WRT MITZVAH FAIR
2023
PROGRAM
May 21, 2023
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the Westchester Reform Temple 2023 Mitzvah Fair!
WRT is committed to pursuing tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedek (social justice) for impact locally, statewide, nationally, and globally through direct service, tzedakah, advocacy, and community organizing. This Fair is our opportunity to welcome local partner organizations onto our campus so that they can share their meaningful work and volunteer opportunities.
We hope you will spend time today doing some hands-on mitzvah projects together and learning about different ways to get involved in social action at Westchester Reform Temple and in our larger community.
Remember, as the Rabbis taught, “[y]ou are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” As we do this work together, and discover how much more we can do, we can bring a little more light into this world.
B’yachad, working together as one community, we make a bigger difference.
WRT Clergy and Director of Social Impact and Community Engagement
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
11:15
Opening Ceremony, WRT Clergy, WRT President Warren Haber
11:50
The Afya Foundation
11:55
HOPE Community Services
12:15 – 12:45
Pie in the Face, Rabbi Leah Citrin, Rabbi Sasha Baken, WRT President Warren Haber
12:50
Isabel Block, Member of the WRT Social Impact Council and WRT Teen
FOOD
Free Cotton Candy
For Purchase:
5 Alarm Pizza
Burgers, Chicken Fingers, French Fries, and Ice Cream
* Purchase your food tickets across from the food trucks
Pamplemousse Project
Coffee for the Community: A new specialty café in White Plains, NY serving ethically-sourced coffee and hand-crafted drinks, fresh baked goods, and confections. Their mission is to donate 100% of profits back to local nonprofit organizations.
MUSIC
HOT LUNCH
with WRT members:
Greg Alkalay
Gregg Fisher
Michael Gorelick
Adam Hellegers
Eric Scheffler
Karen Scheffler
and Scarsdale locals:
Ross Goldstein
Kevin McEvoy
BLACK SHABBOS
with WRT members:
Adam Hellegers
Andrew Wagner
Eric Scheffler
Karen Scheffler
TABLE NUMBERS AND LOCATIONS
(table numbers subject to change for event day)
Key
hands on project
items for purchase
Sign up for a WRT Volunteer Day
Inside Tent: Tables 1 – 14
Outside Perimeter of Tent: Tables 14 – 21
Inside Social Hall: Tables 22-24
MITZVAH FAIR 2023 PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
The Afya Foundation
Afyafoundation.org
Brief Description of Services
Afya creates access to critical medical supplies where there is none, such as sutures, bandages, assorted surgical instruments, and more. Afya gives these supplies a second life, divesting them from landfills to wherever they are needed. Its model recognizes that each hospital, government, and clinic face disparate public health conditions. Afya is unique in that it customizes each shipment to the specified needs of healthcare providers on the ground, ensuring only needed items are delivered which is crucial in medical emergencies when healthcare workers do not have the time to sort through surplus items.
Volunteer Opportunities
Locally, Afya relies on over 3,000 volunteers from schools, religious groups, and corporate partners who pass through its warehouse each year to sort donations. Afya volunteers are the last to touch these medical supplies before they are sent to medical professionals delivering frontline care. Every hour of service has a measurable impact on the lives of people in need. Afya welcomes people of all ages, starting at 5 years old. Volunteers under 15 years old need to have a parent/guardian or be supervised by an adult chaperone.
Backyard Sports Cares
Brief Description of Services
Backyard Sports Cares supplies sports and recreation programs to underserved and special needs children in Westchester County.
Volunteer Opportunities
The main program takes place at Purchase College on Sunday morning during which a teen mentor is paired with a child on the autism spectrum. Volunteers range from 7th grade through high school and are expected to attend all sessions.
Children’s Hope Chest
https://www.childrenshopechest.com
Brief Description of Services
The mission of The Children’s Hope Chest is to provide help and offer hope to children in our community suffering from poverty, abuse, neglect and illness. Children’s Hope Chest strives to increase social action by promoting adult and youth volunteerism.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Children’s Hope Chest offers volunteer opportunities all year long starting at the high school level (9th grade and up).
Family Services of Westchester, Ride connect, Headstart
http://rideconnectwestchester.org/
Brief Description of Services
FSW provides mental health and social services that strengthen and support families, children, and individuals at every stage of their lives. With 50 innovative programs, FSW serves 30,000 individuals annually in Westchester County. Founded in 1954, Family Services of Westchester is a private, nonprofit, non-sectarian social services agency.
