by Rashi Khanna

Each year ISW recognizes high school students for their outstanding work in academics and in the community.

ISW is pleased to announce the 2020 Awards for Academic Excellence go to:

 Danush Chelladurai

 Divya Raghunathan 

The 2020 Citizenship Awards go to:

 Yash Chauhan

 Tanvi Manjrekar

Congratulations to the awardees for their amazing work and we wish them the best.
Thanks to the judges for their diligent review.

On June 13th, the Indian Youth Group (IYG) held its very first virtual Election! Despite the pandemic, IYG worked diligently to hold a safe and fair election. We are very proud to announce the newly elected IYG 2020-2021 Executive Committee:

• President: Divya Raghunathan
• Vice President: Gaurav Jaisingh
• Co-Secretaries: Aryan Kale & Rishabh Makkar
• Treasurer: Rishab Parikh
• Project Manager: Arnav Mishra

Top Row: Advisors Mitali Biswas and Shubh Agrawal, Outgoing President Raunit Kohli. Second Row: Outgoing Treasurer Avi Shah, Vice-President Gaurav Jaisingh, Outgoing Secretary Anjali Tanna. Third Row: Project Manager Arnav Mishra, Treasurer Rishab Parikh, President Divya Raghunathan. Third Row: Co-Secretaries Rishabh Makkar and Aryan Kale

ISW loves to say that we are the future of our community. I can say with full confidence that they are correct. Our members have proven themselves to be leaders in their community, providing hundreds of hours of service to people all around the Central Mass area. I have no doubt that our new EC will run this organization flawlessly. I am excited to see how they adapt to our new environment and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

In my six years of IYG, I have grown tremendously and made life-long friends. From Lazer-Craze to Showcase India, IYG has been like my family. I would like to thank all the IYG advisors who have helped grow this organization to nearly three times the size of when I first joined: Tikoo Aunty, Poonam Aunty, Rajit Uncle, Mitali, and Shubh. I would also like to thank the ISW EC for being so supportive of us and being a guide for our success. Thanks also to every member of IYG, including all of those members in the class of 2020: we will be remembered as not only the quarantined class, but also the largest number of IYG members in a single class to date.

I am honored to have been a part of this incredible organization, rising the ranks from member to President. As I step into the next stage of my life (on the other side of the country), I will carry with me the innumerable skills IYG has given me. The India Center will always be my home and I am thankful to be a part of this incredible community!

Raunit Kohli
Outgoing IYG President

An Update From IYG

As we enter June and our 4th month in this pandemic, IYG is reminded of the many events we missed out on. During this time, IYG would have participated in the Boston Walk for Hunger and celebrated Holi with our Humrahi Group. Most importantly, IYG would’ve run our 2020 presentation of Showcase India! To be candid, the COVID-induced shock has been a bit harsh on our flagship event. After months of preparation- gathering choreographer information, mp3 files, making programs, and booking venues- it was admittedly quite disheartening for the IYG Executive Committee and members alike. Showcase India represents much more than just a show. It’s a symbol of community, of unity, of hard work and mostly, of ambition. However, we have learned to take this misfortune and learn from it. We have learned to realize that success did not lie in the event itself, but rather in the skills that our group has learned while working on it. We’ve been able to develop a positive outlook and learned to focus on the “journey” rather than the destination, as the journey holds more value.

Luckily, IYG has made sure that Covid-19 has not stopped its growth. We are excited to be holding our executive board elections at our virtual June meeting on Zoom. We look forward to seeing what our new EC will be doing! We also have a record number of seniors in IYG who have now graduated and are preparing for the next chapter in their lives!

For our members that aren’t graduating, the struggle has been equally challenging. The switch to online learning has been difficult. Every student has a different learning style- which can be targeted with various in classroom techniques. However, with this sudden switch to a single technique, teachers are forced to think outside the box with different ways to cater to each individual student on an online platform. IYG recognizes this struggle and would love to express their gratitude to all teachers in these trying times. For the students themselves? We all find it imperative to realize that these times are hard, and it truly is okay not to be okay. Prioritize your mental and physical health. Getting an English paper in 2 days late is worth saving yourself from having a panic attack. Several schools have opted to go Pass/Fail for this year’s second semester, allowing a lot more lenience on the student’s part. Take care of yourself. Sacrificing your health is not worth a good grade.

In these hard times it’s so important for our community to stick together. On behalf of IYG, we wish you all the best, and to stay healthy and happy.

