June - July, 2008
USA & Canada

From the humble beginning in 1974, with the inauguration of the first BAPS mandir in New York till now, thousands of volunteers of all ages have been at the core of all the activities of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. BAPS volunteers stand with the community in dire situations, whether it is a persistent problem or a natural calamity. For BAPS volunteers, the concept of Seva (selfless service) means more than volunteering time or donating money – it asks the individual to sacrifice and serve with devotion and selflessness. The spirit of seva, as exemplified in the life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, inspires BAPS volunteers to donate millions of hours annually.

A first of its kind event was organized in all regions this summer – The Regional Leadership Seminar, where volunteers of each region came together in one forum to further strengthen their selfless and humanitarian efforts. The theme of the seminar was Mahajano yena gataha sa pantha, meaning, follow the path of the great.

While volunteering, an individual is often perplexed with situations he might have never faced. Balancing work, family life and volunteering can also be tough. How can each volunteer better serve the society? How can he inspire others to serve? How can he balance his own personal and social life? Through workshops, teamwork activities and speeches by learned and experienced sadhus and volunteers, the participants learned, through various examples in the lives of great men, the best approach for performing seva diligently and with devotion.

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