A Fun Picnic for Senior Citizens, Courtesy Sewa International

HOUSTON: The “Seniors Sewa ” team of Sewa International’s Houston Chapter organized a picnic for seniors at the SDSV Temple ground in Katy on April 30. More than 140 seniors enjoyed the fun-filled event on a beautiful sunny day.

“Seniors Sewa” is an initiative launched a year ago by Sewa’s Family Services team that provides help to community members in need and in cases of emergency.  “Seniors Sewa” is a platform for senior citizens to get together for overall well-being – physical, intellectual and emotional — through neighborhood groups, mentors, and workshops. Seniors living in the same area meet at regular intervals to network, make new connections, and support each other. Currently, two groups, one in Sugarland and one in Katy, are active. There are plans to start such groups in other neighborhoods.

The picnic was organized by the Seniors Sewa Katy and Sugarland teams together.  Activities started with registration followed by breakfast, games, lunch, followed by musical entertainment, a raffle draw, and socializing.  Participants played different games tailored for specific age groups. Volunteers cooked Indian food like bhature and pakoda and served hot coffee. After lunch, participants enjoyed Bollywood live music and some of the participants enjoyed dancing. Two beautiful paintings with Indian motifs were given to the winners of the raffle draw. A vaccination awareness booth was also set up and volunteers offered relevant information.

Jay and Rekha Sanghvi from Katy mentioned said it was fun meeting new people, the food was delicious, and the music and games lively. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this an amazing picnic”. A participant from Sugarland, Ajit Thakkar said “Bahoot bahoot shukriya – many, many thanks — to all the volunteers who worked so diligently to make seniors happy. Everyone in the yellow shirts (Sewa t-shirts) deserve a medal….”