Programs help teens learn to give
BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN
Special to Jewish News
When Elizabeth Macdonough joined Temple Chai's Youth Endowment Board last fall, she wasn't looking to improve her social status or add some pizzazz to future college applications.
The 16-year-old Paradise Valley resident had a higher purpose in mind.
"It was a big thing for myself, just knowing inside that this was another way in which I could ... help out our community," she says. "I was just excited that I could participate and do something that matters."
The Youth Endowment Board is one of two Valley organizations that work to help socially minded Jewish teens like Macdonough acquire philanthropic skills.
The second program, the B'nai Tzedek Teen Philanthrophy Program, will be launched by the Jewish Community Foundation later this year.
Local real estate executive Ron Barness says that while there are similar groups in cities across the country, such programs are new to the Valley.
"The intent is to spawn a real movement among local young people and get them involved," says Barness, who donated the startup funds for the Youth Endowment Board in November. "It's just a really exciting way for them to stay connected to Judaism and to do something serious."
The board consists of approximately 30 teenagers who meet monthly to determine which charities and causes to support. During a seven-month cycle from November to May, teens participate on teams that research charitable organizations, visit with representatives of the organizations, review grant requests and discuss their findings.
Rabbi Mari Chernow of Temple Chai, the board's administrator, says members have "tough decisions" to make since they can provide endowments to a limited number of groups.
"When the members first learned they were going to have a budget of $5,000 to give away, it seemed like a ton of money," she says, "but they've also learned it's hard to decide who gets donations."
The program is open to Jewish teenagers in eighth-10th grade who are good students and active in the local community.
"We want students who (understand) tikkun olam and have done incredible projects on their own, either with their schools or through other service organizations," Chernow says. "So, to a degree, they already understand the importance of going out there and making the world a better place."
While teenagers will be able to participate in both the Youth Endowment Board and B'nai Tzedek, the latter program will operate in a different manner. The JCF will set up individual endowment funds for Jewish youth, ages 13 to 18, who contribute a minimum of $180, explained local B'nai Tzedek Director Andrea Cohen.
An additional $320 then will be contributed to their fund by B'nai Tzedek. Teens will then get to make an annual grant from their fund to one or more charities.
Cohen says members will be encouraged to increase their funds through further contributions or by soliciting donations.
"Teens should capitalize on an opportunity such as this, especially those who are looking to do something really substantial (with) their bar or bat mitzvah money," Cohen says. "They're going to see that they are able to make a difference in someone else's life and in the life of another agency."
While many details are still being ironed out, Cohen says the JCF is planning on presenting a series of programs and meetings throughout the year for B'nai Tzedek members. The events will provide information and hands-on experience in such areas as developing strategic philanthropic methods, interviewing skills, mock allocation exercises, researching charities, and evaluating how gifts are being used.
The B'nai Tzedek Teen Philantrophy Program was created by the Massachusetts-based Harold Grinspoon Foundation in 1997. The foundation partners with Jewish organizations across the country and since 1999 has helped create teen philanthropy programs in 26 small and medium-sized cities, such as Memphis and Tulsa, Okla., said K'vod Wieder, director of the national B'nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program
"The essential goal of B'nai Tzedek is to help create a new generation of givers," says Wieder. "We try to demonstrate that one doesn't have to be wealthy to be engaging in a lifelong relationship with your community or with giving."
Macdonough says she's eager to continue in the mitzvah traditions of her parents, including mother Dana Macdonough, who serves as director for the Watkins Overflow Shelter in Phoenix.
"My mom is really involved with mitzvah charity work and I felt by participating it would be a great way to follow in her footsteps," she says. "I like that there aren't any adults on the board, because we're a newer generation trying to get involved and help the community."
Contact Chernow, 602-971-1234, or the Jewish Community Foundation, 480-699-1717.
Benjamin Leatherman is a Tempe-based freelance writer.
|