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LATEST NEWS New Post Added: June 28, 2009 Visions' 501(c)(3) Status is Granted!!
After many months of legal paperwork and waiting for the IRS, Visions was finally approved as a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. We owe a big thank you to our pro bono attorney and accountant, Adam and Nanda, for their patience and hard work in getting Visions this approval. All donations made while our application was pending are retroactively tax-exempt, and all future charitable donations to Visions will be similarly tax-exempt. New Post Added: June 15, 2009 New Visions Leadership Handbooks Unveiled
Now in our 7th year, we have held many Visions trainings across 3 different countries and gained crucial insight into what skills young people today lack and how to impart these skills to them. In today's world, young people need more skills than ever to succeed, but the good news is there are more resources and knowledge than ever before that we can all share. We are pleased to announce that after many years of practice and input from a myriad of sources, the new Visions materials are now complete and have been printed professionally in India! The new handbooks cover Leadership & Life Skills, Human Rights & Citizenship, and Global & Local Issues. The materials are currently available in English and Tamil, although we hope to get the book translated and printed into other languages in the future, as we expand our efforts. These handbooks were devised specifically for Visions' purposes, and it is our great hope that these books will be used to better the lives and minds of young people with whom we have the privilege of working for many years to come. New Post Added: May 30, 2009 KVLC Construction Now Underway in Colombo
Long-awaited construction on the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre began in April, marking the beginning of a process which will take many more months to complete. After much hard work and organizing by Visions’ local partners in Colombo, Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam, the foundation for the building has now been laid. A Project Manager has been appointed and was put in charge of managing the construction of the centre. Construction will continue for many more months, but we are still in need of funds to complete this project and fully develop this important learning centre. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact us today. Thank you for your support! New Post Added: April 29, 2009 Visions T-Shirts Now Available!
You can now order yourself a beautiful, trendy, custom-printed Visions t-shirt and benefit our Visions Leadership Education Program at the same time. Both men's and women's t-shirts designed exclusively for Visions and printed on high quality Alternative Apparel shirts are now available. You can order your t-shirts online via ShopModerne.com for just $20 by clicking the link here: [ORDER YOUR VISIONS T-SHIRT TODAY!]. All orders will be shipped to you right away. Now you can look good and support a very worthy cause. New Post Added: April 14, 2009 Send Supplies for our Summer Leadership Trainings in India through the Visions Wishlist
Visions needs your help again...with 2 upcoming leadership trainings planned in South India this summer, in which 130+ youth will directly benefit, we are in need of general training supplies. Please visit our Amazon Wishlist [CLICK HERE] and consider purchasing some supplies to make these trainings a reality. As always, we thank you for your support and generosity! New Post Added: March 23, 2009 Volunteer with Visions in South India This Summer 2009!
It's that time of year again...Visions is holding 2 youth leadership & empowerment trainings in South India this summer, and you are invited to come and volunteer! This is now Visions' 7th year of running this program, for which over 80 international volunteers have now volunteered their time abroad. For those of you who have volunteered with us before, you know how meaningful and insightful these trips can be. For those of you who have not volunteered with us, we invite you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore, have fun, and make a difference in the lives of many underprivileged young people from destitute communities and disadvantaged backgrounds. New Post Added: March 4, 2009 2nd Annual "Fashions at the Cove" Charity Fashion Show will take place April 16, 2009 in La Jolla, CA
On Thursday, April 16th Visions will be hosting its 2nd Annual "Fashions at the Cove" Charity Fashion Show at the La Jolla Cove Suites rooftop in San Diego from 6:30-8:30pm. Tickets are $20 for students and $30 for community. Only 200 tickets are available, so please order yours today by emailing fashionsatthecove@gmail.com or Visions Director, Greg Buie at gtbuie@gmail.com. Join us for this exciting evening of great fashions by local designers, vendors, henna artist, live DJ, opportunity drawing, drinks & refreshments, presentations, and more. Hosted this year by fashion & lifestyle expert Anna Nguyen [www.stylewithanna.com], this is sure to be an event not to miss. All proceeds will benefit youth in Sri Lanka and India through our Visions Leadership Education & Scholarship Programs. Our contributors this year include: New Post Added: February 12, 2009 Youth & Teacher Leadership Trainings Held in Colombo