Volunteer Opportunities
Ride Connect: RideConnect seeks volunteer drivers to take seniors places throughout Westchester. Volunteers must have a reliable vehicle, a valid driver’s license, and a good driving record. Ages 21-80.
Head Start: Head Start classroom volunteers are assigned at various locations throughout Westchester. These volunteers assist teachers with all activities, read to children, and conduct projects with them. Strong interest in seniors for intergenerational mix. Minimum age 16.
Feeding Westchester
https://feedingwestchester.org/
Brief Description of Services
Feeding Westchester serves a food bank for over 200,000 people (adults and children) in Westchester County each month.
Volunteer Opportunities
Groups and individuals are welcome for a variety of volunteer opportunities. In addition, individuals and groups can conduct food drives to support the Feeding Westchester food pantry. When organizing a food drive, please check with Feeding Westchester for its current most needed items.
Grad Bag
Brief Description of Services
Grad Bag’s missions is twofold: to support underserved college-bound students and to advance sustainability. Grad Bag provides a more equitable transition to college by collecting, refreshing, and repackaging lightly used dorm room essentials for redistribution to incoming student in need.
Volunteer Opportunities
Starting mid to late May through July, Grad Bag will need volunteers to help clean, sort, and repackage all of the dorm room items that are collected. Some work is outside – such as washing plastic containers and more. Some work is inside – sorting and folding sheet sets, blankets, towels, etc. Grad Bag is seeking hard working high school students, college students, and adults who are willing to get their hands dirty. There also may be some opportunities for younger children, such as sorting hangers.
Grassroots Grocery
Brief Description of Services
Grassroots Grocery unleashes the power of volunteers to bring dignified access to healthy food into the heart of disadvantaged communities.
Volunteer Opportunities
Shabbat Mitzvah Produce Parties: pack, sort, and deliver produce to disadvantaged communities throughout Harlem and the Bronx. For additional opportunities, visit the website.
Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center
Brief Description of Services
Provide professional development opportunities for teachers and programs for students and adults about the Holocaust & human rights.
Volunteer Opportunities
Interns in the HHREC Office on West Red Oak Lane, White Plains (off Westchester Avenue) for high school students.
HOPE Community Services
https://www.hopecommunityservices.org/
Brief Description of Services
HOPE is a community service organization in New Rochelle, NY, providing emergency food services, housing, children’s supportive programming, and a full array of social services to all in the community who may need it, with dignity and respect.
Volunteer Opportunities
Packing pantry bags, pantry distribution, kosher and senior deliveries, Community Kitchen meal services.
Israel ParaSport Center
Brief Description of Services
The Israel ParaSport Center is one of the world pioneers in the field of sport rehabilitation. The Center is a home away from home to around 2,5000 Israelis of all ages, where the unique merits of sports are utilized to strengthen body, spirit, and mind. Today, Center athletes participate in 18 different sports activities without discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, race, nationality, or ethnicity.
Volunteer Opportunities
Some ideas of how to raise awareness and funds for the Israel ParaSport Center: Run or bike for charity, hold a jump-a-thon, host a wheelchair basketball game or tennis exhibition, host a tournament for your favorite sport, have a bake sale, hold an event at your school or synagogue with a special guest, or have a garage or yard sale.
JCCA
https://www.jccany.org/
Brief Description of Services
JCCA’s programs include foster and residential care, educational assistance and remediation, case management for young people with mental health challenges and services to families to prevent child abuse and maltreatment. JCCA programs help more than 17,000 children and families annually.
Volunteer Opportunities
Tween program for 7th and 8th Grade: The monthly Tween Program is an excellent way to introduce tweens to volunteerism, while acquainting them with children who have lives that are very different from theirs. The tween program is one night per month from 5 pm to 6:15 pm. It is held in the Edenwald Recreation Building, or outdoors, and children eat dinner together and then participate in sports, games, and/or craft activities. The children in the Edenwald program are developmentally and/or cognitively delayed.
Teen programs for high schoolers: Groups are comprised of 5-8 teens from the community, ages 15-18 years old, who come to the cottage once a month. The teens go to the same cottage every month, so they get to know the youth, they bring either a snack or a meal, depending on time of day, and do an activity, crafts project, play games, or go outside to play. At least one adult chaperone is required to be present, and the adult chaperone may alternate. The chaperone that month is responsible for supplying the food and activity. Groups are held Fridays at 5 pm and Saturdays and Sundays throughout the day, starting as early as 11 am and as late as 5 pm. Groups last between 1 ¼ and 1 ½ hours.