Interviewed by Ria Deshpande

Saharsh Mehta is a resident of Westborough who attended UMass Medical School, expecting to graduate in June 2020. Instead, under Governor Charlie Baker’s decision to address the coronavirus pandemic, his batch became one of the first in the country to graduate months early in March.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about his unique experience. Read his inspiring story below!

Where do you work?

I spent seven weeks in a surgical ICU unit at UMass Memorial, which is meant for patients who need non-emergent surgeries. However, due to the pandemic, the unit was converted into a coronavirus ICU for very sick patients who either tested positive or were suspected to have COVID-19. I will be starting as an orthopedic surgery resident at UMass in July.

How did you handle the transition from academics to crisis, especially since it happened so quickly?

In medical school, while years one and two are primarily didactic, years three and four are clinical where you rotate through different specialties. At UMass, this is done gradually, with one-month rotations at different hospitals in Massachusetts such as Cape Cod Hospital, Saint Vincent’s Hospital, and Milford Medical Center. This definitely made me more malleable and accepting of different workflows and strategies. My coworkers and the protocols in place helped me integrate as well, and it helped that I was working at my home school hospital where people were very understanding. However, I certainly had to take on a little bit more responsibility. It helped that attendings and residents were also learning with me since COVID-19 is so new. I didn’t feel like I was behind on anything, and there was a lot of relying on medical intuition. 

What is it like to be on the front lines during a pandemic?

The protocols in the hospital changed a lot with the pandemic. We couldn’t wear our scrubs to work. When we stepped into the hospital, there was a row of tables where you sanitized, got a new mask, and changed into new scrubs. We wore a mask all day with the presumption that everyone who was not tested had coronavirus. I made it a point to carry very little with me, bringing only my pager, pen, license, and credit card. As I live with my grandparents, I decided to rent a place to stay isolated and keep them safe. When I came home every day, the first thing I did was shower. The whole experience was surreal at first, but you get used to it. Aside from this, I noticed that things in the hospital moved a little slower due to the pandemic. The rapid response team usually comes right away after the code is called, with different medical professionals rushing into the room. However, with the pandemic, the neurologist had to do televisits instead of actually being there, though I didn’t see any adverse outcomes from this.

Shoutout to the nurses! They were the ones going into patient rooms everyday, they’re real heroes.

How is the reality of working as a doctor different from what you learned in school?

In med school, my responsibilities were to look at labs, talk to the nurses, and write notes, while only carrying one patient. However, as a doctor, I had a lot more patients and the care we gave and decisions we made looked a little different. For example, I had a patient who was incapacitated and needed a tracheostomy, which is basically a hole in the neck to help with breathing. We talked to the family on the phone, and they said that the patient probably would not want to have one done so we were only able to provide comfort measures instead of doing procedures. Thankfully, we were able to let the family come see the patient. That was one of the things that changed the most from med school to working as a doctor -- I had a lot more contact with the patients' families, calling them once or twice every day. Working in such an isolated environment, this contact was very gratifying but it was also tough. It was hard to communicate by phone with family members when someone’s not doing well - especially so since most people were not able to visit loved ones.

Do you have any specific advice to give to the community during this time?

First of all, I want to say thank you to the community for engaging in social distancing and putting their trust in us. Healthcare workers put themselves on a pedestal sometimes but they are just doing their jobs, and are really fortunate to get paid. Other people are making sacrifices every day too. I really want to thank essential workers like grocery store workers and transportation workers -- you are really the heroes. EMTs are also incredible and I wish that they were paid more.

Finally, I just want to say that human beings tend to push each other away in times of crisis, but I really urge you to come together instead. Instead of social distancing, we should be physical distancing, but standing in social solidarity.

By Ragoo Raghunathan

For the past 8-9 weeks, a majority of us have been sitting at home, either at a make-shift office, kitchen table, dining table or bedroom nook-converted into office. Normally we would be meeting people on the way to work, at work, breaks, on the way back home, or just while grabbing a drink at your local hang-out spot. All this has become almost impossible. However, it has become paramount to keep networking.

Given the uncertain times, one needs to keep constantly networking. No telling when you or someone you know or love will need to look for a job, project or business partner. So, how do you keep networking in times of social distancing.

Social networking is key. Tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are becoming more relevant than ever. Use any extra time to update your profiles, relevant to the audience you are catering to. It might make sense to have 2 separate profiles – one for business and one for personal stuff. Never mix them up. Be current and update as often as possible. Engage your preferred audience by posting relevant information and tagging people you would like attention from.

