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Slicinc The 5 1e
Jewish Fund Teen Board grooms a new generation of givers.
Vivian Henoch
Special to the Jewish News
I
magine creating a whole new take
on giving back to the community.
Suppose someone gave you $50,000
and said, "Take this money and use it to
make our community a better place:' What
would you do?
Last October, 29 Jewish high school stu-
dents set out to do just that by learning the
ropes of philanthropy and grant-making
through service to the inaugural Teen Board
of the Jewish Fund, which was established
in 1997 with proceeds from the sale of Sinai
Hospital.
Given $50,000 as a special allocation from
the Jewish Fund, the group has worked
for eight months to research and identify
areas where the funding would make the
most impact to create a positive change for
Detroit's youth.
"The Jewish Fund Teen Board began with
a very ambitious goal — to help mold our
next generation of philanthropists; says
Martha Goldberg, Teen Board coordinator.
"We sought a diverse group of Jewish teens
with the vision of creating a forum where
they could share their experience and devel-
op and practice their leadership skills. Each
has brought something special to the table.
"What's been most gratifying to see is
how the program has helped build a strong
cohort of teens, passionate about our Jewish
community and the future of Detroit and
determined to improve the circumstances
of some of the most vulnerable children and
youth of our city:'
The Teen Board is part of a nationwide
initiative to nourish the trend of teen phi-
lanthropy. In 2014, Metro Detroit was one of
two communities selected by the Jewish Teen
Funders Network (JTFN) to take part in the
first cohort of the Teen Foundation Board
incubator, funded by Laura Lauder and the
Maimonides Fund. This initiative seeks to
Teen Board members
14 July 2 • 2015
A group of Teen Board members
create as many as 10 new high-quality Jewish
teen foundations by 2016. The Jewish Fund
Teen Board will continue to receive JTFN
support in the form of resources and consul-
tations for the next four years of program-
ming.
What Would You Do?
The Teen Board is a youth-led program,
empowering teens to work side-by-side
with the Jewish Fund staff as colleagues
aligned with the organization's legacy of Sinai
Hospital and its mission to support commu-
nity programs and services that help at-risk
individuals improve their health and family
condition.
Membership represents a significant
commitment of time and responsibility.
The teens met monthly throughout the aca-
demic year. During their board term, they
researched and identified organizations with
programs that addressed early childhood
health and kindergarten readiness as well as
effective family communication to decrease
substance abuse among youth.
As they learned, community needs are
always far greater than the
resources. Choosing the
programs to fund is always a
difficult task. After months of
research, an intensive round
of site visits and interviews,
considerable debate — and
a degree of personal soul-
searching — the Teen Board
selected four programs for
grants; all were approved by
the Jewish Fund board on
May 5.
• $17,500 to the Ruth Ellis
Center Inc. in Highland Park,
for the Family Preservation and Acceptance
Project to increase family acceptance and to
address or prevent substance abuse issues
and homelessness of youth identifying
as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
questioning (LGBTQ). It is estimated that
between 800 and 1,000 homeless and run-
away LGBTQ youth live in Metro Detroit.
The Ruth Ellis Center served at least half of
these teens last year. Beginning in the fall
2015, youth will be able to access a fully inte-
grated health program, addressing outpatient
substance abuse, mental health and primary
healthcare onsite at the center.
With the Teen Board grant, the center
additionally will support LGBTQ youth
holistically within their families with the goal
of reducing the high percentage of LGBTQ
young people who experience rejection at
home and turn to substance abuse.
• $12,500 to the Guidance Center in
Southgate, for Get Up and Go! This project
supports toddlers and preschoolers from dis-
advantaged homes so they can be successful
in kindergarten. The Guidance Center serves
a large population of children ages 0-6,
many with no books or toys in their homes
and unable to work on the skills needed for
kindergarten outside of the Early Head Start/
Head Start environment.
With the grant, the Guidance Center will
create educational kits for families to keep
at home, with learning activities focused on
literacy and other age-appropriate skills to
support families in maintaining a positive
home environment to prepare their children
for kindergarten. Additionally, the program
will target children with autism and other
developmental disabilities, many of whom
need items at home to work on fine motor
and sensory challenges.
• $10,500 to JARC in Farmington Hills,
for the LinkUp Empowerment Program to
nurture independence and deter substance
abuse among teens and young adults with
intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/
DD). Recognizing that young people with I/
DD are not immune to the dangers of sub-
stance abuse, isolation and anxiety about
sex and relationships, JARC has proposed a
program to match young adults with I/DD
with an experienced life coach to foster open
communication regarding these issues.
The grant also allows JARC to educate
participants about risk-taking behaviors
and encourage healthy ways to connect with
peers. Additionally, JARC will further edu-
cate and encourage open dialogue with the
greater community
• $9,500 to Starfish Family Services in
Inkster, for the Inkster Family Literacy
Movement to enhance the literacy skills
of children and their parents/caregivers.
Offering regular opportunities for families
to gather and experience books and read
together, the program will provide examples
and role-modeling activities that can be rein-
forced in the home.
Overall, 34 percent of Inkster adults are
considered functionally illiterate. Starfish
seeks to eradicate these statistics.
Gateway To Leadership
"By participating in this amazing philanthropy
program I have learned so much. I really feel
like we have helped the community in a good
way" said Teen Board member Carolyn Cohn.
"I have gained a set of skills and values
that will guide me not only in my future
grantmaking endeavors, but in all facets of
my life said Connor Tukel, another Teen
Board member.
"I have been able to extend what I do for
our community. I am proud to be on such
a new and successful board. [I feel] like a
pioneer," said Teen Board member Cooper
Bellinson.
"We are a community that encourages
and fosters leadership in our young people,
and this program has given them the tools
to build upon their experiences:' said Karen
Sosnick Schoenberg, Jewish Fund board
chair. "We couldn't have asked for a brighter,
more thoughtful, more committed group of
young people to take the lead in the first year
of this program. The fact that nine of the 29
teens have chosen to apply for next year's
board speaks to their commitment to tikkun
olam and to the future of our city:'
❑
Vivian Henoch is editor of MyJewishDetroit.org,
where this story originally appeared.