What To Do This Week In Baltimore

Check out these great events for the whole family sponsored by THE ASSOCIATED or ASSOCIATED agencies.

Sunday, May 26
All The King’s Horses: The Story of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park
4:00 p.m.

In celebration of 50 years of desegregation at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, join the community in a screening of the documentary, “All The King’s Horses: The Story of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park.” A panel discussion on remembering the protest will follow. The panel will include Edwin T. Johnson, Ph.D, Interim Assistant Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Morgan State University, Valerie Thaler, Assistant Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Towson University, Carol Frank, non-violent protestor at Gwynn Oak and Charles Mason, CORE organizer of the protest.

Event will be held at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Avenue. For information, contact Rabbi Gila Ruskin, gwynnoak1963@gmail.com.

Wednesday, May 29
MIDC-Israel Cyber Security Forum
5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
In recent years, companies have been stepping up their security efforts to prevent a cyber attack. Join the Maryland/Israel Development Center to learn about some of the latest trends in the cyber security market landscape, and meet a delegation of Israel’s most innovative cyber security companies and entrepreneurs. Forum will be held at the Howard Community College, Health Sciences Building, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia.

Event is free for MIDC members, and is $18 for non-members. For more information, email Peter Telem at ptelem@marylandisrael.org) or call 410-984-3567. To register go to marylandisrale.org/cybersecurity.

Thursday, May 30
ASSOCIATED Women’s 2013 Annual Meeting
7:00 p.m.

Meet Nancy Lublin, founder of Dress for Success and CEO of dosomething.org , a social entrepreneur, author and think-outside-the-box leader, who will share her story and experiences reimagining volunteerism, business and technology. Be inspired by Lublin and other women at the ASSOCIATED Women’s 2013 Annual Meeting at Beth Israel Congregation, 3706 Crondall Lane, Owings Mills To register, go to associated.org/womensannualmeeting.

Future Events
Sunday, June 2
Israel65.Celebrate! Noon.
Concert begins at 4:00 p.m.

Join our community for a celebration of Israel’s 65th birthday, featuring Matisyahu, Jewish-American reggae and alternative rock musician. The day-long celebration also includes interactive activities for all ages, Israeli food and vendors, an innovation exhibit and much more.

Israel65.will be held at the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC, 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue. Tickets for the Matisyahu concert are $25 for adults and $15 for children under 13. To purchase tickets, go to baltimoreisraelcoalition.org

Tuesday, June 11
Business & Professionals Group’s Annual Real Estate Industry Group Event
5:30 p.m.
Meet the leaders of the real estate industry at one of the hottest events and spaces in Baltimore. Mill No. 1 is an adaptive reuse of 19th-century cotton mill buildings transformed into a mixed-use project overlooking the Jones Falls stream. Donald Manekin (Union Mill), Bill Struever (Clipper Mill) and David Tufaro (Mill No. 1) will discuss historic revitalization, the Jones Falls area, and much more. Guests are invited to tour the mill after the program. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Mill No. 1 is located at 3000 Falls Road. The event is $35 in advance; $45 at the door. To register, go to associated.org/reig.

Sunday, June 16
Clark Kent’s Bar Mitzvah Party
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Superboy becomes Superman! Celebrate the opening of the new movie, “Man of Steel,” with a coming-of-age party of heroic proportions at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, 15 Lloyd Street. Enjoy music, food, games, prizes and crafts while reminiscing about Clark Kent’s childhood.

The cost to attend is $5 member individuals, $10 non-member individuals, $13 member families and $18 non-member families. Visit jewishmuseummd.org for more information.

Engage Your Children In Volunteering

By Stacey and Randy Getz
Stacey is the Chair of the Jewish Volunteer Connection’s Family Committee

YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S ROLE MODEL! As a parent, sometimes I’ve realized that fact a little too late–like when I drive a tad too fast or maybe don’t give someone the benefit of the doubt. I’d like to think though, that my positive influences on my children outweigh those transgressions.