Video Conferencing is the other approach. With various providers like Zoom, Webex, Anymeeting offering limited free service offerings, it might be helpful to set up an account. This can be used for keeping in touch professionally with your network. You can schedule calls, forward invites or even have instant video conference calls with a small number of people with the free account. Some of your contacts may have paid, employer provided accounts that can accommodate more people for a group call. For personal networking, FaceTime and WhatsApp video tools come in very handy. I’ve used WhatsApp video a lot more in the recent few weeks than I had ever in the whole of last year.

When you are networking, keep a few things in mind.

Be mindful of their time. Scheduling a call is always better, however you may not be able to do it all the time. When you call, ask them if they have a few minutes. Tailor your conversation based on the response. Don’t add to their frustration with outrageous asks and impractical requests. I’ve seen that calling on the 15 or 45 after the hour usually gives you a better pick-up response. People usually set up calls on the hour or mid hour. These calls usually end a few minutes after the hour or past mid-hour. Even if they have another call, there is some time before they jump on it, and if they recognize your number they may be willing to pick up that call and give you 10 mins of their time.

Be prepared to give! See if you can be of any service. You could just ‘like’ or ‘share’ a post to your network, retweet a message important to them without them asking you. It will be appreciated. Offer to give them your time, share your skills, make a connection they could use, give a referral, sign into a webinar they are offering or a live session they are hosting – anything that they may appreciate.

Reach out to a past connection, friend, co-worker, boss, teacher, mentor. Let them know you were thinking of them. Recall specific moments or memories you had with them, rebuild those connections. Reach out to your local neighbors and local businesses that you have been interacting with, via their customer service portal and appreciate their service. Let them know you can’t wait to visit them.

Either way, this too shall pass. However, we cannot expect to go back a 100% like it was before. There is going to be a ‘new’ normal. Start thinking what that new normal may look like for you. Good luck and keep networking. Keep giving. Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.

ISW member and Yoga practitioner and teacher Alka Yadav Mehta shares how to do Surya Namaskar, Sun Salutation, using a chair as a support to maintain balance. Regardless of your age or ability, we hope you can accompany her at home with this video.

The Shrewsbury Schools, like many others, are facing difficult choices. The significant loss of state and local revenue due to the Covid 19 shutdown and the anticipated new costs has resulted in a staggering gap between resources needed and the fiscal reality of the school budget. The School administration has reached out to the community to help support their continued activities with donations to the Colonial Fund. You can find out more about how you can help at the school website at: https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/future/donate-now

*Did you know that the 2020 Census is happening now ?*

School lunches. Plans for highways. Support for firefighters and families in need. Census results affect your community every day.

It’s essential that we have a complete and accurate count of every person living in the United States, regardless of age, citizenship status, or where they live. Census data is used to allocate critical resources like public benefits, firetrucks, road repairs, and hospitals.

When our people are missing from the Census, resources and political power for our communities get assigned to somewhere else — somewhere that already has more money, more privilege, and more power.

Every home in the United States will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding online, by phone, and by mail.

*Know someone who needs help in a Indian  language?*

ISW has volunteers standing by to offer translation assistance for filling out the census in the following languages :  Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.  Please contact census20@ISWOnline.org  or  call us at (508) 841-5115

If you haven’t done so already – here is how to respond

https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond.html

जनगणना २०२० जनगणना २०२० में आज ही शामिल हो जाईये| 

क्या आप  जानते  है की अभी  जनगणना  का काम हो रहा  है ? क्या  आपने अपनी पूरी जानकारी इस जनगणना में भरकर मुकम्मल  की है? 

अमेरिका में, हमारे दैनिक जीवन में जनगणना बहुत ही महत्त्वपूर्ण है|  यहाँ के सड़क, स्कूल, अग्निशमन दल, अस्पताल, ज़रूरतमंद परिवारों की मदद और बहुत कुछ, यह सब इस जनगणना के परिणामों पर निर्भर करता है| प्रत्येक व्यक्ति की पूर्ण और सटीक गणना होना आवश्यक है,  चाहे वह व्यक्ति किसी भी उम्र, नागरिकता या स्थिति का हो|

तो फिर, आज ही जनगणना की वेबसाइट पर जा के अपनी संपूर्ण जानकारी भर ली जिये|  

यदि आपको किसी सहायता की आवश्यकता हो तो हमें संपर्क करें | हमारे स्वयंसेवक मदद करने के लिए तैयार है | अधिक जानकारी के लिए निम्नलिखित वेबसाइट पर जाकर सुनिश्चित करें | 

