Putting Your Skills into Action

By Lori on 11/14/2011 @ 05:56 PM

It is always gratifying to see people use their talents and skills to help others. One of our volunteers, who is a dietician and professor, recently called the Jewish Volunteer Center. Every winter she leaves her snowy state and heads south to the sun and warmth of Miami Beach. She wanted to use her skills in a meaningful way, so we, at the JVC, connected her to an agency where she can teach nutrition classes to attendees at Jewish Community Services congregate meal sites.

The Federation would love to have more volunteers with outstanding skills and talents give back to our community. Skill-based volunteers can help the most vulnerable in meaningful ways while serving needs that may be unmet without their help. If you have a skill and want to put it to good use, call us. We will find a volunteer opportunity that is right for you!

All the best,
Lori

JSTAR – Jewish Students Taking an Active Role

By Lori on 09/12/2011 @ 06:56 PM

In honor of September 11, which is a National Day of Service, the JVC held a meeting of teens interested in service. This group of teens will now be known as JSTAR – Jewish Students Taking an Active Role. As I looked around a packed house of 35 teens and their mothers, I was in awe.

On such a solemn day, our community came together in the spirit of service. What a remarkable way to remember the tragedy America faced 10 years ago. These teens will be participating in monthly service projects ranging from visiting the JCS Kosher food bank to visiting sick children at the Ronald McDonald House. From September to March, they will spend their time giving back to our community in collective hands on way. They will learn the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and together will help shape the next generation of the Jewish people.

I am really proud of all the work our JSTAR Chair, Jamie Rubenstein, put into this project and all of the families who support the efforts of teaching children the importance of service. I am looking forward to an amazing year of youth and teen service.

If you live in South Dade and would like more information on how to join this group, please contact the JVC at 786.866.8414 or Volunteer@JewishMiami.org.

All the best,
Lori

Summer with the JVC

By Lori on 07/08/2011 @ 06:56 PM

The summer is here and the JVC has been partnering with summer camp programs providing fun mitzvah projects that give back to our community! Yesterday at the Alper JCC camp, we made 50 hurricane kits which will be given out at Federation Gardens later this month! Next week, the CIT’s at the Alper JCC will be making 200 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless. In addition to these hands-on projects, they will also be playing games with seniors, creating a recycling project for the whole camp and helping our world become a better place.

The JVC has seen many teens volunteering this summer. Teens around the county are volunteering in Jewish organizations and at local programs which help our community as a whole. One teen is setting up a gleaning project at neighborhood homes. With mangos and avocados ripe and ready to eat, the extra fruit will be collected and donated to the JCS Kosher Food Bank. How will you make your summer more meaningful? If you want to find a volunteer project that makes you feel good and helps our community, give us a call! We are here to find the perfect project for you.

In the spirit of summer service,
Lori

Yom Hashoah Reflections

By Lori on 05/16/2011 @ 06:56 PM

Last week on Yom HaShoah, we remembered the six million Jewish souls lost in the Holocaust. Throughout the day, I found myself reflecting on our Young Lion of Judah program. This program pairs B’nai Mitzvah students and their family with survivors of the Holocaust. Together, they learn and form a new friendship. The “tweens” and their families provide companionship for many of their partners. In turn, their partners provide a real life, hands on lesson in Jewish values and the history of the Jewish people.

One of the highlights of this program for me was how many of the families embraced the survivor they were paired with as a new member of their family. Many of them spent Shabbat together or Sunday afternoons where the students got to see pictures of their partner’s family and learn about their lives. Some students even helped teach their new friend how to use Skype so that they could communicate with their children and grandchildren across the sea and state.

Most of all, on Yom HaShoah, I thought about how important it is that we continue this program next year. Some students have told us that this has been their most important lesson in social justice. Those who choose to participate in the Young Lion program are given a gift and an opportunity to meet a survivor and experience their journey and memories in a hands-on way. More importantly, they are given the chance to be a part of a collective Jewish experience that assures we will never forget what happened to our people.

If your son or daughter is preparing for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in 2011-2012, please let me know so that we can keep you posted on the next class of Young Lions. You can email me at volunteer@gmjf.org.

Guest Blogger: Karina Chocron

By Lori on 04/13/2011 @ 06:56 PM

It's incredible how Rebtzn Hindy Rosenberg’s idea for creating a place with gently used clothing for Jewish people is now a reality.

The Closet is up and running, growing each day and getting more organized for the enjoyment of the whole community. It has been less than a year since the doors of The Closet opened and we are very proud of the amount of clients and donors that have already visited us and left the place with a smile on their faces. We are very Happy to be able to address this important need in our community and truly thank G-d for giving us this opportunity. This mission has filled our hearts with smajot. May Hashem grant us the strength and motivation to continue on this path of helping those around us who need it.

