Photo of Tatiana Grossman courtesy of Spread the Words.
When Tatiana Grossman, a book-obsessed high schooler in California, found out that thousands of young children across Africa don’t have ready access to books, and that 35 million kids in sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to education, she decided to do something about it.
Tatiana’s inspiration led to Spread the Words, a project she started to help improve early childhood literacy in Africa by creating physical libraries, by encouraging kids to write their own books, and by developing digital teaching materials for classrooms. Pretty cool stuff for someone who simultaneously has to deal with homework, extracurricular activities and college applications!
Tatiana took some time out of her busy schedule to tell Repair the World about how Spread the Words works, the super-lightweight digital educational projector she’s developing, and her lifelong commitment to tzedakah and tikkun olam.
Save a life, eat cookies: it’s all in a day’s work for a blood donor.
This January, new and experienced blood donors across the country will celebrate National Blood Donor Month to raise awareness about one of the most important acts of healthcare-related service anyone can do. According to the Red Cross, 5 million American patients need blood every year. And each donation of a pint of blood can help save up to three patients’ lives.
Jewish values go hand-in-hand with blood donation. In fact, the tradition places saving a human life above virtually every other commandment. And during January, when winter weather and icy roads can lead to traumatic injuries and increase the seasonal need for blood, is a particularly good time to donate. So roll up your sleeve and donate!
Never donated before? It’s easy! Here’s how it works:
Step 1. Find a blood donation center near you by clicking here or here. If there isn’t a blood drive or donation center near you, volunteer to host one at your school or synagogue!
Step 2. Hydrate. The more water you drink before your donation, the better you will feel during and after. Stocking up on iron-rich foods – like dark leafy greens and lean meats – will also increase your chances of being able to give blood.
Step 3. Once at the donation center, but before you give blood, you will meet with a nurse or health representative who will ask some basic medical questions and test your iron levels to make sure you’re in good shape to donate.
Step 4. Take a deep breath and smile, you’re about to do something great! The blood drive representative will give you something to squeeze (to increase blood flow to the arm), clean your arm thoroughly and begin. The blood donation itself lasts about 10 minutes and is completely safe and sterile.
Step 5. Chill and refresh. While your blood is processed and packaged to be readied for donation, you get to hang out and refresh yourself. The blood donation center typically provides juice, cookies and other snacks to help restore your blood sugar levels.
Step 6. You’re done! Just be sure to refrain from serious strenuous activity for the next 24 hours to let your blood levels return to normal.
Did you give blood (or do you plan to this month)? Let us know by tweeting @repairtheworld.
It’s hard to believe it’s been just about 365 days since we welcomed 2011. And wow, has it been a year to remember. In this time of major change, of natural disasters, of not-so-natural economic woes, of major world-events, and of occupied this and that, volunteers and those working to support others in need have made a huge difference in helping make the world a better place. They’ve helped keep the time-honored tradition of giving back – and we at Repair the World thank them (and you!) for all you’ve done.
To celebrate the new year, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Repair blog posts of the year. These are the stories that made us cry, lifted our spirits, and charged us up to make the world a better place. Read on!
Top Interviews
Butch Brandes and Peter Archer: These two Jewish firefighters were among the first responders at 9/11. The stories they shared for the 10th anniversary are both heartbreaking and inspirational.
Ami Dar: The founder of Idealist.org – the hugely successful networking, volunteering, and jobs resource website – made us get a little teary when he talked about his mom’s commitment to social justice.
Erin Schrode: This interview revealed the power teenagers have to change the world, and reminded us to take a closer look at what goes into our cosmetics!
Andrew Cohen: We love how this alum of Repair the World grantee-partner JOI uses his rock band, Hot Molasses, to spread the word about housing rights and social justice.
Sarah Cohen: What happens when a former fashion industry maven gets inspired by an organization (charity: water) bringing fresh, safe water to developing countries? Sounds like a great story to us!
Top Stories
Volunteering and Values: Repair the World’s study on values and volunteering trends amongst young Jewish adults made big waves within the Jewish community.
Help Japan Now: 2011 witnessed a huge number of natural disasters all across the world. We think this post, about the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, offers a good example of how Repair the World engaged readers around disaster relief work.
Amy Winehouse: The story of the pop singer’s sad and untimely death prompted a post about helping those we love fight drug and alcohol addiction.