संपर्क ईमेल - census20@ISWOnline.org  संपर्क फोन -  (508) 841-5115

ಜನಗಣತಿ 2020 ಇಂದು 2020 ರ ಜನಗಣತಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿ

ಜನಗಣತಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಈಗ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ನಿಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆಯೇ? ಈ ಜನಗಣತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ನೀವು ಭರ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೀರಾ? ಅಮೆರಿಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಗಣತಿ ಬಹಳ ಮುಖ್ಯ. ರಸ್ತೆಗಳು, ಶಾಲೆಗಳು, ಅಗ್ನಿಶಾಮಕ ದಳಗಳು, ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳು, ನಿರ್ಗತಿಕ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳ ಸಹಾಯ ಮತ್ತು ಇನ್ನೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವು ಈ ಜನಗಣತಿಯ ಫಲಿತಾಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಿವೆ. ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಖರವಾದ ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವುದು ಅವಶ್ಯಕ. ಇಂದೇ ಜನಗಣತಿ ವೆಬ್‌ಸೈಟ್‌ಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಭರ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿ. ನಿಮಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸಹಾಯ ಬೇಕಾದರೆ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸಿ. ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ವಯಂಸೇವಕರು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಲು ಸಿದ್ಧರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಾಗಿ, ಕೆಳಗಿನ ವೆಬ್‌ಸೈಟ್‌ಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಲು ಮರೆಯದಿರಿ.

ಇಮೇಲ್ - census20@ISWOnline.org  ದೂರವಾಣಿ - (508) 841-5115

आग्रहाचे निमंत्रण!!  जनगणना २०२०: आजच सहभागी व्हा!

जनगणना सुरु आहे हे तुम्हाला माहिती आहे का ? तुम्ही तुमची माहिती पूर्ण भरून जनगणनेत सहभागी झालात का ?

आपल्या दैनंदिन जीवनात जनगणनेचं अतिशय महत्व आहे , रस्ते , शाळा , अग्निशामक विभाग , दवाखाने , गरजू कुटुंबांना मदत आणि बरेच काही, हे जनगणनेच्या निकालावर अवलंबून असते . अचूक आणि संपूर्ण मोजदाद हेच जनगणनेच ध्येय आहे. चला तर मग, आजच आपली माहिती जनगणनेच्या संकेतस्थळावर जाऊन भरूया ! तुम्हाला काहीही मदत हवी असल्यास आमच्याशी त्वरित संपर्क साधा . आमचे स्वयंसेवक मदत करण्यासाठी सज्ज आहेत अधिक माहितीसाठी पुढील संकेतस्थळांना जरूर भेट द्या !

संपर्क ईमेल - census20@ISWOnline.org संपर्क फोन - (508) 841-5115

சேரவும் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பு 2020

இன்றே 2020 மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பில் சேரவும்

மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பு பணிகள் இப்போது நடக்கிறது என்பது உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? இந்த மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பில் உங்கள் எல்லா தகவல்களையும் பூர்த்தி செய்தீர்களா?

அமெரிக்காவில், நமது அன்றாட வாழ்க்கையில் மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பு மிகவும் முக்கியமானது. சாலைகள், பள்ளிகள், தீயணைப்புப் படைகள், மருத்துவமனைகள், ஏழைக் குடும்பங்களுக்கு உதவுதல் போன்றவை மற்றும் இந்த மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பின் முடிவுகளைப் பொறுத்தது. அமெரிக்காவில் வசிக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு நபரின் வயது, குடியுரிமை நிலை அல்லது அவர்கள் எங்கு வாழ்கிறார்கள் என்பதைப் பொருட்படுத்தாமல் முழுமையான மற்றும் துல்லியமான எண்ணிக்கையை வைத்திருப்பது அவசியம்.

அமெரிக்காவின் ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டிற்கும் 2020 மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பில் பங்கேற்க அழைப்பு வரும். ஆன்லைன், தொலைபேசி மற்றும் அஞ்சல் மூலம் பதிலளிக்க உங்களுக்கு மூன்று விருப்பங்கள் இருக்கும்.