Over the years the Visions team has been able to develop and refine the Visions Leadership Program and create a truly unique opportunity for youth and teachers to grow as leaders and citizens of the world. This past month, Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam (Hindu Ladies College) in Colombo played host to another set of Visions Leadership trainings to benefit their students and staff. A 5-day youth training was held from January 26-30 for 50 A/L girls, who will continue the work of the Student Leadership Committee that Visions established at the school last year. The new group is full of energy and ideas, and they are eager to further serve their school as young leaders. Visions also held its second teacher training at the school from January 31-February 1, benefiting 26 teachers from Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam and a few nearby Colombo schools. This training enables teachers to learn about leadership themselves and helps to develop their skills. It also helps them to teach leadership to their students and work these values-based lessons into their curriculum. In addition, teachers are shown how to incorporate many games and other fun activities for their students into their lesson plans, taught interactive and creative teaching techniques, and allowed the rare opportunity to interact with their fellow staff. Each teacher was given a Creative Teaching supply kit, as well as many other classroom supplies and resources. New Post Added: February 2, 2009 Student Leadership Committee (SLC) at Hindu Ladies College Wraps Up a Very Successful Year
In December 2007, Visions held a 6-day leadership & empowerment training at Saiva Mangaiyar Vidyalayam (Hindu Ladies College) in Colombo for 25 young women. These participants were shown how to create their own Student Leadership Committee to enhance school life, support their peers, assist with general school development and activities, and build a strong organization that represents the needs and wants of the students themselves. Under the guidance of teacher advisor Mrs. Sivasubramaniam, the SLC has flourished this past year! The SLC has planned and successfully executed 6 projects, including: 1. Sports Meet food stall (fundraiser) New Post Added: January 20, 2009 Visions to Launch Scholarship Program
Thanks to the generous donations of those who gave to Visions during the holiday season, Visions collected about $1,500 to be used specifically for the Visions Scholarship Program. Although this is just a small amount to start, we hope to significantly expand the program throughout the course of the year and assist dozens of disadvantaged, deserving young people in their personal, academic, or professional endeavors. The scholarship application is now available on our website here: Visions Scholarship Program. Our first recipient has already been identified, thus launching our scholarship program. We hope supporting youth who were orphaned or endured great hardship in their life through this scholarship program will become another crucial component of the Visions organization. New Post Added: December 9, 2008 Get Your Online Shopping Done with 20% Savings & Help Visions
This month online shopping company [Shopmoderne.com] is offering a 20% promo code to all Visions supporters throughout the month of December. In addition, 10% of this month's proceeds will be donated to Visions. We encourage you to check out their website for great fashion for a cause. New Post Added: November 29, 2008 Visions 2008 Year in Review Now Available!
Our annual report on the activities and progress of the Visions organization for 2008 is now available. You can download the document from our [Annual Reports] page on this website. We hope you will read about our progress and successes throughout this year, our 6th year of operations (!), and support us in our many efforts by [DONATING] today! Thank you! New Post Added: October 30, 2008 High School Book Drive Nets Thousands of Books for Sri Lanka Last week, students at Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California held a book drive for Visions and collected over 7,800 books! It was an exceptional effort organized by ASB student leaders, Yvonne & Mignotae, and supported by the entire school. Approximately 2,300 culturally-appropriate academic textbooks, children's books, fiction and nonfiction works, and other books were sorted and will be shipped to local schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The remaining 5,500 books were donated to four grateful local libraries in Placentia, Anaheim, Orange, and Yorba Linda, California. Thank you to all who supported this fantastic effort. The books being shipped to Sri Lanka will serve Visions youth for many years to come. New Post Added: October 23, 2008 2nd e-Newsletter Goes out to Keep You Informed The second Visions e-newsletter has just gone out! Read all about Visions' efforts in India, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, as we continue to grow and build meaningful education programs and projects to help disadvantaged youth, teachers, & communities. Get involved with our exciting work today! New Post Added: September 15, 2008 Kalagam holds successful dance fundraiser in Colombo In the month of August, Saiva Mangaiyar Kalagam, Visions' partner for the Kalagam Visions Learning Centre in Colombo, held a dance fundraiser to benefit this important project. Showcasing their impressive talents, Kalagam was able to put on a very professional show for a huge crowd in Colombo. The Visions Team could not be happier about their commitment to the Learning Centre project and commends them on this successful fundraising effort. Congrats to Kalagam on this wonderful achievement! You