, who made them get in touch with their inner self by making the child within them scream out loud. Amused to see this rendition of yoga, the kids joined in whole-heartedly.

Modern Melody Team 

Once the kids were all pumped up we had a volunteer group called Modern Melody come in and surprise them with a music session. Putting themselves in the children’s shoes, the group managed to pick the perfect songs to teach the children. They started off with Aashayein from the movie Iqbal. The children were more than thrilled to see a guitarist accompany them. The singer also gave a small speech explaining the meaning of the lyrics of the song and gave them reason to believe and hope for a better future. Following this, the kids screamed and laughed while singing Bum Bum Bole from the movie Taare Zameen Par. Sadly, this session couldn’t go on forever but the children weren’t disappointed for too long since the next session was equally fun.

Rasika conducting Art and Craft Workshop 

Our very own CRY volunteer, Rasika headed the art and craft session where the children learnt to make 3D Greeting Cards. The children were divided into groups and material was provided to them. Rasika taught them how to make the card step by step and in half an hour each of them was proudly holding up their very own greeting card.

With that we ended the art and craft session and began the introductory theatre session where the volunteers displayed a series of comical acts which the kids found highly amusing.

After the theatre session, Hersh from Kodak conducted a photography workshop where he spoke about the history of photography, the science behind the camera and how cameras help us capture different moments of our life.

Hersh Lulla conducting phtoworkshop with children 

After the brief on photography the kids were given some snacks. Then they were sent out with volunteers to click pictures of their surroundings. This was a part of Photo Voices. The children had a gala time clicking pictures in the school playground and garden. With this we concluded Day 1 of Summer camp.

A Big thank you to all our CRY volunteers for all the help and support!

Sagar, Suman, Rasika, Pooja, Mohit, Kiran, Prakhar, Rohan, Yash, Yashashree, Apoorva, Karan, Raakesh, Amey, Rajdeep, Rahul, Kush, Volunteers from Modern Melody , Hersh Lulla , Cynthia Dias, Radhika and Anuja Kothari  


Press Coverage got for the summer camp 

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=64335&boxid=9583&ed_date=2014-5-15&ed_code=820015&ed_page=3

International Volunteer Day Celebration

On January 12, 2014 the International Volunteers’ Day was celebrated at the CRY office. An enthusiastic group of twenty seven of CRY’s old and new volunteers from various PAG areas (New Bombay, Andheri, Kalyan and Bandra to name a few) attended the event. 

The event began with an introductory address by Abha Duggal (Senior Manager, VA, West) welcoming all the volunteers and thanking them for taking out the time to be present for the occasion. The group was then taken on a brief, yet informative tour of the office premises acquainting them with the various departments, their nature of work and a general understanding of what everyday work life at CRY feels like. The volunteers were also happy to interact with staff members from departments such as RG (Resource Generation), CP (Corporate Funding) and Admin, which gave them an opportunity to understand various aspects of CRY.

The office tour was followed by an address by Kreanne Rabadi (Regional Director, West) who spoke to the volunteers about the invaluable support that their work provides to the organization. A PowerPoint presentation which described inspiring work that volunteers across the country had brought about was also shown to the group, along with a video clip of the CEO, Pooja Marwaha, thanking all CRY volunteers for their endless support and commitment over the years.

After this, the volunteers were requested to share their personal experiences, comments, complaints and expectations regarding their association with CRY. This received a great response as many volunteers came forward to share their thoughts. It was a heartfelt moment as the volunteers praised the organization for the work its goals and dedication to the cause of Child Rights. 

“It is changing our lives for the better.”

They expressed their hope for a regular and consistent volunteering body and showed immense amounts of 

spirit and excitement for future activities with CRY. 

This was followed by a presentation made by one of the interns (Rohit Sahasranamam) for this occasion, showcasing the invaluable input that volunteers provide to all of CRY’s initiatives. Some of the volunteers were then felicitated for their consistent effort, after which small tokens of appreciation were given to all the volunteers. The CRY staff took turns in handing these over and personally thanking the volunteers for their work. 

An interactive activity had been planned for the volunteers next, for which they were asked to write down their strengths as a volunteer on a piece of paper. Once they had written these down, each one of them posed with a photo booth of a superhero. It was an extremely engaging activity in which the volunteers participated with great gusto. The CRY staff was asked to do the same and some interesting new superpowers were discovered that day.

“Dedication and commitment for child rights.”

“Talkative, friendly.”

“Art…for child rights”

“My belief that children are the most important people of all.”

This was followed by a closing address from Pooja Marwaha (CEO) who thanked the volunteers for their commitment and time and voiced everyone’s thought when she wished aloud that next year’s celebration see many more faces along with the present ones.

The event was then concluded with a feast for all the volunteers including a delicious chocolate cake. It was a very warm and special occasion for everyone and a lovely way to thank all the volunteers for the tremendous amount of support they have been providing to CRY through the years.