Sewa International's Fourth Annual Charity Golf Event Triumphs with

Resounding Success

Houston, TX (September 16, 2024): Sewa International’s annual charity golf event, held in

remembrance of 9/11, celebrated its fourth year at the scenic Clear Creek Golf Course in

Houston. Anup Bhasin, Joint Coordinator of Sewa International Houston, warmly welcomed the

golfers and guests, introducing Dan Davis, the Mayor of Manvel, one of the youngest mayors in

the country. Mayor Davis highlighted Manvel’s growth, noting that the city issues an average of

800-1,000 new residential permits annually and has 13 capital projects underway, valued at over

$100 million. He also emphasized collaboration with various organizations to meet the

community's needs before taking the ceremonial first shot of the day using a custom Sewa-

branded golf ball.

The tournament followed a four-person scramble format, with 23 teams and 92 participants from

across Houston competing for top honors. Notable teams included an all-women team, a team

from the Pearland Police Department, and a team of high school girls. Sewa International

partnered again with “Backswing Golf Events” this year to bring back the popular ‘Beat the Pro’

challenge, with Hannah Sirdashaney as the pro to beat at hole 5, adding extra excitement to the

event.

The award ceremony was opened by Rashmi Singh, who shared how Sewa had responded to

Hurricane Beryl by assisting over 300 families across five counties, providing more than 3,000

hot meals, 1,200 gallons of water, 2,400+ volunteer hours, and $100,000 in aid. She called on

everyone to support the underserved communities in Brazoria, particularly the Cambodian

community in Rosharon, who urgently need help repairing 80 greenhouses and 10 water wells

damaged by the hurricane. Rashmi emphasized Sewa's guiding principle of 'vasudhaiva

kutumbakam,' a Sanskrit phrase meaning 'the world is one family,' encouraging others to adopt

this belief. She highlighted Sewa’s commitment to serving all without discrimination, as

reflected in their tagline, 'Together We Serve Better.

The prizes were presented by Rushi Patel, Pearland's first Asian-American city council member,

and Elizabeth Gerbel, owner of EAG Services. Rushi praised Sewa, calling it an “amazing cause

supporting families in Brazoria County.” Elizabeth expressed her gratitude for being invited and

shared how she connected with Sewa through their summer internship program. She also

discussed her background in the oil and gas industry and how it helps broaden outreach

opportunities for Sewa.

This event was meticulously conceived, orchestrated, and executed by a dedicated team of Sewa

volunteers, with a significant portion of them being enthusiastic high school youth. They

wholeheartedly gathered on a splendid late summer day to lend their support to this noble cause.

The funds raised will go towards charitable service projects in Houston, as well as hurricane

relief efforts, particularly for underserved communities in Brazoria County. Several families

from the Cambodian community in Rosharon, who will benefit from these funds, attended the

award ceremony and expressed their heartfelt gratitude.

This remarkable gathering represented the fruition of months of extensive planning, thorough

preparation, and relentless dedication, all masterminded by the Sewa organizing team under the

capable leadership of Anup Bhasin and Jaivijay Ramu.With a record number of teams and

participants this year, their vision is to expand the event further and make it even more impactful

in the future. They expressed deep gratitude to all the sponsors, including EAG (Silver Sponsor),

Navigature, Will and Beth Ruiz, and the Law Office of Leena Bhasin (Bronze Sponsors), as well

as Deep Foods, Monks Restaurant, Alpha Juice, Preetam Deshmukh, Honest Restaurant, and

Akshaya Catering (Priyanka and Bhagavath), for their generous support. “We extend our

heartfelt thanks to Mayor Dan Davis, Councilman Rushi Patel, all the sponsors, players,

supporting organizations, and volunteers for making this event a tremendous success,” they said.

ABOUT SEWA INTERNATIONAL

Sewa International, a leading Hindu faith-based Indian American nonprofit organization with 43

Chapters in twenty-five US States, has extensive experience in disaster rescue, relief, and

rehabilitation operations having responded to more than 25 disasters in the US and abroad.

Among its accolades, Sewa International has been recognized by Charity Navigator – the

premier nonprofit rating agency – as the number five among the “10 Highly Rated Charities

Relying on Private Contributions”. Sewa International has for the past three years continuously

scored the topmost-rated 4-star ranking from Charity Navigator and has earned perfect scores

for Financial Health, and Accountability & Transparency. 

For more information on Sewa International and its activities, please visit

http://www.sewausa.org/houston