For the Holiday season last year all the New York City Sai Centers came together at Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility for a two-part seva activity. The seva activity entailed wrapping and distributing gifts to the patients at the hospital. The Hospital is located on Roosevelt Island, in New York City where patients/residents receive medical, rehabilitative and long-term care.

The first part of the seva activity took place on Saturday, December 11, 2004. During the morning tables where set up to package and wrap gifts for the patients. Packages for male patients included: an alarm clock, a pair of socks, bag, lotion and a hat. Packages for the female patients included: a scarf, clock, bag, lotion, deodorant, teddy bear, and a pair of socks. almost a thousand packages were put together and wrapped.

Packages not only went to the patients at the hospital but also to other service projects like the Bowery project( where food is distribution to the homeless each week). Other items like boxes of sweat suits and other articles of clothing which were given to homeless shelters in the NYC area.In the afternoon Patients were escorted to the auditorium were the S.S.E children of the Flushing Center put on a play titled The Life of Buddha.

The second part of the seva activity took place on the following week on Saturday, December 18, 2004. Everyone who attended was divided into two groups to distributed the gifts. Each group was lead by the S.S.E children who were dressed as santa's helpers. Accompanying both groups was a caravan of musicians who played an assortment of instruments such the guitar, flute, drum and harmonium. They helped lead the Christmas carols that were sung in each ward of the hospital. A few of the hospital residents accompanied us the entire day as we went around distributing the gifts - singing and leading christmas carols with so much heart-warming enthusiasm. At the end of the day, one of the resident shared that "...its been a beautiful day - full of love and Joy." She said all she felt that day was God and so much love surrounding her that she was not conscious of her constant physical pain. The most rewarding part of this project was to see the happiness on the faces of the patients. They were so joyful when we sang the Christmas carols to them. We felt so much love being shared among all who were present. Of course it was Sai's love and holiday cheer spreading throughout the hospital.