Hundreds Join in for the BAPS Charities Annual Walk

SUGAR LAND: When most of us looked at the weather forecast for the morning of Sunday, June 14, we focused on the 80% chance of rain. Yash Bhatt, age 13, chose to see it as a 20% chance of no rain, which would mean that the walk he had been waiting for would still take place. Along with hundreds in his community, Yash had been raising awareness for two of the beneficiaries of the BAPS Charities 16th annual walkathon, ADA (American Diabetes Association) and Stafford MSD (Municipal School District Education) Foundation.

Yogin Patel, one of the organizers of the BAPS Charities walk in Houston said, “Despite what the forecast said, we had decided to continue with the walk rain or shine.” By 9:00 AM, Yash’s hopes of 20% turned into 100% as the clouds parted and the Sugar Land Town Center was filled with over 800 people ready to walk. This year the walk commenced with a moment of silence for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal. Adding to the previous donations that BAPS Charities has made of $25,000 to Direct Relief, $30,000 to Unicef, $25,000 to One Heart worldwide, a check of $5,000 was presented to the Nepalese Association of Houston for the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund. Jyoti Ghimirey, president of Nepalese Association of Houston, emphasized the long road ahead of recovery for Nepal and thanked BAPS Charities for their efforts and contribution.

The success of this year’s walk is due to the fundraising efforts of walkers just like Yash Bhatt and the generosity of our sponsors such as Piping Technology & Products, SDB Trade International, Quest Diagnostics, Eco Pharmacy, Akshar Properties, Entelrgy, Choice Specialty Pharmacy, AAUM Commercial Demolition Contractor, Dr. Lopa & Bibhuti Mishra, Pershant & Nidhika Mehta and Bharat & Rina Patel. Jared Turley of Quest Diagnostics commented, “In our minds the pairing of Quest Diagnostics and BAPS Charities makes perfect sense and we are privileged to be part of that framework. BAPS embodies Health, Goodwill, Integrity, Compassion, Respect and Hospitality.”

Yash echoes the sentiment of the hundreds that came out in support of this Sunday’s walk when he said, “I am glad that the walk continued and cannot wait to do it again next year.”

BAPS Charities aims to selflessly serve society through a variety of social projects and inspire tens of thousands of others to do the same. In addition to the 54 such annual walkathons hosted across North America this year, BAPS Charities hosts various programs to support and raise awareness for healthy living, environmental sustainability and educational initiatives around the world. BAPS Charities strives to sincerely serve the community by improving the quality of lives of individuals and their families.

For further information, contact:Viral Desai at 832-498-4725 or email at media@houstonmandir.org