Youth foundation trains new generation of leaders

Youth raise $37,000 at benefit dinner

By PAUL HAIST

article created on: 2009-05-01T00:00:00

“This community has no problem with leadership over the next 50 years,” said Stan Geffen to the approximately 150 people who filled the Mittleman Jewish Community Center ballroom April 19 during the opening of the annual Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation Benefit Dinner.

Geffen is president of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, which is home also to the youth foundation.

“The Portland Jewish community will go a long way with the leaders in the youth foundation that are being developed today,” said Geffen.

The Benefit Dinner is the youth foundation’s flagship annual fund-raising event. Besides spelling out for those in attendance all that the young philanthropists do, the event provides an opportunity to raise funds during a mitzvah moment.

This year’s mitzvah moment raised $24,898, including three gifts at the $2,500 level.

For gifts at the $72 level, four times Chai, businessman Barry Menashe offered a match. There were 25 gifts at that level for an initial total of $1,800, which became $3,600 with Menashe’s match.

Sponsorships and other gifts brought total revenue for the evening to $37,000.

The youth foundation, now in its sixth year has raised and allocated $50,000 in each of the last two years.

While there are Jewish youth foundations in other communities across America, only a small number of them are engaged in both fund-raising and allocations. Most youth foundations are funded by their parent foundation and the teens gain experience only in the allocations process. In Portland they do both. Portland’s youth foundation is one of America’s largest now in terms of money turned back into the community,

This year, just like their adult counterparts, the Portland youth also planned their own annual banquet, co-chaired by Dana Bacharach and Alyssa Hersh.

During most of the evening, several of the 27 youth foundation’s poised and professional board members elaborated on their experience as philanthropists.

Bacharach and Hersh shared the lectern to recount highlights of all that the youth foundation has accomplished.

Max Spector discussed his and his colleagues’ commitment to volunteering at local Jewish charities, observing that the experience “brings you closer to the organizations and to the Jewish community.”

Michael Tannenbaum, the newly named head of school at Portland Jewish Academy, advises the youth foundation with John Moss, the OJCF executive director. When Tannenbaum spoke, he
invited the two event co-chairs and Katie Dobscha to join him there.

The three young women spoke of their experience as interns inside various charities.

Dobscha found herself in a Spanish-language kindergarten at Bridger Elementary School.

“Working with them…has given me tremendous hope for the future,” she said. Of her experience on the youth foundation she said, “Being on the board today helps us to become the leaders of tomorrow.”

Hersh volunteered in an intensive care unit at St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center, an experience she said solidified her plan to attend medical school.

“OJCYF teaches its youth to look carefully at an organization,” she said. “Everything I learned will help me as I make life’s decisions.”

Bacharach’s internship took her to the Robison Jewish Health Center.

“The values we learn at OJCYF have permeated my life,” she said, providing her with “the tools to become an effective leader.”

Bacharach introduced Rob Shlachter who chairs the new Greater Portland Hillel, a beneficiary last year of the youth foundation.

Shlachter said, that the youth foundation “provided the very first seed money for PDX Hillel last year.” He called the OJCYF members “angels” and added that they should be “as proud as parents.”

“You made it possible. You were the catalyst,” said Shlachter, echoing the theme of the banquet: “Catalyst to Caring.”

OJCYF board member Talia Goldberg introduced Sophie Alweis, the development coordinator of the Community Transitional School in Portland, the recipient last year of the OJCYF’s largest secular grant; it was for their summer school program, which caters to homeless children.

“Our budget last year was $20,000. The OJCYF gift was one quarter of that amount. Without the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation we couldn’t do this work,” said Alweis.

Board member Morriah Kaplan is a five-year OJCYF veteran, almost one-third of her life, she noted. She spoke of her internship experience at Sisters of the Road Café where one woman’s story “put a face on poverty…made it human.”

For Joel Callagan the allocations process was especially instructive. “Most teenagers don’t have to consider whether a battered woman or others get funds,” he said. And of the fund-raising process he added, “Raising $100,000 in two years is something I never imagined.”

Hadas Horenstein also commented on the allocations process.

“It is the hectic moments of allocations meeting that stand out most,” she said. “We had to find maturity and teamwork…Nothing fulfilled my values more.”

The board presented a brief film by Ben Silberberg in which he gave an overview of the youth foundation experience.

Blake Morrell extended the board’s gratitude to all who helped them. He singled out businessman and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer for special mention.

“We thank Jordan for his vision and foresight to invest in us,” said Morrell.

Schnitzer made it possible for the youth foundation to send a nine-member delegation to the 2006 National Jewish Youth Funders Conference in Denver.

In his closing remarks Morrell said, “It’s about more than giving back to our community; it’s investing in our future. …Without the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation I never would have been given the opportunity to find my leadership skills.”

At this point John Moss stepped to the lectern to lead the mitzvah moment.