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BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 Supports The Nature Conservancy

July 2016

[Updated Sept 2016, see end]

10-year-old Sahaj Patel had his laces tied and was ready to go on an early Saturday morning. Sahaj was on a mission to fundraise for a cause close to his heart and one that reflects a reality of his time: saving the environment. Reversing the impact of global warming seems like a daunting task in and of itself; however, Sahaj was determined to take action and help bring awareness to his local community.

For the last 6 weeks, Sahaj took up the cause of raising funds and awareness to support BAPS Charities Walk Green held on May 7, 2016 in Lilburn, GA. Inspired by the motto of think globally, act locally, Sahaj personally raised over $1,000. With great enthusiasm and ambition, he made an effort to speak to all those that he knew in his local community.

Recognizing the need to promote environment awareness, this year BAPS Charities Walk Green is supporting The Nature Conservancy and its Plant a Billion Trees campaign to restore 1.6 million acres of land by 2025. The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. With over 1 million members, the organization protects more than 119 million acres of land, thousands of miles of rivers, and operates more than 100 marine conservation projects globally since 1951. In support of this initiative, BAPS Charities walks across North America will contribute to the rejuvenation of dying forests by helping plant over 70,000 trees in the United States.

This year’s walk brought together over 800 participants from the very young to the elderly. The walk launched with a traditional prayer for world peace and an opening speech by Soumya Hombaiah, Director of Finance and Operations at The Nature Conservancy: “We are proud and honored to be partnered with BAPS Charities in sharing our commitment to conserve nature for the environmental good and for future generations.”

In addition to supporting the Nature Conservancy, the Walk Green 2016 in Lilburn, GA also supported The Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta as a local beneficiary. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta strives to save and change the lives of children and teens, especially those who need us most, by providing a safe, positive, and engaging environment and programs that prepare and inspire them to achieve Great Futures.

BAPS Charities undertakes many such charitable events throughout the year to support the community. In addition to annual walkathons across over fifty cities in North America, BAPS Charities hosts a variety of programs to support healthy living, environmental awareness, and education initiatives.

Website Bonus Feature

Photo Gallery:
http://www.bapscharities.org/usa/atlanta/walk-green-2016-in-atlanta-ga/?fb_ref=Default

Videos:
BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016, Atlanta, GA
Published on May 31, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCy1EFkBF6Y&feature=share

BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016
Published on Feb 22, 2016
https://www.facebook.com/BAPScharities/videos/1057789647596405/

Link:
http://www.bapscharities.org/usa/atlanta/walk-green-2016-in-atlanta-ga/?fb_ref=Default

[The article above appears only on the website for June 2016, not in the June print/digital issues.]

Posted 6/20/16.

RESULTS OF THIS WALK: On September 10, 2016, BAPS Charities presented The Nature Conservancy (TNC) with a donation of $100,000 raised by 17,000 volunteers through the nationwide BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016. This effort will help plant a billion trees by 2025 and 70,000 trees in 2016.

What a motivation for the thousands of volunteers who took action to save our environment!

BAPS Charities donates $100,000 to TNC to help plant a billion trees
Robbinsville, NJ – Vishnu (age 8) along with his younger brother Brahma (age 6) had their laces tied and were ready to go on an early Sunday morning. Vishnu was to participate in BAPS Charities' Walk Green 2016 to fundraise for a cause close to his heart: saving the environment. Vishnu raised $851.59 by going door to door in his neighborhood. Over 17,000 BAPS Charities volunteers similar to Vishnu in 53 cities across USA were determined to take action for reversing the impact of global warming. Their collective effort supported The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to plant one billion trees by 2025 through their Plant a Billion Trees initiative. The effort will help plant 70,000 trees in 2016.

On September 10, 2016, BAPS Charities presented The Nature Conservancy (TNC) with a donation of $100,000 in Robbinsville, NJ. BAPS Charities youth, Board members, presented The Nature Conservancy’s Maria Fisher, Annual Giving & Stewardship Officer; John Stapleton, Legacy Club Donor Relations Manager; and Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager (New Jersey) with the gift followed by a tree-planting ceremony.

“It means a lot to us that your support is made possible by the thousands of BAPS Charities volunteers who believe, like we do, that a healthy planet is critical to building healthy communities where both nature and people can thrive,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “BAPS Charities has shown that serving as good stewards of the planet is the collective responsibility that you take seriously. We also appreciate how you bring awareness to environmental issues and environmental opportunities on occasions like Earth Day and by supporting initiatives like planting trees, promoting water conservation and renewable energy sources.”

