About sponsoring education for  children
 
We all assume that sponsoring a child’s education costs a huge amount. The truth is that, it can be begin from very small amounts of Rs 200 a month. In case if you wish to know more about how you can help a  needy child, please contact the ROC team.
 
Melisha Noronha         9886771435
Vinod Lobo                9886724631
therocteam@gmail.com

Watch out for this space for more updates!

For the last SIX years Yogish Shetty has not placed his foot on the ground. He spends 24 hours a day confined to his bed in a small room. The 30-year-old cannot do anything without help. He can neither eat food by himself nor attend the call of nature. What is disheartening is that the chances of him regaining his health are getting bleak with each passing day.

An enthusiastic lad, Yogish was working in a restaurant in Mumbai. One fateful day at the beach shattered all his dreams. While swimming he suffered a stroke in which his spinal cord (C5, C6) was fractured. Yogish has no strength from his waist and below. His hands too are affected and he can barely brush his teeth. The C5 and C6 fracture is known to paralize a person neck down.

At Majal Thota in Ranipura about 16kms from Mangalore city is a small-two room house of Mallikarjuna, a security guard and Rajani, a beedi roller. Yogish their oldest son lives in this house and is attended round the clock by his mother. 

It has been months since Yogish has seen the world outside his room. Mallikarjuna’s meagre salary makes it a hand-to-mouth existence for this family.

An enthusiastic young man, Yogish had dreams to work hard and earn good money for himself and his parents. His state today does not permit him even to move an inch. Doctors have suggested that he will be permanently bedridden and this has been traumatic for him.

Amidst this turbulence there is a sparkle in Yogish’s eye. He has fought depression and is still hopeful of a better tomorrow.

You can make it possible by reaching out to Yogish.

Expert ortho-physicians have recommended a customized wheel chair for Yogish. He will have to make a visit to Mobility India, Bangalore, one of the nation’s top centres for providing mobility equipment for disabled. The subsidized cost amounts to Rs 30,000 and includes all his expenses for the wheelchair, his travel to Bangalore and his stay in the city.

 A wheel chair is what he needs to move out of his bed and look at life with new vigour. Your contribution, no matter how small it is, will help transform his life.

 The Reach Out Club calls you to contribute and give Yogish a better tomorrow.

Contributions can be made in cash or through cheques drawn in favour of ‘Family Service Agency, Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore’.

For more details on how you can help, please feel free to get in touch with Melisha on 9886771435 or Vinod on 9886724631 (after 9pm) or write in to us at therocteam@gmail.com

The list of those who have contributed so far

An email invitation from the Reach Out Club (ROC) to volunteer at CUPA brought 11 new people together. What do you think they did? They spent a whole day with animal. While few were ardent animal lovers, the others had their first brush with the quadrupeds.

The rain played spoilt sport but that did not succeed in dampening their spirits. The most exciting dog baths had to be put off for another day but nonetheless the CUPA staff ensured the volunteers had a good time. Everyone got their chance to bond with the dogs as they took them for walks. Brushing them clean was also a fun activity that substituted the bath schedule.

The greatest achievement for most volunteers was to be exposed to the needs of animals. Sensitivity towards animals especially those that are uncared for was the objective of the entire day’s activity.

After getting comfortable petting the animals, most volunteers spontaneously began speaking the language of love. Hugging the dogs who were hankering for some attention, caressing them, carrying them and playing with them broke the myth that animals and humans are different. By the end of the day, each volunteer had their favourite dog.

The animal kingdom has lots to offer us apart from unconditional love and acceptance. The dogs stole limelight while the cats, horse and cows got a fair share of love and caring.

A brief talk by Mr. Lingaraj and Ms. Sudha put the concept of animal sensitivity into perspectives. Their heartwarming stories about the special cases at CUPA sure moved everyone gathered.

Over all it was a day for animals and each of us enjoyed every bit of it.

The ROC team at CUPA

The ROC stars who were part of the CUPA event: Divya C, Pavithra Balaka, Neeraj S Thakar, Urmila Subbaiah, Prajvin Jayaprakash, Gaurav Dalvi, Rahul Mehra, Veeru, Tinny Jose, Vinod Lobo and Melisha Noronha

October 31, 2009. Chintoo got a new home and loving family. Nelson and his fiancée Rose made their first visit to CUPA where the volunteers took them around and showed them the pets for adoption. Puppies and dogs waiting to be taken home. After spending about an hour playing with the puppies, the couple decided on their new pet- a naughty little pup over two months of age. Needless to say, the pup too loved its new family.

With a brief round of counseling by the CUPA staff and basic documentation, Chintoo was on his way home. Today he enjoys the company of a very loving family, a nice bed, Nelson’s other dog and his favourite food – chicken and rice. Chintoo does not have to fight for his toys anymore. He has his own. He does not bark for attention, his life is complete with lots of love from his new family. He does not have to fear tomorrow because he knows there is someone who cares for him. Chintoo is a happy dog because he knows everybody loves him.

There are many such Chintoos waiting for a Nelson or a Rose to come their way. Just like us, they too need love and care.

This was the Reach Out Club’s first adoption marking a great beginning. If you wish to adopt a pet and show them you care, do write into us at therocteam@gmail.com

We’d be happy to help.

