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teens in action
teens at work
by Nate Strauss
by Eryn Fox
Volunteer Corps
Class of 2010
Adat Shalom group helps teens make volunteering part of their lives.
Akiva's pre-Pesach carwash
effectively got the crumbs out.
abilities.
have always volunteered and
This year, the K.A.T. Carnival
had fun with it. The same old
raised money to send kids with
projects, however, were getting
special needs to camp. Having
pretty boring. Going into my second
been to camp, I felt incredible
year as a member of the Teen Vol-
helping this great cause. Every
unteer Corps at Adat Shalom Syna-
kid should experience the op-
gogue in Farmington Hills, volun-
portunity to go to camp and
teering has become a regular part of
make a lot of new friends.
my life.
At the carnival, I was stationed
The Teen Volunteer Corps is a
at the Big Slide, one of five inflat-
group of teens who plan and partake Noah Newman and Jonathan Schiff,
able games set up in both JCC
in different community service proj- both 15, Bloomfield Hills; Heather
ects around Metro Detroit. We are Rosenbaum and !liana Woronoff, both gyms and the lobby. Along with
the inflatables, there were activi-
always looking for new projects. Last 15, West Bloomfield
ties such as face painting, mak-
year, I volunteered at the K.A.T. (or
ing
buttons
and
wax
hands, coloring, a magic show
Kids All Together) Carnival. I enjoyed the event
and wanted to volunteer again. When I walked and a dance party. An amazing lunch was provided
into the Jewish Community Center in West Bloom- by Jerusalem Pizza. Overall, it was a really great
field, I was blown away. This year's event was big- day. This event made volunteering more than just
ger and better than ever. It definitely wouldn't be "work." It made it fun and 150 percent worth my
Sunday afternoon. All teens are wel-
boring; it was going to be a blast!
come; contact Jodi Gross at jgross@
K.A.T. is an award-winning program that pro-
adatshalom.org.
vides inclusion support for children with disabili-
ties so they can participate in youth programming
Nate Strauss, 15, is a freshman at North
at the JCC. It's run by the JCC Special Needs De-
Farmington High School and a student
partment, which provides recreation programming
at ATID (Alliance for Teens In Deroit).
for kids, teens and adults with developmental dis-
I
join other teens
by Jamie Rashty and Hannah Korelitz
1-Serve
give back, take part: teens can make a difference!
0
n Sunday, April 25, hundreds of teens
from all over Metro Detroit will join with
Jewish teens around the world to volun-
teer in service to their communities through the an-
nual J-Serve, the national day of Jewish youth ser-
vice.
Teens will join each other to make their commu-
nity and the world a better place. Twenty-one orga-
nizations sponsor the day locally.
Come and earn community service hours while
gardening with residents at Teitel Apartments in
Oak Park, baking challah with JARC participants,
making blankets for children in need, walking to
raise money for Jewish Family Service of Metropoli-
tan Detroit's Project Chessed, a referral network that
provides free care to Jewish adults without medical
insurance — and much more.
Projects will be available for sixth- and seventh-
graders as well as other projects for eighth- through
12th-graders. There is a project for everyone!
We hope teens who aren't associated with any
Jewish youth organization also will decide to par-
ticipate!
Join us from
11:45 a.m.-4:30
p.m. on April 25 at
the Jewish Commu-
nity Center in West Ben Eilender of West Bloomfield
Bloomfield and works on a project during last
bring your friends year's J-Serve.
for a day of fun and excitement while contributing
to your community.
Register no later then April 18 by going to www.
jserve.org . For more information, contact Jared Roth-
berger at BBYO, (248) 432-5685 or jrothberger@
bbyo.org , or Jodi Gross at Adat Shalom Synagogue,
(248) 626-2153 or jgross@adatshalom.org .
Jamie Rashty and Hannah
Korelitz are ninth-grad-
Clockwise from left: Akiva seniors Eryn Fox of Oak Park,
Noah Spalter of West Bloomfield, Michal Wrotslaysky and
Molly Goldmeier, both of Southfield, and Mindy Schneider
of Oak Park
S
ponges, glass cleaner, paper towels and
vacuum cleaners. Sounds like spring clean-
ing? Not exactly — it was Pesach cleaning.
Every year when Pesach time rolls around, the
Jewish community embarks on the sometimes-
daunting search for chametz (leavened bread) in
preparation for the holiday.
While the kitchen is usually the first place
people search for chametz, cars can often be
overlooked. Especially with all the other prepa-
ration necessary for Pesach, it is easy to forget
about that half-eaten bag of pretzels left under-
neath the backseat.
So, on March 21, Akiva Hebrew Day School's
senior class hosted a pre-Pesach carwash to assist
people in the difficult task of cleaning for Pass-
over. After five hours of constant washing, scrub-
bing and vacuuming, more than 30 cars drove
off completely prepared for the Pesach holiday.
By hosting this event, the Southfield school's
Class of 2010 was able to raise more than $600
for its yearbook as well as a class trip in June.
Akiva senior Ruthie Lehmann said, "Even
though the work was difficult at times, the end
result made it so worth it. I had so much fun with
my friends, all while working for a good cause."
There were even some volunteers at the car-
wash who were not seniors, but simply wished to
take part in an important mitzvah.
"The dedication and teamwork was incred-
ible," said Akiva teacher and mother Leah Sand-
ers. "My car looked practically brand new," she
said. "Now all I had to do was convince my kids
not to eat their cookies in the
backseat!"
ers at Akiva Hebrew Day
School in Southfield.
Eryn Fox, 17, is a senior at Akiva
Hebrew Day School in Southfield.
iN
teen2teen April 15 . 2010 TT3