Bill Text: VA SR174 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the NRI Vasavi Association, USA.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-08 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR174ER) [SR174 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SR174-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, the United States affiliate of the social and cultural nonprofit organization connecting followers of Vasavi Matha around the globe, has made meaningful contributions to the Commonwealth since its founding; and
WHEREAS, the members of NRI Vasavi Association, USA, are followers of the Hindu goddess Vasavi Kanyakaparameswari Devi, also known as Vasavi Matha, who sacrificed her life to avoid bloodshed and war and left a message for the world underscoring the importance of Dharmam–justice and duty, Seelam–integrity, and Ahimsa–nonviolence; and
WHEREAS, the mission of the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, is to connect all Vasavites globally in service to the community, to help underprivileged people in the areas of education and health, to preserve and promote Vasavi culture and values, and to raise awareness of the history of Vasavi Matha and her message; and
WHEREAS, Vasavi associations like NRI Vasavi Association, USA, have been serving communities in India for centuries and in more recent years have spread to other parts of the globe as non-resident Indians (NRI) immigrate to new locales; and
WHEREAS, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, is a leading organization for sharing and supporting the traditions and mores of the Vasavi movement outside India; and
WHEREAS, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, makes an impact in its local communities through its monthly newsletter that educates and informs its members, its Adopt-A-Student program that helps young people with their education, and other endeavors; and
WHEREAS, founded in 2008, the Virginia-Washington, D.C., chapter of the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, has played a pivotal role within the national organization and had the honor of hosting the organization's first national convention in 2011; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia-Washington, D.C., chapter of the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, has the support of more than 500 families and plays a crucial role in working with and connecting the Vasavi community within the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, has partnered with Rise Against Hunger, donating one million meals for the underserved worldwide, and with many other nonprofit organizations in support of the organization's mission to end hunger; it has also partnered with the American Red Cross, hosting blood drives quarterly across multiple cities in the Commonwealth and beyond; and
WHEREAS, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, has hosted school supply drives and other donation drives to support local Title 1 schools in the Commonwealth and has supported various sustainability and environmental cleanup initiatives across multiple cities in the United States; and
WHEREAS, by embodying Vasavi Matha's principles of Dharmam, Seelam, and Ahimsa, the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, has made a profound and lasting impact on communities of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, hereby be commended for its legacy of service; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the Virginia-Washington, D.C., chapter of the NRI Vasavi Association, USA, as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the organization's history and mission.
