XYZ Takes 12,199 Steps Forward!

XYZ’s (Xtremely Young Zoroastrians) MAD (Making A Difference) Initiative, called ‘XYZ Stepping Forward’ a shoe collection drive, took place on Sunday, 2nd October, 2016, where XYZ members along with the support of volunteers and friends, were able to rake up a whopping 12,199 pairs of footwear to give to the lesser fortunate who couldn’t afford these. Parsi Times was proud to be the exclusive media partners of this magnanimous event.

xyz-3Over a hundred Xtremely Young Zoroastrians members, aged between 5 and 15 years, along with friends and family members, visited 21 different colonies/ locations in Mumbai between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm, and collected a whopping 12,199 pairs of footwear within 3 hours! These shoes are being sent to NGOs like Hamara Footath, Greensole, Angel Xpress Foundation, WWH (We Will Help Charitable Foundation) Trust (Aarey Milk Colony), Oscar Foundation and others for free distribution amongst the lesser privileged to help ease their lives.
Founder of XYZ, Hoshaang Gotla, says, “This initiative helps educate our community’s children in serving the less fortunate. We kicked off the collections from within the community and started with accumulating footwear from our own houses first. We especially thank the PARSI TIMES for spreading the message to all their readers over the last month. In fact, after reading about the shoe donation drive, Parsis in Thane also collected over 200 pairs of shoes and those in Delhi are planning a similar collection drive at the end of October! We hope that the children of our small community bind us together and work as one to make a huge difference to the people in need.”

xyz-4The Foundation has also collected Rs. 1 lakh so far in cash donations (@Rs. 200/- per footwear) which will be effective in providing brand new football studs and stockings to over 300 children, as also in donating about 20 pairs of the prosthetic foot commonly known as ‘Jaipur Foot’. Also, a special shout-out to Dadar’s 11th CBDA Scout Group for their support and all the community members who opened their hearts and doors by accommodating the shoe-collections inside their very residences!

XYZ Foundation will reinforce this initiative as Phase 2 in various schools in Mumbai. “It takes one small step to make a big difference and we want to show that our small community can make a big difference to society at large. Seeing the overwhelming response in our initial venture, Phase 2 will get bigger as it will now include Mumbai’s schools, in addition to XYZ’s members. It would be great to have corporate participation to help this initiative reach out to even more people in need,” says Gotla.

Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor: “I applaud this excellent initiative by Hoshaang and the commendable efforts of our XYZ kids and volunteers. True to the spirit of our religion ‘Happiness unto Him who gives happiness to others’.


Dinshaw Tamboly: “Mahatma Gandhi had said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” The pilot project ‘Stepping Forward’ undertaken by XYZ was an apt step of following the precepts of the father of our nation. Through this project, XYZ have not only inculcated into our young and impressionable minds the satisfaction derived from serving the underprivileged, but also taken a giant leap forward in shaping and creating awareness in them that service to mankind is service to God. I am delighted that my grandson Mikhail had the opportunity to participate in such a unique character building exercise. Well done XYZ!”

 

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