Why This Night is Different: Readers seemed to love our round up of service and social-justice haggadahs for Passover. Check them out again – after all, Passover is only a winter away!
J-Teen and J-Serve: One of our favorite Jewish teen service organizations pairs up with one of our favorite National Day of Jewish service to help promote literacy. Win, win!
Inside the Classroom: We loved this personal essay by Eli Klein, a Teach for America corps member working in Miami.
Finding Service in the Garden: We also loved Sam Plotkin’s essay about his alternative spring break with Repair the World grantee-partner Jewish Farm School, and how it inspired him to bring sustainable values and organic farming to his university.
Three Voices, One Goal: What does Jewish service look like? The three participants who share their stories in this post help to show how diverse and meaningful helping others can really be.
We hope you can be as inspired as we are to give some of your time and talent to repairing the world, everyday.
Did we miss your favorite Repair the World story from 2011? Let us know what it is below or tweet us @repairtheworld.
Running toward service in 2012! Photo by Andrew Malone via CC
Welcome to Repair the World’s 8 Nights of Service: awesome volunteer projects, donation opportunities and tikkun olam ideas to bring service to the center of your Hanukkah celebration!
Last night, our menorahs were ablaze with all 8 candles, making today the last day of Hannukah (sniff!) and bringing Repair the World’s 2011 8 Nights of Service tips to an end–for now. But as the last lights of this year’s Hanukkah celebration burn low, we want to keep the spirit aglow by making a commitment to take service straight into the coming year. Are you in?
There is sooooooo much to look forward to on the service and volunteering front in 2012 — and sooo much to do to make the world just a little bit better everyday. (And yes, we’ll be sure to continue to share them with you – and hope you’ll do so with us, too!)
Here are just a few upcoming events and opportunities that you can get involved with — just to start the new year! (Stay tuned for more…)
Martin Luther King Day of Service On January 16 the Corporation for National & Community Service is hosting a national day of service in honor of the civil rights hero. This year, make MLK Day a day ON, not a day off!
Tu Bishvat The Jewish “holiday of the trees” begins on February 7. Check out Hazon’s great resources on how to infuse the holiday with meaning and sustainability.
J-Serve! The annual day of action that celebrates Jewish teens serving the world is coming up on April 22 (so happens to be Earth Day, too!) Find out how you can get involved with this awesome day.
If you haven’t yet dreideled, and latked, and doughnut-ed — you’ve still got time! You’ve also got time to make sure that you’ve done at least one of our 8 Nights of Servicesuggestions and make your contributions last for way more than 8 days.
What was your favorite night of the 8 Nights of Service? Let us know by tweeting @repairtheworld and #8Nights
Welcome to Repair the World’s 8 Nights of Service: awesome volunteer projects, donation opportunities and tikkun olam ideas to bring service to the center of your Hanukkah celebration!
The holidays are a festive time of year, but they can be difficult for seniors without strong support networks or family members. This Hanukkah, reach out to the elders in your life and brighten their days. Some ideas to get you started:
Grandparents Gone Wired: Join Dosomething.org’s campaign and help your grandmother, grandfather, or someone else you love access the digital age (they offer tips for setting them up on Facebook, Gmail, and Skype)
Visit a Veterans Affairs Hospital: Search by zip code to find a VA hospital or facility near you – contact them directly about volunteer and visiting opportunities.
Veteran Crisis Hotline: Help spread the word about the Veteran Crisis Line, which connects veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified responders.
Visit Holocaust Survivors: Apply to be a regular visitor for a survivor of the Holocaust through iVolunteer (Read more about this wonderful organization on Repair the World’s blog, here.)
Deliver Meals and a Smile: Volunteer with Meals on Wheels to bring a meal to an elderly or housebound person. You can search by zip code to find volunteer opportunities in your area.
Jewish tradition emphasizes the importance of respecting our elders, visiting them, and seeking out their wisdom. How are you planning to honor your elders this holiday season – and beyond? Let us know by tweeting @repairtheworld and #8Nights
Happy Tuesday! Thanks to the holiday season, the web is especially alight with stories of service, volunteerism, and giving. Here’s your weekly round up of our faves:
TED and The Huffington Post recently teamed up to share 18 ideas that could change the world in 2012. Today, they honor children’s impact on shaping our world.