can read all about the show and view photos following the links on our News page. New Post Added: August 20, 2008 Yorba Linda Rotary Club donates $2,000 for Visions Leadership & Empowerment Camps The Yorba Linda Rotary Club (www.ylrotary.org) has generously donated $2,000 to Visions for our summer leadership program. This donation has come at just the right time and will go a long way in enabling us to do the work that we do best. Thank you, Rotarians, for your kindness and generosity. We hope this is only the beginning of a long, mutually beneficial relationship between our two groups! New Post Added: July 6, 2008 Visions Hosts "Going Global in an IT World" Conference at UCLA On Saturday, June 28th Visions hosted a conference at the University of California, Los Angeles to discuss the crucial need & opportunity for IT in Sri Lanka today and to initiate discussions behind 3 proposed IT institutes (2 in Colombo & 1 in Jaffna). We welcomed representatives from ITTPO, St. John's Old Boys Association (OBA), Operation USA, Manitha Neyam Trust, and Visions, who were some of the 30 participants who joined us either in person or via conference call. This was an important first step in making these institutes a reality. We look forward to seeing each project through to its completion and to stay committed to the overall development of each. New Post Added: June 18, 2008 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT We regret to inform you that we have had to relocate our Visions Camp in Sri Lanka this summer to Karaikal, Southern India. Please visit our 'NEWS' page for more information. New Post Added: May 29, 2008 SAVE THE DATE: June 28, 2008 'Going Global in an IT World': Workshop for 2 proposed IT Institutes in Sri Lanka Event: An opportunity to learn about and participate in the development of the idea behind 2 proposed IT Institutes in Sri Lanka that will benefit underprivileged young people. *For a map of the UCLA campus with event details, please click here: [UCLA Campus Map] *For directions to UCLA, please click here: [map.ais.ucla.edu] Parking is $8 for an all-day pass and can be purchased at Westwood Plaza or Sunset & Westwood Plaza information booths. The attendant there will direct you to the most convenient, available parking structure. Moore Hall is located in the central-east side of campus, just off Bruin Walk. Please download and print the map provided above to locate information booths, parking structures, and the building location. If you have any questions, please call 714.315.0518. New Post Added: May 4, 2008 SAVE THE DATES: May 22 & 25, 2008 Event: A Conference to share ideas and projects, and to gain insight into how best to enact positive change for those in need in Sri Lanka. Event:"Lighting the Way": Visions & Operation USA Social Event Join us for this exciting night out for a cause! Visions, in partnership with Operation USA, will be hosting a social happy hour mixer and informational evening at Katra Lounge in Manhattan. New Post Added: April 28, 2008 SAVE THE DATE: May 5, 2006 Join us for a 1-hour presentation at UC San Diego on Visions, nonprofit & development work in Sri Lanka and Kenya, and how you can get involved. Event UPDATE: MAY 1, 2008 FACT: Visions summer trips are extremely economical! According to the facts presented in an article that appeared in the Orange County Register on April 13, 2008, the annual Visions summer camps cost approximately 35% the amount of the average volunteer trips run by other organizations or companies. The article reads, "If you're looking to volunteer for only a few weeks, you'll be hard pressed to find a program without fees. A typical two-week program runs around $2,600...". Visions volunteers going to Sri Lanka this summer (2008) will be paying just $1295 for 16 days, and Kenya volunteers will be paying $1395 for 20 days. These trips are extremely economical, and you will be hard pressed to find any other organization that offers such a high quality and thoughtful program at such an incredibly competitive price. We invite you to join us this summer as a Visions volunteer in Sri Lanka or Kenya! UPDATE: APRIL 22, 2008 Fashions at the Cove Raises $2,671.47 for Visions Summer Leadership Camps The 1st Annual Fashions at the Cove Charity Fashion Show to benefit Visions was held on Thursday, April 17th at the La Jolla Cove Suites in beautiful Downtown La Jolla. Over 120 guests attended the event, which raised $2,671.47 for the annual Visions Summer Leadership Camps in Sri Lanka and Kenya. With the help of many volunteers, including 15 gorgeous models, a DJ, an MC, a few former Visions summer volunteers, and several others, the event went incredibly well. The setting and weather could not have been more perfect either. The event was planned by Trent Holland, a graduating senior at UC San Diego who is volunteering in Kenya this summer, and Visions Co-Director Greg Buie. Special thanks are due to the La Jolla Cove Suites for generously donating the incredible venue with picturesque views of the ocean and beaches, professional photographer Anouk Vashe for her beautiful photos at no charge to Visions, Chillers Clothing, LF La Jolla, Dreamgirls Boutique, all the models and volunteers, and all who came to the event and/or donated to the cause. We are extremely grateful for your support! This is a positive first step in raising the necessary funds to cover all the expenses of our annual summer leadership camps. We still need your help, so if you would like to donate to this important cause please do so today. Thank you! |
