AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps

Break New Ground – Jewish Funds for Justice

Program: Jewish Funds for Justice Alternative Break
Organization: Jewish Funds for Justice
Website: www.jewishjustice.org
 
Description: Jewish Funds for Justice's Alternative Breaks are a hands-on way of getting students involved in the critical issues facing our country. The program provides an opportunity to address existing community needs through an intensive service project. Participants gain important skills while learning about and reflecting on relevant historical, social and political issues through the lens of Jewish ethics and values.
 
This year, participants will rebuild hurricane-damaged homes along the Gulf Coast, plant trees in urban parks in Los Angeles, tutor children in east Baltimore and perform other critical service in those communities.

This program is funded in part by UJA- Federation of New York.
 
Contact: Amy Schrager
E mail: aschrager@jewishjustice.org
Application deadline: none
Age of participants: College Students
Location: Gulf Coast, Los Angeles or Baltimore

Jewish Family Services

Jewish Family Service's mission is strengthening Jewish lives; responding to community needs.  This is accomplished through intervention, support, education and enrichment.

Since 1943 Jewish Family Service has played a vital role in serving the constantly changing social service needs of individuals, families and their children in Greater Cincinnati. People count on Jewish Family Service every day for support, comfort -- and hope.

To volunteer, contact Sandee Golden, Volunteer Coordinator: 513-766-3352 or sgolden@jfscinti.org

KESHER’s Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans

Program: KESHER’s Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans
Organization: Union for Reform Judaism
Website: http://keshercollege.org/gulfcoast/index.cfm

Description: For only $99, join KESHER, in partnership with the Religious Action Center, as we continue Judaism's commitment to tikkun olam.  During this six day trip, March 15 - 20, 2009, you will work side-by-side with other students from across the country, making a difference and continuing the much-needed work of repairing the South.  For registration information visit www.keshercollege.org/gulfcoast

Participants in the KESHER Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans program will:

- Spend six days and five nights in New Orleans, performing Hurricane Katrina relief work in conjunction with ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
- Meet with Jewish community members affected by Hurricane Katrina.
- Work hand-in-hand with college students and other Gulf Coast Relief workers to repair homes in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, a low-income housing neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
- Process the experience with a cohort of twenty to twenty-five students and three staff members.
- Experience the vibrant culture of New Orleans and the South.
- Return to your campuses and share your experiences to educate others about the needs of the Gulf Coast communities affected by recent natural disasters.

Contact: Miriam Fink
E mail: kesher@urj.org
Phone: (212) 650-4071.
Age of participants: North American college students
Location: Gulf Coast

Martin Buber Summer Youth Institute for Teens

Program: Martin Buber Summer Youth Institute for Teens
Organization: Am Kolel
Website: www.bubersummer.org

Description:   Participants will experience kibbutz-style cooperative living while learning about Jewish Social Philosophy, Jewish Environmental Ethics, Conflict-Resolution, and working on an organic farm.

The Buber Institute offers a unique way for youth to deepen their Jewish identity and sense of community, their understanding of Jewish teachings on community and ecology, as well as their practice of and commitment to Tikkun Olam.

Each day includes morning prayer and contemplative spiritual practice, farm work and cooking, hiking and swimming in the creek, study of Martin Buber's teachings on Social Philosophy and Jewish renewal, a campfire and a kumsitz, or sing-along.  In addition, daily chuggim (interest groups) include opportunities to learn new skills such as conflict resolution, how to draw comics, mural painting, bicycle maintenance, guitar, harmonica, among other possibilities.

Students will hear presentations and participate in discussions on such topics as "Judaism and Food Culture" and "Global Warming."  We will also take several field trips to local sites, among them is Shepard’s Table a local food kitchen where we will volunteer and donate a portion of our crops.

Contact: Mat Tonti
E mail: mat@am-kolel.org
Phone: 240-994-8646
Application deadline: rolling
Age of participants: 13-17
Location: Beallsville, MD

MAZON: Jewish Response To Hunger

Founded in 1985, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national, nonprofit agency that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Each year, MAZON grants over $4 million to more than 300 carefully screened hunger-relief agencies, including emergency food providers, food banks, multi-service organizations and advocacy groups that seek long-term solutions to the hunger problem. Click here to learn about MAZON’s grantees.

MAZON (“food” in Hebrew) believes its dual purpose is to provide for those who are hungry today and to address the systemic causes of hunger and poverty, both domestically and globally. Although grants are provided to many organizations serving the Jewish poor, in keeping with the best of Jewish tradition MAZON believes it is important to respond to all who are in need. Click here to read more about hunger and the Jewish response.

MAZON is supported by nearly 900 synagogues throughout the United States that have affirmed "partnerships" with MAZON, thereby embracing the traditional Jewish commitment to sustain the hungry. Click here to learn more about becoming a MAZON partner.

MAZON also enjoys the support of over 100,000 individual donors who incorporate social justice and hunger relief as crucial components of their everyday lives. MAZON’s supporters help hungry people by donating three percent of the cost of weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and other joyous and life-cycle events; by contributing to MAZON at the High Holy Days, Chanukah and Passover; and by making contributions in honor or in memory of friends and loved ones. Click here to learn more about how you can help fight hunger.

By volunteering, you can help a MAZON grantee in your state help the millions of Americans in need. To find out how MAZON can connect you with a volunteer agency in your area, contact us with your request. Be sure to tell us where you live, and to include a contact phone number.

