“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The inspirational quote is one that theVenkat family of Ashburn Village has embraced. Over the last decade, the Venkats collectively earned over 35,000 volunteer hours. Calculate that time into monetary valueand that’s well over a million dollars.

“Service has been an integral part of our lives for as long as we can remember,” says sisters, Shreyaa (22) and Esha (19). “We started giving back from a very young age, alongside our parents, especially our mom, who would bring us along to volunteer at

school and community events even back in elementary school.”

Those early years of volunteerism pushed the sisters to create their own nonprofit in 2016. “We had so much fun giving back in the community, especially with our own family, that we wanted to create opportunities where other families and friends could

volunteer together and explore their passions,” explain Shreyaa and Esha. “That’s what led us to form NEST4US, through which we offer a multitude of volunteer opportunities where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover their service “niche” or the

issue or issues they’re super passionate about and be part of the solution.”

Their mom, Anu Raghunathan, serves as president of NEST4US. She’s also the Vice President of SaveSoft Inc. and a certified Zumba instructor. “Our mom loves sharing stories about how she enjoyed participating in different forms of community service

during her childhood in India. Now, she’s so proud to pass on this legacy to her children, who are embodying her same love and passion for volunteerism.” Her husband, Venkat Ganapathy, also is one of the nonprofit’s most avid volunteers. Additionally, he’s a

senior architect at CareFirst, an adjunct professor at UMBC, and a second-degree black belt.

Their daughters agree that their parents have been extraordinary influences on their lives. “From them, we learned to put others’ needs before our own and never give up. Ever since we started NEST4US, they’ve been by our side, supporting us and lifting us

up to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. We really wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

The sisters graduated from Broad Run High School. Shreyaa is currently a master’s student at Georgetown University majoring in global health. Additionally, she’s the CEO of NEST4US, as well as a third-degree black belt, soccer player, international speaker,

and social activist pursuing a career in health policy and international development.

Esha is a sophomore at Georgia Institute of Technology majoring in public policy and minoring in global development. She’s the COO of NEST4US, and also a third-degree black belt, soccer player, hip-hop dancer, and avid advocate for sustainability,

international collaboration, and community service.

“As we look into our personal lives, our goal is to utilize our post-secondary educations at Georgetown University and Georgia Tech to build a bridge between our grassroots work of NEST4US and the policy realm to advance progress on sustainable

development, food security, and health equity for all,” the sisters share about their future goals. Moreover, they’d like to expand all of NEST4US’s programs globally, grow their volunteer family, and “progress towards a sustainable, united world through policy

implementation in local, national, and global communities.”

Although their nonprofit has put them in the limelight, with meeting highly regarded public figures, invitations to the White House, and national media coverage, they want to be known for the impact they make on people’s lives. “We all hope to leave behind a

legacy defined by love and kindness, with people remembering us as people who led from the heart and truly made a difference in the world.” 

You can keep up to date with all of the NEST4US initiatives and activities at www.nest4us.org.

Everyday Life for the Family

Simply put, no day is the same for the family of four. During the weekdays, Anu and Venkat are working in their jobs, while Shreyaa and Esha are learning a lot in their college classes. In the mix, Shreyaa and Esha have various meetings with local,

national, and global organizations they serve as leaders. There are also food rescues throughout the week and service events.

On the weekends, the family is busy engaging in service opportunities of all kinds, from community give back events and volunteer fairs to resource distributions, global workshops, and more. With any spare time, the family enjoys playing cards, watching movies, and going on leisurely strolls at the park.

Some of their favorite hobbies include traveling, watching soccer, playing cards, especially Phase 10. The family loves to watch movies, working out at the Ashburn Pavillion gym, strolling through Dulles Town Center, and hanging out at one of Loudoun’s parks and lakes.

“Our family loves traveling—we've been to over 30 countries including Australia, Switzerland, Colombia, Italy, the UK, India, Germany, Costa Rica, Ireland, and France.” On their vacations, the family always snaps 0.5 selfies to document their trips. They

also always collect magnets as memorable keepsakes.

Favorites Around Loudoun

Restaurant: Bawarchi Biryanis in Ashburn

Ice Cream: Bruster’s Ice Cream

Family Gathering Place: Ashburn Library

Hike: W&OD Trail

Date Night /Activity: Regal Cinemas

Fun facts!

“Every year, our family competes to see who listens to the most music throughout the year, culminating on Spotify Wrapped day—everything from pop, rap, Indian music, and K-pop to classical, folk, indie pop, and more.”

“We love binge-watching Netflix shows including Outer Banks, Cobra Kai, Never Have I Ever, Wednesday, How to Get Away with Murder, etc. in our home theater!”

Family traditions:

“Our family embraces our deep Indian cultural roots by celebrating all our beautiful traditions, including Diwali, Pongal, Navarathri, Tamil New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi, Karthigai Deepam, etc. One of our favorites is definitely Diwali (Festival of Lights),

where we love dressing up in traditional Indian clothing, eating homemade sweets, and lighting firecrackers.”

New Year’s Eve Gratitude Jar: “Throughout the year, we write a little note of gratitude every week and on New Year’s Eve, we sit down together, reflect on the highlights of the year, and share our excitement for the new year.”

Annual Secret Santa: Exciting gift exchange with extended family Phase 10 Leaderboard: “We’ve invented our own edition of the card game, and we compete to see who wins the most games every year.”

Thanksgiving Season Volunteering: The family has volunteered at the Safeway Feast of Sharing for the past six years to serve meals to unhoused neighbors during Thanksgiving in Washington D.C. They also host a Thanksgiving feast for the homeless

community every year.

By Lia Hobel

Photography by Photos by Lis