Lunch Bunch for adults: Volunteers go to the same cottage once a month, giving the adult volunteer the chance to get to know the children in their cottage. Volunteers come at about 11:45 am to set up and stay until 12:55 pm. The Lunch Bunch volunteers bring lunch, a game or activity, a dessert or birthday cake (when there is a birthday that month), and a small gift for each child. Typically one or two volunteers are responsible for purchasing the lunch and gifts as well as organizing the activity each month. Lunches are held every month from September through June.
Other opportunities: Mentoring for adults over 21 years old, special interest groups, and academic tutoring.
My Sister’s Place
Brief Description of Services
My Sister’s Place strives to end domestic violence and human trafficking through comprehensive free services, advocacy, and education.
Volunteer Opportunities
General volunteering: mitzvah projects and drives for personal hygiene items, diapers, and wipes. High school students, college students, and adults are welcome to volunteer in person.
NewFlex Youth Programs
https://newflexhoops.com/
Brief Description of Services
NewFlex youth programs connect underprivileged youth and communities to mentoring, academic help, educational programs, sports, and more.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities include tutoring, office administration, youth sports coaching (basketball, volleyball, tennis, fitness), and small group activity opportunities (i.e. arts and crafts, computer training). Ages 16 and up are preferred. B’nei Mitzvah youth welcome for some projects.
REFILLERY.shop
Brief Description of Services
Refillery is Northern Westchester’s eco pop-up offering a curated section of useful household and personal care products to help eliminate singe use plastic.
Volunteer Opportunities
Refillery shop is seeking a high school student with good sales skills and an interest in sustainability.
The Sharing Shelf
Brief Description of Services
The Sharing Shelf was founded to address clothing insecurity and meet the basic material needs of low-income children and teens in Westchester County.
Volunteer Opportunities
Youth volunteers under 14 years of age can get involved by helping to provide clothing and everyday essentials to the children The Sharing Shelf serves. Organize a drive or complete an at-home project from a menu of options found on the website. Options range from creating hygiene kits for babies, children or teens to running a diaper, sock, or underwear drive. 14 years old and up can volunteer in person with a parent actively volunteers alongside them. Adults of all ages are welcome.
GET INVOLVED AT WRT
AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Mitzvah Corps
The WRT community has many different entry points into Mitzvot opportunities – ECC Mitzvah Corps, Family Mitzvah Corps, and WRT Mitzvah Corps. Through a combination of hands-on activities, learning experiences, and goods drives, WRT strives to better our world by doing mitzvot.
Cooking4HOPE
Our Cooking4HOPE team makes hot meals and sandwich bags for HOPE Community Services and other local organizations addressing food insecurity and food access in Westchester County.
Environmental Impact
WRT strives to be a zero waste community and is committed to being a leader in sustainability and green practices.
Racial Justice Working Group
The WRT Racial Justice Working Group empowers congregants to grapple with the role that race has played in shaping America. Through personal and communal work, the working group strives to use this understanding to build a better local and national community.
Tzedek Box
Tzedek Box offers a way for all of us to be impactful, be mindful, and be just. Whenever you or your family participates in an act of tzedek, any deed that makes the world a better place, take a moment to pause and reflect upon your social impact by recording your deed, and placing your reflection in your Tzedek Box. Through a grant from WRT’s Jacobs-Freedman Fund for Innovation in Jewish Life, and the WRT Social Impact and Community Engagement Fund, every WRT household received a Tzedek Box this past year.
Want to get involved in Social Impact at WRT? Email Sharon Stiefel, Director of Social Impact and Community Engagement at sharon.stiefel@wrtemple.org.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
To The Social Impact Council: Allison Friedland and Nancy Michaels (Co-Chairs), Isabel Block, Karen Frommer, Adam Hellegers, Drew Kramer, Jay Musoff, and Jeff Mutterperl, for organizing this event.
To our many WRT congregants who volunteered.
To the generous donors who support the WRT Social Impact and Community Engagement Fund, for making this event possible.
To the WRT Facilities Team for their hard work in making this event a reality.
To learn more about Social Impact at Westchester Reform Temple visit: https://wrtemple.org/impact/
To make a donation to the WRT Social Impact and Community Engagement Fund, visit https://form.jotform.com/wrt/WRTSF.