Contact:

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
10495 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 442-0020
Fax: (310) 442-0030

National Council of Jewish Women

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works through a program of research, education, advocacy and community service to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families, and strives to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all.

Contact:
NCJW - COLUMBUS SECTION
3000B E. MAIN ST. #272
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43209
614-231-9241
Email: ncjwcol@aol.com
Website: www.ncjwcolumbus.org

National Jewish Health

National Jewish Health has been consistently ranked not only the #1 respiratory hospital in the United States but also among the 25 most influential research institutions in the world in its areas of focus. A leader in respiratory, immunology, cardiology and related diseases, or mission since 1899 is to heal, discover and educate as a preeminent healthcare institution.

In the next decade, National Jewish Health will seek to be at the forefront of a new era in medicine. We seek to transform research and patient care from reactive to being proactive and personalized.

Fill out our online volunteer application.

http://www.nationaljewish.org/help/volunteer/index.aspx
 
Benefits of Volunteering

-Knowledge and satisfaction that you are helping others in need
-On-the-job training and career enhancement
-Complimentary cafeteria meal per shift
-Free parking
-Annual volunteer recognition events
-Invitation to participate in staff events
-Influenza shots
-Access to our on-site pharmacy
-Access to our on-site medical library
-Access to Employee Assistance Program 
 

Becoming a Volunteer
Time Commitment
We ask that volunteers be able to make a commitment of four hours a week for at least six months (Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm)

Required Steps to Start as a Volunteer

Complete a volunteer application form and necessary paperwork. Fill out our online volunteer application.
Schedule an interview with the volunteer engagement coordinator.
Participate in a health screen and TB skin test or history at no cost to you.
Successful completion of a criminal background check.

Contact:
Volunteer Services: 303-398-1126
volunteers@njhealth.org

Organic Farm Alternative Break

Program: Organic Farm Alternative Break
Organization: Hillel - The Foundation for Jewish Campus life
Website: www.hillel.org

Description: This summer, spend a week with 30 other students from across the country when Hillel, in partnership with the Jewish Farm School, provides college students the opportunity to participate in the first-ever weeklong Organic Farm Alternative Break.

Get your hands dirty by learning to plant, harvest, and compost at an organic farm during the day and explore the root issues with experts from both the Jewish and secular worlds of the food justice movement.

You will leave with a greater understanding of the complex issues surrounding sustainable food production and the necessary skills, knowledge and resources to affect positive change in your campuses and communities.

Contact: Abbey Greenberg
E mail: aborganic@hillel.org
Age of participants: College Students
Location: California and Maryland

Operation Shema

Program: Operation Shema
Organization: BBYO/Spark: The Center for Jewish Service Learning at Jewish Funds for Justice
Website:http://www.bbyo.org/article.php?id=600\

Description: BBYO and Jewish Funds for Justice have teamed up to create a dynamic two-week summer experience focused on community service, advocacy training, Jewish values and college prep.  Operation Shema provides Jewish teens with a direct, hands-on volunteer service immersion that offers substantial community service hours, while addressing some of the key issues and underserved populations in urban Baltimore (including at-risk youth, the elderly, and the environment).  Participants develop a commitment to social justice through skills sessions that teach the tools of basic community organizing and advocacy, using the direct service experiences as a case study for personal change and transformation.  Participants are housed at Towson University, which offers a real taste of campus life, and a chance to hear from student and university leaders about gaining admission to a top college and making smart college choices.  As an activist campus, Towson is an ideal venue for Operation Shema.  The program also takes advantage of social, cultural and recreational resources in Baltimore.  Teens come away with close friendships and empowered to make a difference in the world.                           

Contact: Rachael Frydman
E mail: rfrydman@bbyo.org 
Phone: (414)326-2808
Application deadline: rolling, until program is filled
Timeframe: 15 days
Age of participants: 9th-12th Grade
Location:  Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland

PanimWorks: An Activist's Adventure

Program: PanimWorks: An Activists Adventure
Organization: PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values
Website:  www.panimworks.org

Description:  Live and work in an entirely new culture this summer!  Make a difference as you live in rustic accommodations on a Native-American reservation in the Navajo, Hopi or Zuni Nation and work with the local community to promote positive change. This trip in the majestic Southwest includes hands-on service projects and outdoor recreational activities. Make lifelong friends and learn about the ethical values that define Jewish life while earning up to 45 community service hours. PanimWorks is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduating seniors.

Contact: Rachel Hillman
E mail: panimworks@panim.org
Phone: (301) 770-5070 ext. 217
Application deadline: rolling admissions
Age of participants: rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors
Location: Southern Colorado / Northern New Mexico

Service Learning Camp – The Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute (JYPI)

Program: Summer Service Learning Camp
Organization: The Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute, a Program for the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning
Website: www.pjll.org

Description: Teens spend six days doing service learning projects at a variety of locations in the D.C. area. Camp participants visit different locations each day, including homeless shelters, animal rescue centers, park revitalization projects, building projects, clothing centers, etc. Along with performing hands-on service, campers engage in reflection about the diverse needs in the world around them, and what the Jewish tradition says about fulfilling the different needs in our community. Teens can earn up to 30 hours of Student Service Learning credit for school.

Contact: Alana Tipton
E mail: atipton@pjll.org
Phone: (240) 283-6249
Application deadline: rolling admissions
Timeframe: August
Age of participants: 8th – 12th grade
Location: Washington DC