A special thanks to the amazing volunteer's team — almost 50 people dedicating their time to The Closet. Without them, this wouldn't be possible.

TizkuLe Mitzvot

Karina Chocron

Guest Blogger: Dana Tangir-Guenoun

By Lori on 04/13/2011 @ 06:56 PM

Karina Chocron and I are very happy and humbles to be the recipient of the 2011 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. It is an honor for us to receive this award on behalf of all the volunteers of The Closet, who have made our efforts to build the first Community Closet in Miami a reality.

We are very thankful for the help and support of many of the departments and agencies of Federation and Skylake Synagogue for letting us use one of their properties for free to open The Closet.

A few weeks ago, I attended an amazing seminar “Leading with Meaning” with Dr. Erica Brown organized by Federation’s Olam Seminar Series. One of the sessions was about the “Call to Leadership, ” where she asked the participants if we ever felt “called” by a mission. I was able to respond without any hesitation that I received that call made by Rebetzein Hindy Rosenberg when she asked me to open a community store of used clothing. I felt she was giving me a mission that I couldn’t refuse. I am grateful to Hashem that I have the time, the support of my family and friends, and the skills to organize it and mobilize people to do it with me. I felt the responsibility to do it and months later it was a reality.

Then Dr. Brown asked if you have passed on those feelings to anyone else, and I said yes. When I asked my dear friend, Karina Chocron, to take this challenge with me, it as an instant partnership that has had strong roots since we were little girls growing up in Venezuela.

Today, thank G-d, The Closet is open 3 days a week. We have 50 volunteers working in turns every week. And each day, more and more fellow Jews are getting their clothes at the store.

Without the support of many donors and the human power behind The Closet this wouldn’t be possible. I hope that one day each community can have their own Community Closet where our people can get beautiful and gently used clothing for very low priceS so they can save money for other needs.

Our Torah teaches us that since the time of Adam and Chava, clothing was never looked at as being a purely inanimate object. The clothing of the Kohanim was meant to reflect “honor and glory.” To a great extent, that clothing made the person. The Torah gives importance to clothing because it contains some spirituality and plays a role in our communal and personal life. We should, therefore, continue our efforts and continue our work together.

Dana Tangir-Guenoun

Meaningful Jewish Experiences with Hillel House

By Lori on 02/17/2011 @ 05:56 PM

When I first started college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, my grandmother would call me every Friday afternoon to wish me a Shabbat Shalom. Before I hung up the phone with her she would always remind me to “Go over to the Hillel House and have a Jewish experience.” Looking back now, over 10 years later, my Grammy had it right; Hillel is a great place for college students to go when looking for a meaningful Jewish experience.

For the last two years, the Jewish Volunteer Center has been assisting Hillel in providing Jewish experiences to college students on Alternative Winter and Spring Break. Hillel has brought over 500 Jewish college students to Miami from around the country, engaging them in meaningful hands-on service opportunities in our community.

As the rain came down, volunteers dug up the soil creating beds in which to plant vegetables. We planted calalou and lettuce and in just a short 6 weeks, they will be ready for harvest and will feed the hungry in ourcommunity. I was so impressed that our hard working volunteers continued to give back to our community even as the weather turned on us and gave us a shower. However, for the vegetables we were planting, today could not have been a more perfect day.

On the first day of each trip that Hillel has brought to Miami, students and staff members have given back to our Jewish community. In the morning, busses pulled up to the Federation building and 100 Jewish college students took a seat in our board room. They learned from Jeff Levin, Chief Development Officer, and Michelle Labgold, Chief Planning Officer, about our Jewish needs and the annual campaign. Following this opening to their day, they headed out to our agencies to help assist with some of our pressing needs by giving a warm smile and lending a hand.

Hillel provided Alternative Break programs three times this year in Miami. The Jewish Volunteer Center set up the following programs in which these students participated in during their first day of a week-long service trip:

• Visiting residents at Miami Jewish Health Systems
• Serving meals at the Jewish Community Services (JCS) meal site
• Visiting with senior citizens at the JCS Senior Center
• Visiting patients at Miami Heart Institute with the Federation Chaplaincy Program

Students and staff found these volunteer experiences in a Jewish setting to be a wonderful opening to their week of Tikkun Olam in Miami. Throughout the rest of the week, students were engaged in service with City Year, a national organization which promotes change through service in local school systems. Participants painted murals in schools and tutored children in the after school program or at the Overtown Youth Center.

