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Teen honored for her devotion
in helping to battle the scourge of AIDS.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
Special to the Jewish News
fr
erhaps in high school,
being known as the girl
who packs her own con-
doms would not necessar-
ily please one's parents.
That couldn't be further from
the truth for Tali Zechory's parents.
Miriam and Avi Zechory of Beverly
Hills are thrilled that their daugh-
ter's reputation has grown out of a
genuine concern for others' welfare
and a deep desire to do community
service as a peer leader and educa-
tor for the Michigan Jewish AIDS
Coalition (MJAC).
"I couldn't be prouder," said
Miriam Zechory, adding that Tali
promotes health and safety, not sex-
ual activity, through distribution of
condoms. "It is great to have a
child who is genuinely interested in
community activities. She is not
doing this for college or for credit.
This is done out of a genuine desire
to fill a need in the community."
For her dedication and concern,
Tali, 17, a senior at Birmingham
Groves High School, was chosen as
a recipient of the Metropolitan Life
Foundation/National AIDS Fund
Caring Counts Award for 2000. In
February, she and her mother will
travel to St. Louis to attend the
nifAta:NWS
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VI
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Tali Zechory: Helping MJAC brings out her creativity.
KaaftiCx,
Ryan White National Youth
Conference on HIV/AIDS. She will
receive a $500 award and several
other gifts.
"Tali has been one of our most
active teens for the past three years,"
said Andrea Nitzkin, director of edu-
cation for MJAC. "As a young per-
son, she is extremely dedicated to the
cause. She is bright beyond her years
and she is passionate. We are luc
to have her."
Zechory has-a history that primed
her for volunteerism. Both parents
have been involved in a number of ser-
vice projects through the years, often
bringing Tali and her brother Ilan with
them to lend additional hands.
Her grandfather has entertained
Tali with stories of devoting a sum-
mer to registering African Americans
to vote in the South during the early
days of the civil rights movement.
"My family has always placed an
emphasis on social activism and
community involvement," Tali said.
"The Jewish values and the human
values have always been empha-
sized."
So when she reached the age of
15, she felt ready to give back to the
community in her own right. As she
scanned a MJAC newsletter one day,
she realized it was the organization
for her.
"I was looking for something to
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12/24
1999
85