Akaanksha, meaning hope in Indian, is the name of the school Penn State's Rotaract Club is fundraising to support -- as well as what they want to bring to the students there.
Members of Rotaract attended the State College Rotary Club meeting Tuesday night, where they presented their fundraising effort in addition to their club's current and ongoing initiatives.
Rotaract President Bhakti Mehta showed a slideshow of the school, Akaanksha, that the group will be raising money for throughout the rest of the academic year. The school is located in India, and is designed for children with cerebral palsy.
The school provides certain therapies and helps students to grasp basic motor skills and basic concepts they otherwise would not have the opportunity to, Mehta (senior-health policy and administration) said.
"They're getting to experience all that we take for granted," she said. It also prevents the students' conditions from remaining untreated, she added.
Mehta volunteered at the school two summers ago, and said she was so touched by what she saw at the school, and the work they did there, that she knew she wanted to help out.
Rotaract's main focus in fundraising for Akaanksha is to provide the children and their parents safe and reliable bus transportation to and from the school, Mehta said. Because of their disability, many students have a parent spend the school day with them, but they do not always have the ability to get to the school each day or stay the entire time. The traveling can also be a grueling experience, as Mehta said the city is polluted and not sanitary for the children to travel in.
Mehta said she was glad to be fundraising for this effort. Rotaract's main focus is community service, heavily influenced by fundraising, said Mehta.
Fundraising for Akaanksha is the group's international project, but there are three other aspects to Rotaract. They do work within the club, vocational work and business interactions. Mehta said many of those aspects coincide with what the Rotary Club does. She added that she feels it is a good thing that they have close contact with each other, and are able to help one another out when it is needed.
Rotary Club President Ray Papale said he was glad to see such a motivated group on campus. Rotaract presented the cause as part of what he called "New Generations Month." He only had praise for the work the group is doing, calling them "one of the most successful student groups on campus."
Former president of the Lion 90.7 FM and current member of the Penn State Student Radio Alumni Interest Group Tom Shakely attended Tuesday night's meeting. He said he was interested in what Rotaract is doing because he feels it is unique among Penn State activism. He believes Rotaract will see concrete results through their initiative.
"It blends local community with international action," he said.
