Join us for an immersive concert of soul-stirring music, evocative visual storytelling, and profound reflection.
Saturday, September 19
6 p.m.
Lewis A. Swyer Theatre
The Egg Center for the Performing Arts
Empire State Plaza, Albany
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
AIM for Seva Founder
In thousands of rural villages across India, a child’s desire to learn is often met with daily obstacles – long, unsafe journeys, limited resources, and few support systems. All India Movement for Seva was created to change that reality. What began with one woman’s plea for a safe place for her children to stay near school became our founder’s vision of bringing education to the doorsteps of the children of rural India by building hostels near schools. From Swamiji’s vision was born the chatralaya or free student home.
A single chatralaya in 2001 has flourished into a far-reaching network of 91 spanning 17 states and 3,000 villages of rural India. These caring homes provide over 4,000 children in grades 4 through 12 each year with access to a formal education, lodging, nutritious meals, clothes and uniforms, academic support, extracurricular opportunities, and health care – all at no cost.
AIM for Seva began establishing its own educational institutions in 2005 – each rooted in value-based learning and strong academics. Today, our eight schools and one college, serving over 5,000 students annually beginning in kindergarten, are nurturing not only academic success but confidence, values and life skills. Our students are empowered to dream bigger and to pursue higher education, meaningful careers, and lives of purpose. At its heart, AIM for Seva ensures that where a child is born does not determine how far they can go.
Our vidyalaya residential school campuses embrace a well-rounded approach to nurturing and educating children in rural India. Dynamic academics, value-based learning, cultural enrichment, life skills, and compassionate care come together to help each child build the confidence, knowledge and character needed to thrive in school and in life.
Each campus comprises a K-12 English-medium school serving 1,500 students, a boys’ hostel and girls’ hostel, each housing 100 children, and staff quarters.
When you contribute to AIM for Seva, you’re supporting a holistic model of care that reaches children during their most formative years, creating the strongest foundation for lifelong success. You make education accessible, opportunity attainable, and futures full of promise. Your generosity creates a ripple effect – uplifting not just one child, but families and entire communities over time.
20 Million
lives touched
since 2000
3,000
villages reached across rural India
10,000
students per year
90% graduation
rate
80% of students
pursue higher education or secure employment
10,000
students per year
“At the very heart of AIM for Seva lives a simple, powerful belief: every child, no matter how remote their village or how modest their means, deserves the chance to learn, grow and dream.
This is where it all began, not with an idea, but with a question asked of an elderly woman in a remote village, “What do you need?” Her answer was simple: build a hostel near a school for a child to access education.
That single idea is what brings our chapter together, through student hostels that offer a safe, nurturing shelter, remedial classrooms that awaken a lifelong curiosity, digital learning initiatives that open entirely new worlds, and vocational training that equips young hands with a trade and a bright future.
Through all of this, our goal remains steadfast: helping children stay in school, discover their boundless potential, and grow into confident, capable adults.
Right here in New York’s Capital Region, we carry that spirit forward in our own steady, heartfelt way, offering it as a gift to the children of this world. Our dedicated community volunteers and incredible high schoolers have traveled to India to witness this seva firsthand, visiting the Chinnasalem girls’ chatralaya, the chatralaya in Senmangudi, Thanjavur, the Chikhali, Pune chatralaya, the chatralaya in Khategaon and Indore, and some more in North India.
Sitting with the students, listening to their dreams, and returning home forever changed, our volunteers carry a piece of that journey back with them. None of this would be possible without the generosity of our Albany donors, whose steady, quiet support year after year has built hostels, filled classrooms, and opened doors for so many children. It shows up in shared meals, shared laughter, and the simple joy of knowing that a contribution made right here in Albany can swing open a classroom door for a child a world away.
That same vibrant spirit also pulses through our community every year at the Good Karma 5K of the Capital District, an independent nonprofit born right here in Albany that proudly champions AIM for Seva’s education work and a regional food pantry.
We warmly invite you to walk this path with us, not just as a donor to a cause, but as a cherished companion who shares a love for children and the bright future of our world.
Come, join our team, volunteer for the event, or tell us how you would like to contribute. Come light a lamp of knowledge for a child you may or may not ever meet, and watch how its warmth gracefully fills your heart.
This is seva. This is how we grow, together, toward each other, to discover our wholeness.”
– Gauri Mehta on behalf of the AIM for Seva Albany chapter core team
“The more you care for others, the more you grow into a complete person.”
— Swami Dayananda Saraswati, AIM for Seva Founder
Albany Chapter Coordinators
518-421-9301
518-817-2140
518-391-9681
518-269-6053
732-725-9398
AIM for Seva has consistently earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating.
Here are just a few ways your generosity can help, but every gift, large or small, contributes to life-changing outcomes.
Honor a loved one by funding a school or special project in their homeland and dedicating it in their name.
There are many options for contributing to AIM for Seva, allowing you to make the best choice for your life and financial goals.
Make a one-time contribution – or set up convenient recurring payments for a more significant impact in the lives of our children.
We can accept your personal or business check made payable to AIM for Seva and mailed to: PO Box 639, Saylorsburg, PA 18353.
Give seamlessly and easily through an ACH or wire transfer. Simply call our office at 570-402-1244 to make the necessary arrangements.
Make your one-time or ongoing contributions to AIM for Seva through your donor-advised charitable fund.
Check our matching gift company list to see if your employer offers a matching gift program. If your company is not listed, you can inquire as to whether they would consider matching your contribution, allowing your gift to have greater reach and impact.
A gift of long-term appreciated stocks and mutual funds can offer you not only income tax savings but also the advantage of reducing or eliminating capital gains taxes. For stock transfer instructions, please call 570-402-1244.
For those 70½ or older, a QCD can be made from a traditional IRA free of federal income tax, while receiving a charitable deduction for income tax purposes. Your contribution might also satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year.
Consider naming AIM for Seva in your will or living trust. Bequests, which can be a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate, help maintain the long-term financial health of our nonprofit organization.
If you’re looking to volunteer your time and talents to touch a child’s life in a more tangible and direct way, please email albany@aimforsevausa.org to learn about volunteer opportunities.
