CRY Atlanta Action Center’s first Holi raised $2000 for underprivileged children in India
On Saturday, March 7, the registration volunteers at Shakerag Park were overwhelmed with people waiting to be welcomed into the first ever Atlanta CRY Holi. The music had begun long before then when the dedicated volunteers arrived hours earlier to begin setting up with the anticipation of greeting what they hoped would be 200 guests if they were lucky. They got more. By the end of the event it was confirmed that we had over 450 people in attendance and raised over $2000.
Generous corporate sponsors were S3 GROUP, Konbiz, and Datamatics. The entire event was lead by Action Center Leader - Aarushi Jain with the aid of the CRY leadership team: Ameya Chander, Ark Angirish, Arihant Jain, Ashna Bhardwaj, Leslie Tran, Nidhi Anilnath, Prashanth Sampathkumar, Rhea Rawla, Ridhi Ajmera, Sachi Puri, Sean Mathew, Shreyas Kumar, Soham Jain, and Tawil Charaniya.
The event was a huge success, thanks to the amazing DJ Arihant, the good food (essential for every kind of event), volunteers from 6 different high schools (Northview High, Peachtree Ridge High, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, South Forsyth High, Chattahoochee High, and Lambert High) and the 450 participants.
Just a few minutes into the event, pink, purple, red, blue, and green powder coated the ground and the trees as well as the faces of everyone in attendance. Some friends resembled smurfs and others wore just as much purple as Barney the dinosaur did. The dancers were grouped as a large mass of people in front of the DJ station. They jumped, sang, danced, and would occasionally part for one individual chasing another in hopes of revenge in the form of a huge handful of color. Little children ran on the outskirts of the crowd while powder showered down on the dancers each time the beat dropped.
By the end of the event the food had disappeared, as had the crowd as if they had never been there. The park looked the same as it had at 9 that morning…with one minor alteration. All across the landscape of the park were splashes of color that coated everything. You could spot a pink and green trashcan, purple picnic tables, and red and blue tree trunks. Over all the effect was incredible and stunning.
“We want to help underprivileged children to live their lives with just as much color as we saw there that day. We want them to have the right to food, clean water, good education, and a happy life. We invited people to come and help make a child’s life a little brighter, a little more colorful. And they did. We did. Together we raised enough money to make a real difference, have a real impact and raise awareness for Child’s Rights and You, and we couldn’t be prouder,” said one of the volunteers.
Editor’s Note: The organizers and participants are to be commended for their caring and initiative. For anyone planning future large events or Holi events, it would be helpful to note two things: A) Large events in public places often require special permits—please inquire when you are setting up the event. B) Different cultures have different reactions to the incredible and stunning sight of Holi powder on the landscape—please also inquire about this, and consider having the event indoors where you can clean up afterwards or outdoors at a South Asian venue. Best wishes for another very Happy Holi next year!
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