PARSIPPANY — All news on nature isn’t bad. Looking at the enthusiasm and effort of BAPS Charities Walk Green 2019 participants, one can certainly say, there is hope.
Shivani Patel, 19, of Parsippany will be taking part in the event for the fourth time. “It’s about doing something to raise funds to plant trees and bringing awareness about the environment,” Patel said. “For the first time in human history, our environmental impacts are happening at a scale that is affecting life on Earth. It gives me solace participating in the walk and doing something about it.”
BAPS Charities Walk Green 2019 in Parsippany was an event to raise funds for The Nature Conservancy, and Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. This year, BAPS Charities supported The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to plant one billion trees by 2025 through their Plant a Billion Trees initiative. Generations of changemakers from 6-year-old first-time fundraisers to senior citizens—came together, with over 250 members of the community participating in total.
“It’s amazing and heartwarming to see how much support has been generated for the walk and how much it has grown over the years,” said Nilkanth Patel, President, BAPS Charities. “This year over 23,000 walkers in over 76 cities in North America joined the walk to help us protect our environment – for our generation and for generations. The collective actions of the community have helped plant helped The Nature Conservancy plant 61,000 additional trees in 2019. During the last four years, from 2016 to 2019, BAPS Charities Walkathons have helped plant a total of 361,000 trees.”
“It means a lot to us that your support is made possible by the thousands of BAPS Charities volunteers who believe like we do, that a healthy planet is critical to building healthy communities where both nature and people can thrive,” said Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy.”
In addition to fostering a spirit of service across generations of participants to support a cause touching the world, BAPS Charities involved young adults in high school and college in business sponsorship initiatives. The youth participants worked to secure partnerships from local businesses to support the Walkathon efforts.
Chandu J. Bhoraniya, Walk participant, said, “I was inspired to see so many teenagers participating, not just in the walk but also in the opening ceremonies, and management of the walk. Engaging the next generation is very crucial, and I am glad BAPS Charities shares that commitment.”
Gilbert Baez, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, said, “Baps Charities is really an important part again in commitment we have to community.”
Drashti Patel, event lead said, “I thank all the sponsors, the individual fundraisers and all who came out today morning to take part in this walk. We greatly appreciate your support.”
In addition to the annual Walkathon, BAPS Charities actively supports environmental sustainability efforts throughout the year through recycling projects, water conservation and utilizing solar power. BAPS Charities also organizes other humanitarian events throughout the year like Health Fair, Blood Donation Drive, Food Drive, and Children’s Health and Safety Day. The activities of BAPS Charities are centered on improving the quality of lives of individuals and their families. For additional information on BAPS Charities and its philanthropic activities click here.