One area where my husband and I attempt to set a positive example is in making it a priority to help those who are less fortunate and trying to treat others as kindly as possible. There are lots of ways to do that, and we want our children to know that these values are important lifelong goals.

The Jewish concepts of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world and making it a better place, and Derech Eretz, the idea that we should try to follow a proper course in dealing with others, are the ideal.

On a daily basis we have many opportunities to do small acts of kindness, whether it is saying please and thank you, holding the door open for someone, lending a hand, giving a compliment or a number of other things often taken for granted. We as individuals have the opportunity to make the day a little brighter and a little easier for others we encounter during our day.

Volunteering is another way to make a difference. There are so many opportunities to lend a helping hand – from making food for the Hannah More Homeless shelter in Reisterstown like families did on a recent Sunday to JVC’s Mitzvah Makers or visiting the elderly at local nursing homes. There are so many meaningful activities for those that need our help.

We continue to learn how we can make a difference. And, the interesting thing is, these activities probably make us feel as good as the recipients.

Now as parents, we are watching our children contribute to their communities–at school, on the athletic fields, at Mitzvah Makers programs, participating in Camp Tzedek and with their peers and friends.

Being involved with JVC has enhanced my family’s volunteerism. We hope you will join us on our journey.

Learn how your family can volunteer. Go to jvcbaltimore.org.

Operation Oliver – Rebuilding a Baltimore City Community

By Kara Seidel
Students Taking Action for Change (STAC) participant
THE ASSOCIATED

Martin Luther King Junior Day is often referred to as a day of service. But what does service really mean? On Monday, January 21, I learned the true definition of this word as I joined some of my fellow STAC members and participated in Operation Oliver, a Sixth Branch project that focuses on rebuilding the Oliver neighborhood of Baltimore City.

I looked around and saw numerous volunteers of all different backgrounds. As we stood there in the 30-degree cloudy weather, I couldn’t help but wonder what to expect.

We quickly met the members of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, all in high school just like us. Soon enough, we all gathered to listen to the leaders of the project talk for the most moving seven minutes of my life. Not only do these people run the project, but some of them actually moved into this neighborhood. They quoted MLK’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Every person standing there became mesmerized by this statement. I glanced around and could easily see that it became nearly impossible to do anything but listen.

The leaders explained the different roles and instructed volunteers on how to safely clean up needles. That’s when I realized how much of a change the neighborhood needed.

We were split into groups and assigned different areas of the neighborhood. Some people cleaned trash; others painted, planted and beyond. Our job was to shovel for bricks, rocks and glass so we could make an even and safe surface for the children who play football on this patch of land. The rocks kept piling up, wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow.

Looking up, I witnessed a true transformation. Just three hours before, the distraught neighborhood seemed to have no hope. The walls now popped with bright colors, the trash slowly disappeared, and in just two hours almost an entire dumpster filled. Kids who played football on this uneven patch of land would now have somewhere to play. We moved to help spread soil on planted trees. The once rough area of dirt was hardly recognizable. It felt like the clouds had disappeared—the sun was brightly shining.

In those few hours, the neighborhood transformed from a place of distress to a genuinely welcoming and comforting area. I was amazed that hundreds of volunteers willingly spent their day off outside in the cold and came together.

For lunch, we sat in a circle with the teens from the Elijah Cummings Youth Program and went around and talked about the day. Hearing each person’s perspective absolutely moved me. I felt a strong personal connection with the same people I had met just hours before.

The whole project would have thrilled Dr. King. The project couldn’t have been a more perfect metaphor of the progress of society. I am so grateful that now I can sit and talk to people of any race or ethnicity and we can all work together to make change. I am appreciative that we had this time to celebrate Dr. King. Service is not about one person. It’s about everyone working together as a community.

Kara Seidel, a junior at Pikesville High School, is a participant in Students Taking Action for Change (STAC), sponsored by Jewish Volunteer Connection (JVC) and THE ASSOCIATED.

