Expanding our community of
Volunteers
Discovering the Joy of Reading
As we entered our third decade of training and placing Jewish volunteer tutors in under-resourced elementary schools throughout Greater Boston, we wanted to do even more to address the needs of our partner schools that are so sorely stretched for resources. So, we expanded the opportunities for volunteers to be part of our Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy community by participating in book drives, author visits and library renewal projects, and by tutoring for any length of time that works for them. We are now discovering ever increasing ways to enhance the capacity of our neighborhood schools to help children discover the joy of reading.
Teen and Pre-teen Service Learning
TELEM is marking its bar/bat mitzvah year by continuing to engage pre-teens and teens in service learning – 781 this past year alone. This year, we offered additional opportunities for participants to join our efforts, through six service day projects. One of these projects took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when TELEM partnered with Rebuilding Together Boston, a non-profit that organizes building rehab projects for those in need. Eighty-one volunteers rolled up their sleeves to do a massive rehab of the interior of the Second Church Enrichment Center in Codman Square, Dorchester, transforming this vital community center into an almost new learning environment.
Young Adults Engaging in Service for the Broader Community
In response to a call from our young professionals who crave more opportunities to volunteer and build their own Jewish community, we introduced ReachOut!’s new “Drop-in” young adult service programs, enabling participants to volunteer in ways that fit their busy schedules and allowing them to join other volunteers for Shabbat dinners and socials. This inclusive model invites a wider swath of volunteers into the ReachOut! community and provides opportunities for them to act on their Jewish values, with like-minded peers, and to the region’s benefit.
HIGHLIGHTS
Our Work for Immigrant Justice
Gathering to Learn and Commemorate
A Vision of Lasting Peace
JCRC Celebrates 2018
Wins for our Community on Beacon Hill