Speaking on the occasion, Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager said, “Thank you to BAPS Charities for your incredibly generous contribution to The Nature Conversancy’s plant a billion initiate in North America. I was especially inspired to see so many children and teenagers participating, not just in the walk but also in the opening ceremonies, and management of the walk. Engaging the next generation of stewards for our planet is extremely crucial, and I am glad BAPS Charities shares that commitment.”

John Stapleton, The Nature Conservancy’s Legacy Club Donor Relations Manager, said, “The leadership, support and successful promotion of conversation through the BAPS Charities nationwide walkathons, has raised awareness and support for the restoration of forests in United States. I would like to command BAPS Charities and its unique civil mobilization that transcends nations, states, and ages harnesses a deep sense of volunteerism and inspires and as well empowers us to step up the environmental challenges of our times. You are our true partner in conservation. Thank you.”

TNC staff joined BAPS Charities at 28 of the walk locations around the country to participate as walkers alongside BAPS Charities volunteers, and also provided regional and national updates of their work. Across all Walk Green 2016 events, The Nature Conservancy staff commended the strong support of young people interested in environmental preservation.

Jane Miller, Deputy Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey commented after visiting the Walk Green 2016 in Robbinsville, “I am blown away that an all-volunteer organization can put together something that is this huge and does so much good and involve so many young people. I understand that BAPS Charities has helped in disaster relief after Sandy, also doing relief work globally not just locally, and they are visionaries in this kind of work.”

In addition to the annual Walkathon, BAPS Charities actively supports environmental sustainability efforts throughout the year through recycling projects and utilizing solar power. BAPS Charities is also involved with tree planting and water conservation efforts as well as promoting effective management practices in activities to ensure optimal and efficient energy consumption.

BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 Locations:
Atlanta, GA
Detroit, MI
Manassas, VA
Sacramento, CA
Austin, TX
Edison, NJ
Miami, FL
San Antonio, TX
Bakersfield, CA
Fresno, CA
Minneapolis, MN
San Diego, CA
Bloomington, IL
Hartford, CT
Nashville, TN
San Jose, CA
Boston, MA
Harrisburg, PA
New Castle, DE
San Francisco, CA
Charlotte, NC
Houston, TX
New York, NY
Seattle, WA
Cherry Hill, NJ
Indianapolis, IN
Orlando, FL
St. Louis, MO
Chicago, IL
Jackson, MI
Parsippany, NJ
Tampa, FL
Cincinnati, OH
Jacksonville, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Virginia Beach, VA
Cleveland, OH
Jersey City, NJ
Phoenix, AZ
Warrington, PA
Clifton, NJ
Kansas City, KS
Portland, OR
Washington, D.C.
Columbus, OH
Lansdale, PA
Raleigh, NC
Dallas, TX
Little Rock, AR
Richmond, VA
Dayton, OH
Los Angeles, CA
Robbinsville, NJ

Image Captions
1. BAPS Charities donates $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy which will help plant a billion trees by 2025 and 70,000 trees by end of 2016. From Left to Right (Parth Patel, BAPS Charities Board Members – Praful Raja, Rati Patel, Yogendra Parmar, The Nature Conservancy representatives - Maria Fisher, Erin Daly, John Stapleton, and Moksha Patel.

2. A group photo of BAPS Charities volunteers who helped donate $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy. The donation will help plant a billion trees by 2025 and 70,000 trees by the end of 2016.

3. Larry Kuser, Owner Fernbrook Nursery; Praful Raja, BAPS Charities Board Member; Maria Fisher, The Nature Conservancy, Annual Giving & Stewardship Office; Yagnesh Patel, Director, Outreach plant a ceremonial tree. BAPS Charities donated $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy which will help plant a billion trees by 2025 and 70,000 trees by end of 2016.

4. Erin Daly, Donor Relations Manager of The Nature Conservancy thanks the thousands of BAPS Charities volunteers who helped raised $100,000 which will help plant 70,000 trees in 2016 and a billion trees by 2025. <
br /> 5. The BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 closing ceremony

6. The BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 closing ceremony

7. Vishnu (age 8) receives donation during his door to door campaign to raise funds for BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 for a cause close to his heart: saving the environment. He raised $851.59

8. Vishnu (age 8) along with his younger brother Brahma (age 6) who went door to door to raise funds for BAPS Charities Walk Green 2016 to help plant a billion trees by 2025.

PHOTO GALLERY:
https://baps.box.com/v/BAPSCharities-Donates-100000