The Huffington Post also posted about the NYC-based interfaith organization, Faith House and their work to build stronger communities within and across all faiths.
JSpot published a compelling year-end fundraising appeal by Repair the World grantee-partner Jewish Funds for Justice and the Progressive Jewish Alliance.
GOOD offers their roundup list of “The Year in Green Innovation.”
Echoing Green ends today’s list with a call for further reading: more than a dozen inspiring books to read in the New Year.
Welcome to Repair the World’s 8 Nights of Service: awesome volunteer projects, donation opportunities and tikkun olam ideas to bring service to the center of your Hanukkah celebration!
In America, being Jewish on Christmas has come to mean a few things – namely catching up on the latest movies and eating lots of delicious Chinese food. (You can find out why here.)
Many Jewish families also spend Christmas day volunteering at nearby shelters and soup kitchens. Along with Thanksgiving, Christmas is one of the busiest volunteer days of the year – some charities even have to turn away well-meaning volunteers, because they simply have too much help. The day (and weeks) after Christmas are a different story. With work beginning again for some, and families heading off on winter break vacations, many charities have trouble recruiting help throughout the month January.
Volunteering to help others on Christmas is a fabulous way to spend a day off, but the need for help remains beyond the holiday. This Hanukkah, bring the holiday volunteering spirit with you into the rest of the year. Here are a few resources to get you started:
The National Coalition for the Homeless offers ideas and resources to help plug into volunteer opportunities, and links to a few national databases so you can locate a shelter nearby.
The Jewish response to hunger. Don’t have the time to volunteer in person? Your donated funds to Mazon go to help organizations working on the ground to combat hunger.
How are you planning to bring the spirit of service into the New Year? Let us know by tweeting @repairtheworld and #8Nights
Welcome to Repair the World’s 8 Nights of Service: awesome volunteer projects, donation opportunities and tikkun olam ideas to bring service to the center of your Hanukkah celebration!
Hanukkah is a season of giving and receiving. We give gifts to loved ones and receive love from our families and friends. Many people also give tzedakah this time of year – donating to the charities and non-profits that matter most to us. But sometimes, deciding where and how to give tzedakah can be a challenge. With limited resources, how do we decide what our giving priorities are? How do we make choices about what to give when there is no end of worthy causes?
This year, Repair the World grantee-partner American Jewish World Service, created a great learning resource called Got Gelt? A Conversation about Giving in this Season of Receiving to help you and your family and friends think about and articulate your own tzedakah priorities. Using interactive techniques, dialogue-starting questions and Jewish texts that relate to giving, Got Gelt helps people:
View themselves as philanthropists
Understand the complexities of giving tzedakah
Begin to articulate how and where to give tzedakah
Commit to designating one night of Hanukkah for discussing the importance of giving tzedakah
We can’t think of a better way to spend the festival of lights than thinking about giving back to others. So while the Hanukkah candles burn low tonight, spend some time talking with the people you love about tzedakah. Check out AJWS’ “Got Gelt” curriculum here. And let us know how your conversations went by tweeting @repairtheworld and #8Nights
Welcome to Repair the World’s 8 Nights of Service: awesome volunteer projects, donation opportunities and tikkun olam ideas to bring service to the center of your Hanukkah celebration!
While many kids in high school are anxious about their homework, friends or extra-curricular activities, in developing countries, young girls deal with much more. Last week, Gabriella Runnels, a high school student in Louisiana, released “It Only Takes A Girl,” a video that highlights some astounding (and often overlooked) issues that effect women and girls in developing countries – like a lack of education, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy – and marriage:
Hanukkah is about bringing light into the darkness – and we think Runnels’ video is a perfect example of shedding light on important issues to inspire change. Join Runnels and give the gift of standing up for the rights, health and empowerment of women and girls around the globe. Here are a few great organizations you can get involved with:
Girl Effect: Empowering girls and young women around the world to lift themselves, their families and communities out of poverty.
Girls Not Brides: A global partnership working to end the harmful traditional practice of child marriage.
Fistula Foundation: Working to restore health and dignity to women injured in childbirth, particularly in developing countries.
Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing: Encouraging self-esteem, meaningful friendships, and positive Jewish identity for girls.
Let us know how you stand up for women’s rights and health by tweeting @repairtheworld and #8Nights
Repair the World works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need. We aim to make service a defining part of American Jewish life.
