Our Teen Volunteers Did it Again!

Jewish teens from our B’nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy program and BBYO teamed up on Sunday, April 10th for the annual JSERVE community service event.

This year’s program was directed at engaging children and adults with special needs in a carnival-like celebration of Jewish holidays. Participants enjoyed a number of activity options, including matzo making with the Bureau of Jewish Education, singing in the sukkah with song leaders from Congregation Or Tzion and Temple Chai, celebrating a Rosh Hashanah birthday party, and making Shabbat candlesticks with Seeds for Autism, a local nonprofit focused on employment and job training skills for young adults with autism. Other participating organizations included the Council for Jews with Special Needs, Friendship Circle, and KEEN.

Our teens also had an opportunity to hear from the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center about the importance of genetic testing. They learned about various risk factors and ways the JGDC works with prospective parents to avoid the grief and suffering of losing a child to a preventable Jewish genetic disease.