இன்றே மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பு வலைத்தளத்திற்கு சென்று உங்கள் எல்லா தகவல்களையும் நிரப்பவும். உங்களுக்கு ஏதாவது உதவி தேவைப்பட்டால் எங்களைத் தொடர்பு கொள்ளுங்கள். எங்கள் தொண்டர்கள் உதவ தயாராக உள்ளனர். மேலும் தகவலுக்கு, கீழேயுள்ள வலைத்தளத்தைப் பார்வையிட மறக்காதீர்கள்

மின்னஞ்சல் - census20@ISWOnline.org தொலைபேசி- (508) 841-5115

Census 2020 - https://2020census.gov/

By Dhruv Jagan

When I came out of my room, I saw that somebody had dropped something off at our front porch. It looked like a sewing machine and I asked my mom what it was? She confirmed that it was indeed a sewing machine! I asked her “What do you need this for?” “Are you going to start stitching clothes?” She replied “No.” She told me she got the machine to stitch masks. “Why do you need to stitch them, mom?” “Can’t we just buy them?” She told me that during this COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world is falling short of masks and the N-95 masks available are essential for medical professionals. But, people who are helping the senior citizens or the newborns and new moms don't need N-95 masks. “They do need to protect themselves to reduce the spread of the virus, by wearing a mask”, she replied. So, she decided to help these people by stitching and donating homemade masks. She said it is very satisfying to help care for the people who are caring for others. I found it was a very noble deed, so I decided to help her in any way possible.

           The project of making of masks started in my living room. As soon as she started preparing to use the machine, she got freaked out! She realized that the machine was not a simple mechanical needle-thread instrument that she was used to. It had multi-functional stitching pattern electronics and bobbin set-up. Knowing my mom, I knew she was going to figure it out sooner than later, and she did. I helped her cut the clothes. The clothes were supposed to be 2 15x7 inches rectangle pieces that would be stitched together inside out from 3 sides. I also helped with manually putting the thread through the needle every time because my mom has refused to accept that she now needs reading glasses. Everything was going smoothly until the thread was over and she had no idea where to get it from because the thread was out of stock everywhere, even online. You guessed it. She was stressed out like there was no tomorrow. But again, she never fails to amaze me. She remembered that once upon a time, my grandma had tucked a few needles and thread reels in her suitcase while coming back from India. My mom got the thread and we continued our journey of stitching.

           This time, she broke the needle!! Here we go again! Bruh!! How?!?!?! Now what? She wanted to move forward, so she decided to stitch them by hand. My dad, feeling very bad for her, decided to ask around via the messaging system. Late in the night, he got a response from his student that her mother had universal needles. “Thank goodness” he said and picked it up late in the night from his student’s mailbox. Then, my parents found out how to replace the needle watching YouTube videos. We were back on track again for stitching masks. I told my mom “You are a very perseverant person.” We finally finished the mask and it was very interesting watching my mom stitch the masks and take care of my 2-year-old sister who also wanted to help ALL THE TIME! I continued helping my mom thread the needle. She finally finished making 95 masks within a couple of weeks!! I was so amazed at her hard work and her determination, especially when she was going through a lot of training process and teaching her brand-new online course at WPI. I ended up stitching my own mask as well for my recycle Science school project and so did my brother.

So, making of masks is a huge amount of “Stress for Satisfaction!”

It was all worth it!!

Ever since the state enforced a stay safe at home policy in Massachusetts, ISW member Malini Mohankumar has been finding ways to keep active and make a difference. Over the past several weeks she has led efforts to procure baby monitors for hospitals to use in their Covid wards, drummed up a coalition of helpers who have been stitching masks as part of Central Mass Sew We Care, and graduated to now creating full sized PPE gowns. Her efforts have supplied these products to hospitals, shelters, rehab, refugee and senior centers. We asked Malini to share some of her experience. 

What inspired you to get going on these projects?  In this testing times we are all trying to contribute in some way or the other. I strongly believe that this is the period for each one of us to mold our paths and grow at the same time. This period is filling many of us with fear and anxiety with all the happenings around us. While we cannot escape from the situation, we can take care of ourselves and try to fill our minds and hearts with happiness. I finding serving our community is one way to reduce stress, decrease loneliness and help take the focus off the current situation. It provides a new perspective and makes me feel healthier. It gives me a warm feeling when things go well and I savor it and consider it a gift for myself.

Volunteering brings a world of rewards that one never has expected. In our group, each of us is experiencing happiness and a sense of satisfaction. We aren’t keeping it to ourselves but spreading it wherever possible.

How did you come up with the idea of supplying baby monitors? Who uses them and how did our community respond? It was around midnight when the Milford Medical Center Covid19 nurse reached out to me and requested help finding 3 baby monitors as soon as possible. My friends and family helped me deliver the 3 baby monitors. A few days later we got a request from the Boston Medical Center for 55 baby monitors for its Covid Unit. When I approached ISW volunteers with this request, I got tremendous support from the community. They arranged around 5 monitors within a couple of days. When I approached a wider community online, I was surprised with their generosity and trust. They sent me brand new monitors even though I had not met them, nor did they know me. With their help we were able to deliver the 55 monitors. Shortly thereafter we got a request from St. Vincents Hospital in Worcester for 10 more monitors and we are working to deliver them too.

