Get to Votee Park Today for a Good Cause - Chai Lifeline!

TODAY! VOTEE PARK in Teaneck NJ! 12:00 - 2:00 PM! =)

5 Kilometers to Change a Life

The fun, fit way to help send sick children to Camp Simcha.

Walk it. Run it. Hike it. Bike it.

www.kids4chai.org/walk

Invite your family and friends to cheer you on and share the fun at the park.

Respecting Volunteers' Time

     In this very important article, the importance of volunteers and their efforts put into helping out a non-profit or any other organization are at the forefront.  It should always be our priority to appreciate and respect our volunteers as they are a crucial part to the success and inherent meaning of our work.  This article emphasizes that volunteers should be informed of the time-frame they are signing up for and should not be given extra responsibilities that they may deem as burdensome and disheartening.  We at Areyvut thank all of our past, present, and future volunteers and recognize them as fundamental to the work that we do together.  Volunteers are more than our helpers; they are our partners.

16 Unbelievable Acts of Kindness

 

   I came across the most amazing article from BuzzFeed which shows 16 unbelievable acts of kindness in pictures.  While they are all amazing and show the inherently good nature of people to do for others, my favorites include the concert where a boy in a wheelchair is crowd-surfing proudly and the bikers who stop to give water to thirsty koalas in the 120 degree heat of Australia.  Check out the link above and be prepared to be inspired!  May we all gain strength from these acts of kindness and be impelled to do kind acts of our own today, tomorrow, and always!

College Athlete Gladly Ends His Shot Put Career to Donate Bone Marrow

   
   

     Cameron Lyle, a college student at the University of New Hampshire, is giving up the final weeks of his shot put athletic career in order to donate bone marrow to a 28 year old man with Leukemia who has been given six months to live.  The decision for him was a no-brainer and could give the man a few more years to live.  The article not only inspired me but made me feel better about a world we live in which emphasizes the importance of sports and the status gained from being exceptional at them.  While I believe that sports can be beneficial and fun I also firmly believe that some things are more important than sports; saving a life is one of those things.  I'm glad that Cameron Lyle also feels this way and that he is happy with his decision to help out a man not much older than himself.  "I knew right away I was definitely going to donate," he said.  I'm glad to read stories like Cameron's that show tremendous acts of giving especially ones like this in which the giver doesn't even know who he is donating to. There will be an opportunity to meet one another in a year at which point he and the recipient can each sign consent forms to reveal their identities to one another.  Helping a total stranger live longer is a beautiful way to give of yourself and Cameron Lyle is doing just that.  And while I'm not the biggest sports fan I know one thing.  I sure am a fan of Cameron Lyle and this selfless act of love.

Engineered Serendipity: Creating Space For Innovation and Risk-Taking

     Brainstorming and collaborating with board-members and colleagues alike is an essential way of bettering oneself and ones organization.  We here at Areyvut value group participation and ideas from individuals which can add to the discussions on the table and snowball into better ideas or more cohesive ones.  This article is an excellent piece about the need for valuing risk-taking in our efforts within the Jewish community.  One paragraph that particularly stands out to me is this one: "Creation ex nihilo (from nothing) pertains only to G-d. We, humans, create by combining, adapting and exapting existing knowledge. 'Invention' in Latin shares the same root as 'inventory.'  One can only invent with what one has."  May we all work together and put forth ideas to build on existing ideas and create valuable programming, and overall productive events and life-improving activities.

Asking Ourselves Questions About Training Future Jewish Leaders

     This article showcases a woman named Cheryl Finkel who works as an independent consultant advising school heads, board leaders, and federations.  Prior to consulting she was the head of a Jewish school in Atlanta for twenty years.  She lends us her expertise and ideas with a video featured within the article at the above link.  The article also features many questions pertaining not only to Jewish day school leaders but to anyone who is training leaders in their organizations, or wondering what the best educational approach to develop Jewish leadership might be.  We at Areyvut are always looking to explore ways to create strong leaders in those we work with be they employees or volunteers.  Articles like these are good ways of learning more about Jewish education and fine-tuning our own philosophies towards becoming the best we can be at what we do in our fields.

Similar Differences - Learning From A New Report About Engaging Teens

     A new report titled, "Effective Strategies for Educating and Engaging Jewish Teens" put out by The Jim Joseph Foundation has much to offer any Jewish non-profit organization that interacts with teenagers and encourages their involvement with community and Jewish values.  This review of the report, from EJewish Philanthropy's Dr. Jeffrey S. Kress, makes a great point in saying that, "A fundamental lesson from this study is that even with the major shifts in the context around us (and these are indeed serious shifts...growing up 'these days' is unique in many ways), there are key fundamentals that remain crucial. Yes there are certainly major differences in the developmental context of today's youth. But, to paraphrase a saying by Dale Berra (Yogi's son), 'while today's youth may be different from their predecessors, their differences are similar.'"  Click on the report itself for a thorough understanding of how best to engage teens "now-a-days" and learn about what effective strategies other organizations have been applying.