My hope is that Hillel will continue to engage students in these wonderful hands-on, immersive volunteer experiences. These types of programs have shown to be a major player in shaping the Jewish identity of our next generation. Today, if my grandmother were here to see the work we do at the Jewish Volunteer Center, I think she would say, “Thank G-d, you finally listened to me and experienced something great with Hillel.”

Second Annual J-Serve

By Lori on 02/17/2011 @ 05:56 PM

Rabbi Eliezer said, ”Other people’s dignity should be as precious to you as your own.“

Have you ever thought about how a smile can change your day, preserve someone’s dignity or just make another person feel good? Last Sunday, as I walked through Lincoln Road with over 60 teenagers who were encouraging others to smile, I witnessed first hand how positivity can change someone’s day. This year, as part of J-Serve and Good Deeds Day, the Jewish Volunteer Center partnered with the City of Miami Beach to promote Project SMILE, a small program aimed to make big changes.

As I walked through the open mall, I heard loud singing. The more I walked, the louder it got until I reached a group of 10 girls surrounded by a crowd of people. Together, they were all singing “Lean on Me” and spreading happiness and cheer. Some people may have been wondering what the commotion was about, I am proud to say it was teenagers performing a mitzvah.

The teenagers also participated in a mural painting at a Jewish day school, packing Passover care packages for those in need, feeding the homeless and visiting the patients in nursing homes and hospitals.

At the end of the day, we had an opportunity to talk about the statement above from Rabbi Eliezer. Many of the teens felt that by participating in their project, they helped preserve or strengthen other people’s dignity. The teenagers felt good, that they at their young age they could be change agents and models for other teens in Miami to take action.

Say Little and Do Much

By Lori on 01/18/2011 @ 05:56 PM

“Say little and do much.” These words ring in my ears like the famous saying “I have a dream,” which is fitting for today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day . To honor Dr. King, the National Council of Service proclaimed that today would be a National Day of Service where city’s across America are encouraged to help create change wherever they may live. Here in Miami, over 50 volunteers headed out to Roots in the City, a vegetable and fruit garden located Miami’s historic Overtown district.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Dr. Dunn, founder of the community garden, who told us all about the history of Overtown. In addition, he pointed out the church just across the street with Dr. King gave many of his speeches!

As the rain came down, volunteers dug up the soil creating beds in which to plant vegetables. We planted calalou and lettuce and in just a short 6 weeks, they will be ready for harvest and will feed the hungry in ourcommunity. I was so impressed that our hard working volunteers continued to give back to our community even as the weather turned on us and gave us a shower. However, for the vegetables we were planting, today could not have been a more perfect day.

To all the volunteers who participated today, thank you! Our community will definitely reap from what we sowed today. I hope you found the project as meaningful as I did and am proud of the impact you made on our community! As we move ahead we will continue to do much, I encourage you to participate in Super Sunday on March 27th and in our teen day of service, which will be held on Sunday, April 3^rd.

In the spirit of Tikkun Olam,
Lori

The Season for Giving

By Lori on 01/05/2011 @ 05:56 PM

Many people find the months of November and December to be the months of cooler air, red Starbucks cups, feel-good food and shopping. Here at the JVC, we found that these months are times where people enjoy giving back. With close to 1,000 community volunteers in November and December, the JVC certainly sees this time as the season for giving back.

In November, 500 people gathered together in both North and South Dade to prepare nearly 2,000 meals for the needy. As I sat on my couch one night watching the 7 p.m. news, I saw a clip of the Miami Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving feast. In the next clip, I saw our tin pans filled with the delicious stuffing we prepared being served to a large line of men and women lining up to receive a warm holiday meal; I immediately changed my Facebook and Twitter status to reflect the accomplishment of the JVC! What a great feeling it was to see the fruits of our labor in real time!

Last week, nearly 500 people from our community volunteered. From feeding the homeless to visiting the sick, families, friends and singles devoted their day to serving others. One volunteer who visited the Ronald McDonald House gave a blind child a gift with lots of sounds, lights and textures so that the child could “see” through stimulation. When the child received the gift he asked, “Are you Santa?” The volunteer responded, “how did you know!” It is these moments that make opportunities to give back to the needy so worthwhile.

In the New Year, I hope you will stay connected or will become connected to the awesome projects coming up. Next month on MLK Day, we will be participating in a day of service learning for families at an organic garden in Overtown. In addition, Super Sunday and J-Serve/Mitzvah Miami, our youth day of service, are right around the corner. Please give me a call if you would like to get involved in these projects or any other individual volunteer opportunities in our community.

Remember, go forth and do small things! Help make our world a better place to live.

In the spirit of service,
Lori