Our Annual Christmas Outreach Program

It's the season of giving once again, and Reach Lives, a Bengaluru-based NGO, has taken up the cause of promoting positive mental health among underprivileged children through gifts and activities.

Project Christmas Cheer is an annual, volunteer-led outreach program that Reach Lives organizes for children in orphanages, foster homes, and temporary settlements. Last year, the event, which was flagged off by Ms. Meenakshi Krishnabyregowda, resulted in the distribution of over 10,000 gifts to several thousand children.

Reflecting on last year's program, Dr. Senneil Gomes, a program director at Reach Lives, said, "There was so much joy in the eyes of each child we reached. The children got a rare opportunity to participate in dance and music and took home many practical gifts as well. It clearly was a great mental boost for the kids who usually have limited contact with the outside world."

This year, Reach Lives is building on the success of last years event by organizing a much larger outreach program on the 14th of December, 2022. Their volunteers have been hard at work reaching out to the Bengalurean community to collect toys, clothes, stationary, books and snacks.

Mrs. Meenakshi Bedi, treasurer at the organization, stated, "We have received a lot of interest from interested volunteers, especially students of institutions like Ramaiah and Presidency College. We are therefore planning on covering a much larger portion of Bengaluru and bringing gifts to over 6,000 underprivileged children."

Reach Lives plans to keep mental health at the core of all these events. They will be organizing many engaging events at each of the gift distribution sites to encourage participation from children and foster good mental health. For more information, visit www.reachlives.com.

Lighting up children's lives during Diwali

On the 23rd of October, 2022, Dream India Network and Reach Lives in partnership with Sophia girls high school organized a cultural show for children in foster homes and orphanages across Bengaluru. The event which was graced by eminent personalities in the government, religious leaders and leaders of the corporate world featured cultural performances including dances, songs and plays by children.

A total of 600 children from across Dream India Network's foster home system and from partner orphanages and old age homes took part in the event.

What followed was a series of wonderful performances by talented children which left the audience awestruck. The religious leaders from the various faiths also took the opportunity to commit to fostering harmony and spreading peace across communal lines.

Dream India Network also used the opportunity to recognize the efforts of its well wishers and partners. Dr. Victor Mohan and Dr. Senneil Gomes of Reach Lives were felicitated during the event.

At Reach Lives we take pride in using the myriad festivals that are celebrated in India to bring people of various faiths together and achieve something impactful. We look forward to organizing an even bigger event next year. But in the mean time, we would like to extend our thanks to all the volunteers who helped us organize the event: DIN volunteers, Reach Lives volunteers, Sophia's girls high school volunteers and volunteers from partner organizations.

Fast approaching is Christmas 2022. Last year, Reach Lives brought over 10,000 gifts to the underprivileged across Bengaluru in 2 auto rickshaws that were decked up as reindeer. This year, we're planning on doing more. Join us in our quest to bring joy to thousands of children in foster homes and orphanages across Bengaluru. Volunteer now. Or sponsor gifts for children.

Miles For Smiles '22

1,000 people. all gathered for one objective: to feed undernourished children during National Nutrition Week '22.

Miles For Smiles '22 was organized on September 4, 2022 at 5 am in Manyata Tech Park. Reach Lives partnered with Stonehill International School, Embassy group and Pot and Bloom to organize this event. The event was a 2.5K/5K run open for all ages and athletic abilities. For each kilometer a participant covered, Reach Lives donated 1 meal to a deserving child-in-need.

During the event, a total of 1,000 participants and volunteers joined us. And in addition to the runners who ran and helped us raise funds, many sponsors and individual donors contributed to our efforts. In total, Reach Lives was able to donate 20,000 meals for children during National Nutrition Week 2022 (September 1st week).

Special thanks to all our volunteers, sponsors and runners. Learn more about our nutrition program here.