For more information about STAC and JVC’s Teen Leadership and Volunteer Programs, contact Reneé Goldfarb at rgoldfarb@associated.org or 410-369-9338.

A Community Cares

By Jodi Elkin
Mitzvah Day Committee Member
Jewish Volunteer Connection

Upon my return home from The Associated-sponsored mission trip for 12 Jewish teenagers from Baltimore to Odessa, Ukraine at age 17, I knew my involvement with the JVC had only just begun. That upcoming holiday season became my first time volunteering at JVC’s annual Mitzvah Day at the Park Heights JCC. I encouraged my parents and my sisters to attend the event and help out as well. That was six Mitzvah Days ago, and we haven’t missed one since.

Every year, thousands of items are donated to JVC for the event, and on Christmas day, hundreds of volunteers from the Jewish community gather together to assemble winter care packages for people in need. Following an entire year of planning, the event is filled with a variety of volunteer activities for families, fun music and holiday cheer. All of the planning committee’s hard work pays off when approximately 1,500 care packages are delivered to various shelters and soup kitchens by the end of the day.

As a recent college graduate who just moved home to the Baltimore area to attend grad school, this was the first year that I was able to join the Mitzvah Day committee myself.  My dad, who has been on the committee for several years, was the Chair this year. Now, not only was I able to play my part as a volunteer, but I helped organize the behind-the-scenes aspects of Mitzvah Day as well.

While the rest of my Jewish friends wake up on Christmas morning with plans for movies and Chinese food, I get to put on my Mitzvah Day shirt and “Ask Me” name tag, head to the JCC, and prepare for the day’s events. In the past, I have had various roles such as handing out different colored ribbons as a code to where the bags are heading, restocking the donated items as they disappear into these bags and even videotaping the event to create short movies.

I have loved every minute of my involvement with the program, and hope to continue to be a part of it for years to come. It always feels good to volunteer in the community, but there is something extra special about doing a mitzvah during the holiday season. To know that we, as a community coming together, have the potential to put a smile on someone’s face who is facing difficult times is a truly precious holiday gift.

See Jodi’s video from 2011′s Mitzvah Day>>

Coney Island Grace

By David Dagan

We weren’t handing out wads of cash in the high-rises. We weren’t offering to turn on the elevators and the boilers. We couldn’t even produce the PB&J that a little boy asked us for. All we had were apocalypse-proof dinners (kugel or chicken) and bottled water.

But on Coney Island, in a neighborhood that was tough even before Sandy chewed it up and spat it back out, that was pretty good.

We were there on a day trip from Baltimore, a group of 30, chipping in a few hours of volunteering three weeks after the storm. In 17-story buildings where power was spotty and stairs were the only way in or out, the residents answered our knocks with incredible grace.

“Oh, no thank you,” said one man who had apparently stocked up. “I wouldn’t want to abuse the privilege.”

“Privilege” was not the word that had come to my mind as we ascended the concrete behemoth.

“I’d rather not,” a young woman told us, as kids scrambled around behind her. “Only because other people need it more than we do.”

We made her take some dinners.

The storm had destroyed the ground-level apartments in the high rises on Neptune Avenue and knocked out the elevators, trapping seniors who could not navigate the labyrinthine staircases. Flyers taped on the walls thanked residents for their understanding and directed them to an address where they could pay their rent. But if there was anger here, none of it was directed at interlopers like us. When people waved us off, they did it with a smile, hiding behind their doors. When they took something, thank you and God-bless-you spilled from their lips in Russian and English.

Of course, New York has not been universally charming since the storm. There was looting in this area just after Sandy struck. There has also been understandable frustration about inequalities across neighborhoods, both in storm response and in general. “These people are millionaires,” a sanitation worked had told me earlier in the day, when we visited a better-off community.” They don’t need the help.” But still, he and his colleague thanked me for being there, and gave a friendly wave as they drove off.

For all the ugliness, the storm has revealed an asset in communities rich and poor that we too rarely acknowledge: the poise, patience and determination that most people summon when hardship falls on them. During this holiday season, Coney Islanders remind us that it’s one thing to say grace, and another thing to show it.