How did you design the face masks? were you able to get community involved and, if so, in what way?We worked with various medical facilities to get their specifications for fabric masks. Based on their specifications we designed a prototype and got their feedback. Each medical center had its own requirements and specifications. I spent time with nurses and other front line staff to get their requirements. We never say we are donating the masks but that we are “Gifting Happiness”. We make sure to personalize the masks as gits to the front line workers. In addition to regular cloth masks, we have also designed masks for special needs adults and kids with Autism, as well as ones for hearing impaired. We are working on a mask design for the visually challenged. Together with members of the Central Mass Sew We Care coalition, we have been working tirelessly for the past few months to produce masks, scrub hats, ear protectors and reusable gowns in a range of sizes and styles.

One of our volunteers, Manorama, has single handedly made over 1700 masks. We have 33 young volunteers who are helping their parents with cutting and sewing. They have also created handmade thank you cards for the front line workers to be included with the masks. In appreciation, several organizations have sent signed certificates of appreciation to the children. We also have got thank you cards, donuts, and flowers to the volunteers in appreciation of the donated PPE.

So far we have sewn 5582 fabric masks, 250 scrub hats, 250 ear protectors, 100 Hearing impaired clear plastic masks, and 25 reusable gowns.

Finally, you have graduated to larger stitching projects? How much time does it take to stitch a PPE Gown? Is there any special fabric required? Are the designs standardized? Who are you supplying the finished product? As all our volunteers are working from home and have their work and home obligations, we can only do 2 or 3 gowns a day. We use poly-cotton fabric for the gowns and 100% cotton fabric for the masks. 

We have served 55 facilities ranging from medical and non-medical front line personnel, nursing homes, refugee, rehabilitation and senior centers, and shelters. We have another 21 facilities are in the pipeline.

We cannot thank enough all the volunteers who have helped with Central Mass Sew We Care, for the long hours spent, sacrificing your time to help support the front line staff. We really appreciate the care you took to meet the requests, your invaluable sewing skills and expertise that has made this possible. We hope you have got some inner satisfaction knowing your efforts have made our community a safer place. Together we make difference!

ISW is very proud to celebrate the high school graduations of several of its IYG and ISW member’s kids. We congratulate them and their family for this accomplishment and would like to recognize them in a section on the website dedicated to our graduates. With the Covid crisis putting a damper on celebrations and commencements, we want to make sure that we can share the joy of this occasion with the rest of our community. We wish all our graduates the very best in their future academic careers.

Here is a list of graduating seniors and their future plans

	Shivali Mani, Shrewsbury High School Attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Class of 2024, Majoring in Data Science
	Kavya Mani, Shrewsbury High School Attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Class of 2024, Majoring in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
	Aarshiya Sachdeva, Shrewsbury High School Aarshiya will be attending Northeastern University to pursue a degree in Data Science and Business Administration
	Sakshi Dindore, Shrewsbury High School Will be attending UMass Amherst this fall to pursue her career in computer science and business. She is very excited for her future endeavors and the opportunity to continue Indian dance at college.
	Tanvi Manjrekar, Wachusett Regional High School Attending UMass Amherst to study Biology on a pre-health track.
	Sohil Doshi, Shrewsbury High School Attending UMASS Amherst, Major – Kinesiology
	Anjali Tanna, Shrewsbury High School Will be attending Northeastern University in Boston MA, studying Behavioral Neuroscience and Data Science
	Danush Chelladurai, Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science Will be studying Applied Math and Economics at Yale College
	Raunit Kohli, Grafton High School Will be attending the University of California, San Diego, majoring in Cognitive Science with Specialization in Machine Learning and Neural Computation and a minor in Computer Science.
	Avi Shah, Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science Avi is an IYG member and he will be attending Georgia Institute of Technology studying Computer science.
	Yashvardhan Singh Chauhan(Yash), Shrewsbury High School Accepted to the Northeastern Honors program where he will be following the Pre-Med track. He completed 2 years as a student teacher at ISW.
	Anish Desai, Shrewsbury High School Anish will be attending UConn in the Bio-Medical Honors Program.
	Isha Chug, Shrewsbury High School Isha will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University and will be studying Biochemistry.