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.
