Jewish News of Greater Phoenix Online
SALVATORE CAPUTO
Senior Staff Writer
The hustle and bustle at the B'nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program's annual kickoff event, held Oct. 28 at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale, was all about teenagers learning to become philanthropists.
About 100 people showed up, including 25 families that are new to the program, says Andrea Cohen, director of the B'nai Tzedek program.
Teens sat at tables with local philanthropists such as David Metz, Dr. Sherman and Andi Minkoff, Judy Laufer and Evelyn Feffer. After an "ice breaker" to get everyone comfortable with one another, the teens interviewed the philanthropists at their tables, asking questions about what causes they are interested in, how they got involved and the like.
The adults, in turn, acted as mentors, offering their thoughts on philanthropy, priorities, giving strategies and decision making.
In addition, Dr. Minkoff, who co-founded the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix with his wife, spoke to the whole group about Jewish genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs and the importance of testing.
While emphasizing the value of giving, the event also offered opportunities for doing, through community service projects completed that day.
Teens made Hanukkah cards and wrapped presents for members of Council for Jews with Special Needs' social groups. They addressed cards for a Jewish Community Day Schools Scholarship Fund mailing. They wrote thank-you notes to Jewish National Fund donors. They made blankets for animals rescued by the Whispering Hope Ranch, and individual teens wrote letters to elected representatives urging them to take action to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
The youth philanthropy program, an initiative of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, seeks to create and nurture the next generation of Jewish philanthropists, Cohen says. The program invites b'nai mitzvah to deposit a portion of their cash gifts to establish personal B'nai Tzedek endowment funds. The foundation adds its own contribution to the individual funds as well, and the teens then learn about how to choose causes and charities to fund.
The kickoff event starts an annual cycle of learning and deciding how to do tzedakah as a teen philanthropist, Cohen says.
The B'nai Tzedek program is one of 10 such programs nationwide that were selected to participate in the Pilot Incentive Grants Program of the Jewish Teen Funders Network, a national youth philanthropy project of the Jewish Funders Network. The program will receive $10,000 per year for three years, and JTFN will work closely with the newly established Jewish Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Board of the B'nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy Program on program development and staff training.