Our Impact
Because of the urgent nature of our planet’s needs, we strive to maximize our positive change with every project we take on. Over the years, we have significantly impacted our community in various ways, ranging from touching the hearts of young toddler to raising thousands of dollars to make the Bay Area more eco-friendly.
We raised $1200 for The Climate Reality Project to support their global efforts.
One of our first major projects at Dandilyonn was our walk-a-thon. While encouraging people to “Warm your muscles, not your planet!”, and through our sold-out T-shirts, we raised $1200 to donate to The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit who strive “to make urgent action [against climate change] a necessity”. This event displayed how powerful communities can be when we come together for something we all believe in. Read more about our walk-a-thon here.
We raised $7000 for local high schools to help install new innovative energy-conserving light bulbs.
By hosting Elements, our dance show fundraiser, we raised $4000 for Mission San Jose High School and $3000 for Notre Dame San Jose High School (which NDSJ graciously matched to become a total of $6000). One of our proudest moments at Dandilyonn was witnessing the actual installation of the new LED bulbs which were much more sustainable than the lights before and greatly lowered the school’s electricity bills. Learn more about this ground-breaking event here. Listen to the testimonies from both schools’ principals here.
We raised $5700 for the Koloshi-Hadpid School and the College of Adaptive Arts to support their eco-friendly initiatives.
Our co-founders, Shreeya Indap and Ojaswee Chaudhary, performed Kathak solos to raise money for specific climate change causes. Shreeya dedicated her solo to her great grandfather’s school in India, Koloshi-Hadpid, helping them purchase 8 solar panels and a battery backup through her $3200 donation. She also performed an original piece embodying the importance of caring for the planet. Art, especially storytelling through dance, has a beautiful way of moving people and inspiring them to take action. Ojaswee dedicated her own solo to the College of Adaptive Arts, a college for special-needs students aspiring to pursue the arts. She was able to donate $2500 towards their new building's eco-friendly initiative, and she even hosted a Kathak workshop for their students, witnessing firsthand their passion and love for the environmental arts. Learn more about the College of Adaptive Arts here.
We touched hearts and changed mindsets.
Aside from our numerical measures, we recognize our impact through the people we have worked with over the years, because prioritizing our planet starts from within. Testimonies from young children have touched our hearts; for example, after our climate-change-superhero presentation at one of our art parties, we heard the words “So does that mean we won’t have any more strawberries?” (because of soil degradation due to rising heat levels). This innocent, yet concerned comment showed us that, even if it is via strawberries, we can develop the next generation's mindsets early, and ensure they grow up caring deeply about their planet. Other children have impressed us with their knowledge on energy-saving techniques (for example, turning off your lights everytime you leave a room), and we were able to educate the other kids who were not so familiar with their daily responsibilities. One moment Dandilyonn realized the extent of our impact was when a member of our community, who had read about our organization in the Tri-City newsletter, recognized us at our booth at the Fremont Cultural Arts Council’s Art in the Park event. (Learn more about our partnership with the FCAC here.) It was heartwarming both to be recognized, but also to see others in our community sharing this love for the planet. As a whole, we have connected with so many types of people over the years, ranging from tech company employees to young children still learning about their world.