Jewish Volunteer Connection organized the recent emergency mission to New York to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. While we are ready to help when emergency or disaster strikes, we also have volunteers giving back to our local community throughout the year.

To learn more about these opportunities, please email Rebecca Weinstock at rweinstock@associated.org or call 410-843-7566.

On a Sunday Afternoon

By Ina Krief

It was a crisp Sunday afternoon. The 8 a.m. soccer tournament was over, another tournament was planned for later but my son preferred to come with me. Wow, I must be doing something right.

My friend picked me up and we decided to take our boys and do “something different.” This Sunday, we would be helping others by participating in JVC’s Mitzvah Makers project during Good Neighbor Day.

I thought I was prepared for this Sunday afternoon activity but boy, was I wrong.

First, I forgot the address and accidentally parked in the wrong spot. We then had to walk for 15 minutes.

“Walk????  Not drive?,” asked the boys.

We finally arrived at our destination, registered and received a complimentary green shirt to wear.

“We have to wear a green T-shirt with the words “Good Neighbor Day” on it?,” they asked.

We then proceeded to the next room where we had to assemble emergency kits.

A nice young man explained to us what should be included in the bags. It was simple: two granola bars, three bottles of water and one plastic container filled with sidewalk salt.

I glanced over to my son to see if he was paying attention to these simple directions and what do I see? He found a swivel chair that goes up and down once you push on a small lever. That was exactly what he was doing, sitting in the chair going up and down. Lovely.

I had to put on my “you better listen to me right now” hat and things ran a little smoother.

Once we assembled six bags with emergency supplies, we were ready for our next mission. Deliver six bags of emergency kits to six houses in the area.
“In the area” meant 10 minutes away at the most.

We even said we would return to assemble more bags thinking it will take us 30 minutes at the most. Little did we know, we made it back in an hour and a half.
Why? You ask. Because my friend and I were chatting the whole way in the car thinking that we knew the area so well we didn’t need directions. After the third wrong turn, we finally admitted that we did need the directions. Guess what? We still could not find the house.

We asked the nice lady on my phone how to reach our next destination. She took us one turn at a time exactly where we needed to go. Thank you “maps” app! How did we manage without you?

Oh yes, I remember we had to ask our husbands and hear many lectures on how to read maps.

It was 4 p.m. and time to go home. I put my “teacher hat” on and asked the boys “how did you feel when delivered those bags to the elderly? What do you think about spending a few hours of your Sunday afternoon helping out instead of playing on the Xbox?” They paused from their important conversation on how to beat the “game” and said “it was good.”

“The earth brought forth vegetation: seed bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with seed in it. And God saw that this was good.” Genesis 1,12

I guess on that Sunday afternoon we experienced our own “Creation” through our “seed bearing plants.” It was good to spend a crisp Sunday afternoon helping others.

Learn more about Mitzvah Makers>>

Tikkun Olam – Volunteer Locally and Globally

The 2013 Farmer’s Almanac says that temperatures will be much colder this winter from the East Coast westward to a line from the Dakotas to Texas. With that in mind, what can we, as a community, do to prepare ourselves for the winter weather months that are now upon us?

Baltimoreans are used to the somewhat mass hysteria that comes when snow is forecasted.  We all know to gather the necessities:

1. Milk
2. Bread
3. Toilet Paper
4. Flash Lights
5. Batteries

As Jews, it is important that we not only think of ourselves, but also think about our community and how our elderly and special needs neighbors might need our help.

Volunteer Locally:

1. Help grocery shop
2. Frequent friendly visits to just check in
3. Change batteries in fire alarms
4. Offer to shovel stairs and walkways
5. Offer to drive to medical appointments

Volunteer Globally:
With the recent hurricane and snowstorm that affected our neighbors to the north, there has been a wonderful outpouring of support among our community. Now more than ever, as temperatures dip, your volunteer help is needed.

