For this session, we met at the JCC and listened to a presentation about Leket Israel, a nonprofit that distributes food that would otherwise go to waste to hungry people throughout Israel. I thought Leket was a very well organized nonprofit that does very important. It seemed like they could use our money well, and they were the right size for us: any donations we make could make a big difference for them and wouldn’t get lost like it would in a big organization.
After the Leket presentation, we listened to a guest speaker, Danny Siegel. Danny is the author of many books and poems, as well as being a famous philanthropist. Danny was a very funny speaker; he often went on tangents and made a lot of jokes, but he had some great advice for us. Danny was extremely dedicated to tzedakah and he gave us many strategies to make our tzedakah money go as far as possible. He was so determined to make a difference that he even gave us some money, along with collecting money from people in the room, to buy a car seat to donate to Eastside Baby Corner. After the speech, I talked with Danny a little and he signed my copy of his book. He was very fun to talk to and I learned a lot from having him come visit JTeam.
JTeam means a lot to me. It is my favorite community service activity I’ve ever done. With each meeting, we make a difference in our community. I enjoy every session and always feel good about what I’m accomplishing through JTeam. I know the skills I am learning now will be useful later in life and will help me become a successful philanthropist.