Nov 14, 2010
Jewish Volunteer Center Provides Hands-On Ways to Give Back
Looking for a meaningful way to use your talents, perform a mitzvah and make new friends? Look no further than the Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the central clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in Miami's Jewish community.
The JVC is all about the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and whether you’re working with children at a Jewish Community Center, providing food for the needy at the JCS Kosher Food Bank or beautifying a local synagogue garden, the JVC has mitzvah outlets for people of all ages and all schedules.
The JVC offers volunteer activities year-round, ranging from the “Everything but the Turkey” Thanksgiving project, which prepares 1,800 servings of food for the homeless and hungry, to “Light Up the Night,” which brings Chanukah cheer to homebound seniors. During the rest of the year, there are events like the Attorneys’ Day of Service, the J-Serve day for teens, “Matzah, Mitzvah and More” at Passover and, of course, Super Sunday, Jewish Miami’s largest community-wide phonathon.
Looking for a B’nai Mitzvah project for your teen? The JVC can help find the right project or design a suitable one. This year, the Young Lion of Judah program is pairing B’nai Mitzvah students with Holocaust survivors who never had the opportunity to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
The JVC also offers volunteer opportunities on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and on other holidays. We can also help you organize a meaningful volunteer day for your organization. In fact, the JVC currently logs more than 12,000 volunteer hours per year!
JVC Chair Mark Kravitz observed that the kind of active participation the JVC engenders is particularly meaningful during difficult economic times like these, when people want to give back, but may not be able to give money.
“There’s a feeling in the community, especially now, that organizations need volunteer participation as much as they need money,” said Kravitz. “There’s a real sense of urgency for hands-on involvement, and that’s where JVC comes in.”
For more information, email [email protected] or call 786.866.8414.