Join Jewish Volunteer Connection (JVC) on a Hurricane Sandy Relief Mission to assist with relief efforts in New York. We’ll travel to New York together on a chartered bus Sunday, November 18 departing from Chizuk Amuno Congregation at 6:00 a.m., returning by 9:00 p.m.

For more information and to register for the mission, contact Rebecca Weinstock at rweinstock@associated.org or 410-843-7566.

Busy Life? Finding Time to Volunteer

By Ashley Pressman
Executive Director
Jewish Volunteer Connection

Emails. Meetings. Emails. Phone Calls. Reports. Urgent Requests. Emails. Emails. Emails.

Does this sound like your day? As a business working professional, days can become a whirl of deadlines, requests, lunch meetings, and a jumble of critical tasks in our increasingly fast-paced work environment. How can we find time to fit in one more thing? More important, why would we want to?

When it comes to volunteering, I’d like to suggest that we do want to – or rather, that we need to for our own mental and physical health and for the health of the community.  Volunteering is a great way to spend time with friends, to share your values with your children and to get a different perspective on the world.

But how do we fit it in?

Here are some tips to help the busy working professional who wants to volunteer but can’t find the time.

• Find Your Passion – How do you spend your free time? Do you cook? Make casseroles and deliver them to a local shelter. Do you like to garden? There are so many volunteer opportunities – find one that fits your interests.
• Think About Your Skills – What is your career? Many organizations are seeking pro bono volunteers. Dentists, lawyers, financial professionals, and marketing experts are all needed at organizations in the Jewish community. Do you have a skill that you want to develop? Volunteering can be a great way to develop skills as a handyman, in tax preparation, and as a healthy cook.
• Identify Your Priorities – Why do you want to volunteer? Is it to give back to the community? To network professionally?  Because you want your children to learn about the value of service?  Find a meaningful project that works with your schedule. Join colleagues or friends and volunteer together. Check out these family friendly volunteer opportunities>>
• Figure Out Your Schedule – When are you available? Is your free time between midnight at 2:00 a.m.?  If your schedule changes every week, find an opportunity with a flexible schedule like becoming a mentor with Big Brother Big Sister at Jewish Community Services.

Still don’t think you have the time? Ask yourself this. Did you find the time to watch the Orioles in the playoffs this year?

We find the time to do the things that are priorities to us.  Making the community a better place can be one of those things. Try it today and see the difference a gift of time can make!

Get started now with opportunities available through Jewish Volunteer Connection>>

For more information, email volunteer@associated.org or call 410-843-7490.

Check out these online volunteer opportunities by selecting Micro Volunteering>>

365 Days to Give

By Rochelle Eisenberg
Public Relations Manager
THE ASSOCIATED

Giving back to the community has always been important to Pikesville’s Jennifer Grossman. A strong believer in helping others, this young woman and mother of three has made a point of instilling in her family the importance of engaging in mitzvot.

That is why she chaired Jewish Volunteer Connection’s (JVC) Community Mitzvah Day, an annual day of volunteer opportunities throughout Baltimore, from 2008 to 2010. It’s why her children made sandwiches and delivered them to homeless shelters, meeting and speaking with the clients on December 25 last year.

And, that is why she also agreed to chair Mitzvah 365, a new initiative from JVC, a program of THE ASSOCIATED.

“I chaired Mitzvah Day, but there are 364 other days of the year,” says Grossman. “We want to find ways for individuals to get involved in community service every one of those.”

Mitzvah 365, set to launch later this month, will feature 365 ways individuals and families can make mitzvot and community service a daily part of their lives. “We hope to inspire our community to give back to the community,” Grossman says.

Each day on the Mitzvah 365 website, individuals will discover existing volunteer opportunities already happening in the community or organizations where they can create their own community service projects.

“For example, we might highlight Special Olympics one day and work with interested individuals to help them make volunteer connections,” says Grossman.

Erica Bloom, assistant director for JVC, adds that there will even be ideas for Shabbat, such as offering to babysit in synagogue or walk an elderly person to shul. “We want to create a culture of service that doesn’t just happen once a year,” she says.