 When a mother died leaving behind eight adorable pups none were happy. In fact all were boiling with anger to nail down the security guard who brought the fatal end to the female dog. Not many knew of the death until the second day. By now the little ones were starving and were reduced to just a thin layer of skin around their bones.

Shalmi is helped by Reena to feed the pups

 Our office campus was green but was not accommodating enough for dogs. However this litter found itself a cozy space in one corner. As the heat of the morning sun hit the four-day-olds the battle for survival reached its peak. That’s where our stars emerged. Shalmi and Alston took the leap in the rescue.

On knowing the state of the pups they rushed to the neighbouring medical store and bought a feeding bottle. I rushed to the cafeteria and got some diluted milk while Alston rang Animal Care Trust for assistance. Handling each pup with care Shalmi fed them with the milk through the feeding bottle.

Alston and Shalmi

The hungry pups drank to their hearts content. Thoroughly malnourished the pups who had no strength received a new lease of life and slowing began to show some activity. By noon they were more active and a second round of feeding got them to move around. A few of them even opened their eyes.

This whole episode sensitized many who witnessed it. Several inquired about the puppies and stepped forward to help protect them within the campus. It was evening and we bade goodbye to the octuplets as they were taken to Animal Care Trust for further caring. A small act of kindness saved eight lives. Kudos to Shalmi and Alston.

Born as humans, we sure are a lucky lot. Most of us have everything served to us on a platter. When we fall sick, we have people who can take us to a doctor. When you are down in the dumps, you have a family who knows how to lift your spirits. When you are bored, a friend is just a phone call away.

The visit to CUPA at Hebbal, Bangalore was a long-planned activity. Each time we planned a visit there would be something to stop us. And this time, we put aside all other priorities and made our way to the animal shelter. And boy! We are glad we did it! It just opened our eyes to a whole new world. A world where it does not matter who you are, what title you hold, how you are dressed or how much money you have. You just enter a world of unconditional love and acceptance. Here, you have to experience it to believe it.

Animals cross all barriers and love you with all that they have. As we stepped in, our eyes first met the sight of numerous dogs of different shapes and sizes and colours, one more adorable that the other. Each time we looked at a new dog, all we said was “Awwww….how cuuuutttteeee!” We wonder if the dogs murmured about our limited vocabulary. Some dogs came running to us, as if they recognized us in one glance while some took a little longer. But in less than ten minutes we were all friends.

At CUPA, the language is love but is expressed in sounds like woof woof, meow meow or mooo. The first friend we made was Joy, a three-legged Labrador. He just came wagging to us and we could not stop ourselves from cuddling him. Needless to say he was “sssoooooo cccuuutttteeee” in his off-white soft coat. He sure was a pampered dog back home. The fact that he had lost a leg in an accident was never evident. He jumped. He frisked around and played like any other dog did. Then there was Rani, Tara, Rubberband, Dipstick, Scooby and so many others, all of whom we wanted to take home if we could.

CUPA is home to all dogs, cats, rabbits, calves, guinea pigs, all of who have been injured, abandoned, lost or sick. It moves your heart to see them welcome each one despite the pain they are in. While some of them were raised on the streets of Bangalore, some of them come from comfortable homes that cared less to take care of them. The day we visited we met about thirty dogs, thirty cats, a few calves, rabbits, birds, a donkey, an injured little monkey and a few guinea pigs.

The premise is well kept and attends to the medical needs and most importantly the emotional needs of each animal. For a dog that has been raised in a home, abandonment is traumatic. This coupled with an injury is very painful. While medical aid heals the physical wounds, the love given by all the volunteers nurses them twice as fast.

A dedicated team of full time and part time volunteers share their time with CUPA. Animals are referred here from various sources and CUPA has its doors open for all. Once here, the animal is treated for any medical problems it might be facing. And once it is back to health, it is ready for adoption. Every animal here deserves a loving home and family. Each animal has a story – a heartbreaking one most often. Victims of human atrocity or being fore lone and orphaned, these quadrupeds are now in caring hands. They just know to love. They need love and more of it and this was emanating from every attempt the dogs would resort to, to win a pat, a gentle stroke, a cuddle or a playful act.

We looked around to find a small enclosure which was colourful. There were toys hung with strings from ceiling and all around them were happily playing pups. What sight to behold! Their tiny tails moved vigorously seeing us and they jumped all over as if to say “come carry me, take me home”. We could not hold ourselves back and carried one each. Being licked all over the face and on hands was just their way of saying “I like you.” No words but only whole-hearted love. These were the most well-behaved, welcoming, loving bunch of animals we have ever been with.

The centre had more to offer and what we could see was that every volunteer knew every animal and interacted with them like family. The approach towards animals was humane, far from how we would treat animals. Here there was respect and dignity. We agreed that it is this treatment that makes them faithful, obedient and loving. Come evening and it was food time. A good measure of food was offered. The food they eat was not leftovers here but well-cooked meat and rice given by donors and foster parents.

The doctors and volunteers make their rounds to keep a tab on their eating habits. Regular check-ups, vaccination, bath, exercise and walks make the week for these animals. These two hours at CUPA were the best time we had with animals. We wished that all these lovely animals find suitable homes where there would be lots more of love and caring. CUPA is where everyone should visit and feel the difference. We learnt to relate to animals and share their love. Its your turn next.

The ROCstars who went to CUPA: Vinod, Melisha

*All pictures courtesy the CUPA website as photography at the shelter is prohibited.