Girls raise 5.5 lakh for poor cancer patients

In an awe-inspiring initiative, a handful of schoolchildren raised upto Rs 5.5 lakh for poor cancer patients. The children, Soumya Peri, Samyuktha Kolluru, Adviteeya Vojjala, Anusha V Kumar and Sathvika Kolluru were felicitated by fashion designer and model Shilpa Reddy at a programme organised by Grace Cancer Foundation in Begumpet over the weekend.

Prasad Garapati, Chairman, Electronics & Computers Software Export Promotion Council; Dr Chinnababu Sunkavalli, Founder Grace Foundation, Sasikala Swamy of Lakshmanachary Memorial College of Music and B L Sujatha Rao, Founder, Grace Foundation, were present on the occasion.

A volunteer of Grace Cancer Foundation, Soumya, a tenth class student from Delhi Public School, Khajaguda worked organise a musical concert on February 5 to raise funds for poor cancer patients. She and her friends Samyuktha, Adviteeya, Anusha and Sathvika enthralled an audience of almost 350+ people with songs in Telugu and Hindi for over three hours.

Applauding the initiative of the kids Reddy said, “I have been to many cancer awareness camps and programmes but I must admit the noble act of these wonderful young girls touched my heart.

As a mother I know what it is to bring up the next generation of the society being a mother myself, they are the future of our country and what you instill in them, what you help them understand is important, what you nurture with the kind of thoughts in them, it is not easy.

“So first of all I want to thank the parents of these beautiful girls who encouraged, supported and stood behind them to make this happen. These kids didn't really wait for to become grownups or adults, find a job, settle in life and then think of doing some social service or welfare, within what they have, with the resources they have at their age if they can dig out an opportunity and make such a huge difference,” she said.