That culture of service is evident in another new opportunity for local families. “Volunteams,” a collaboration between JVC and THE ASSOCIATED’s Jewish Community Services (JCS), will bring families together to be part of a volunteer team. They will commit to making the lives of adults with special needs a little brighter.

Each family on the team will choose one day of the month to visit a group of adults living at one of the JCS residences for adults with developmental disabilities. Together they might play games, read stories, make snacks and create craft projects.

“The families and residents can do whatever they like to do,” says Beth Land Hecht, Senior Manager, Volunteer Services for JCS. “When you begin to see some of the same people over again, you start to build a relationship. They remember you and you remember them. You become friends.”

In addition, the program will include opportunities for all the families participating as part of a “Volunteam,” along with the adults they visit, to get together for larger social events several times a year.

“If you start a culture of volunteering when your kids are young, by the time they become bar or bat mitzvah, it is natural for them to pick a project with which they have experience and to which they are connected. Hopefully this positive volunteer experience will carry them into their teen years and will continue to build,” says Hecht.

For Grossman, that culture of giving back is already ingrained in a positive way. She laughs as she shares the story of her son, telling a relative who asked her what he was doing for Christmas Day.

“My son said, ‘what do you mean, what are we doing on Christmas? It’s Mitzvah Day. That’s what you do,’” she recalls.

Interested in joining a “Volunteam?” Email Beth Land Hecht at bhecht@jcsbaltimore.org or call 410-843-7456.

Be A Part of the Upcoming GA in Baltimore

By Marisa Danto
Campaign Associate
THE ASSOCIATED

What is the General Assembly (GA) you might ask? Chaired nationally by Baltimore’s own Genine and Josh Fidler and Linda and Steven Hurwitz, the GA is an annual conference hosted by Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and is the largest Jewish philanthropic conference. The last time the General Assembly was in Baltimore was in 1991. Twenty-one years later, this is our opportunity, as Jewish young leaders, to show the rest of the Jewish world what makes Jewish Baltimore so strong.

We are the future leaders. We are the future philanthropists. And, at this conference, we will discuss the critical issues facing the global Jewish community today while learning and networking with today’s leaders in workshops and plenary sessions. The GA also provides an opportunity for socializing and connecting with new and old friends, colleagues and decision-makers.

As a Baltimore Jewish young leader there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved. On October 24, you will have an opportunity to meet Genine Fidler, co-chair of the GA and register to attend or volunteer for the conference, while attending THE ASSOCIATED’s Business and Professionals Group panel discussion “How Red and Blue Affect your Green.”

On Sunday, November 11, join other Jewish young leaders for a meaningful learning opportunity with Brian Mandell, Director of the Harvard Kennedy School of Negotiation Project. Mr. Mandell teaches about the theory and art of negotiations and writes about contentious disputes. Previously, he was a strategic analyst for the Canadian Department of National Defense, specializing in UN peacekeeping and the implementation of arms control agreements.

Following the wonderful Baltimore Community Event, Monday evening, November 12, at the National Aquarium, hosted by THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, where you will mix and mingle with GA attendees, dine on local cuisine and listen to live music, young leaders will make their way to an after-party at Power Plant Live to socialize, network and continue the party!

If hands-on volunteering is of interest to you, THE ASSOCIATED will be partnering with Jewish Volunteer Connection, a local program of THE ASSOCIATED, and Ruach Tova, an organization in Israel that sponsors a nationwide Good Deeds Day. We will pick two set times during the GA to participate and two to three volunteer projects to showcase.

There are opportunities for everyone to explore the GA! Attend the Conference (at a discounted rate of $349 for Baltimore attendees and a one-day only registration option for $199).

Or, become a volunteer. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to serve as community ambassadors to GA participants from all over the world.  Volunteer for a three hour shift at the Convention Center or one of the hotels and show participants why we are called Charm City.  We hope to see you there.

Check out ways to volunteer>>

Register now>>