Hello to all of you fabulous B’nai Tzedek (BT) members!

For those of you that I haven’t met, I am Rachel Stern and I am helping to coordniate B'nai Tzedek.

Members of B’nai Tzedek recently voted on the distribution of $5000 from their shared endowment fund.  B’nai Tzedek members are teens building donor advised funds within the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.  The young philanthropists make recommendations from their personal funds and meet annually to allocate to charities from the communal B’nai Tzedek endowment fund.
• Ronald McDonald House, where BT teens volunteered in December, received $1000 for their hospital transportation service for critically ill children.
• A grant of $850 to Kids for Kids will help provide a retreat in Jerusalem for children of S’derot suffering from post-traumatic stress.
• Barshop Jewish Community Center’s Summer Camp Inclusion Program received $850 to allow children with disabilities to participate in eight weeks of summer camp.
• Over 200 children, newborn to age 18, have found shelter at Bet Elazraki Children’s Home in Netanya, Israel.  A grant of $1000 will help to ensure that these children continue to receive food, care and counseling.
• Jewish World Watch will purchase 20 new solar cookers for women in Darfur with a grant of $300.  The solar cookers help families in refugee camps prepare their own food and also lead to income opportunities.
• Jewish Family Service received $1000 to provide transportation for seniors to and from medical appointments.

B’nai Tzedek Youth Council

All of the members of the Council, in addition to their individual jobs, will have planning meetings approximately every month.

Co Presidents: Claire Blumenthal and Marghi Halff
The youth representative of BT.  The presidents are involved in all aspects of BT and serve as role models for involvement.  The presidents run the leadership council meetings and  help set the schedule and agenda for the meetings.

Vice Presidents:
Since there are various components of BT, there will be specialized vice presidents to oversee each component.
1) Social VP - Samantha Rosenblatt
This VP helps with the planning of the social events for BT.  This VP makes sure that the members of BT know each other and that we are doing all we can to get new members and keep the members involved.

2) VP of Training and Education: Orlea Miller
This VP helps with the planning of what the members of BT will learn and what training the members of BT will receive.  This VP works with the BT staff to find interested and exciting programs to bring to the members of BT.

3) VP of Allocations: Zoe Stanley
This VP helps with the research of organizations for our donations. This VP also helps present the organizations chosen to the entire BT group.  This VP also helps to create a system for voting of where the BT money should go.

Secretary:
The secretary will take notes at all meetings, help gather the contact information of all BT members, keep the BT calendar up to date, and help notify the BT members if upcoming events.

Treasurer: Jeremay Kustoff
The treasurer helps assist in the managing of finances for BT.
The following teens are also B’nai Tzedek members: Zoe Alterman, Benjamin Athens, Marion Ayers, Jonathan Barshop, Kenneth Barshop, Noah Barshop, Rachel Bar-Yadin, Brittany Beldon, Elana Benedikt, Robert Benedikt, Sam Berman, Kate Blumenthal, Max Carduner, Marton Simon Chesler, Elizabeth Cohn, Michael Cutler, Kevin Defina, David Epstein, Jeffery Franco, Rachel Friedman, Sydney Friedman, Stephanie Goldberg, Eleanor Gossen, Joshua Greenfield, Nathan Gresores, Evan Harris, Lauren Hersh, Jenna Katims, Jacob Tyler Klein, Robbie Kolovson, Alexander Komet, Ian Kramer, Elissa Krapf, Emily Kustoff, Hilary Kustoff, Tyler Levine, Jacob Menick, Olivia Menick, Sophia Menick, Acacia Nawrocik, Joshua Neisen, Ariella Noorily, Talia Noorily, Leslie Palans, Ricky Pollock, Hailey Pulman, Shayna Ratner, Andrew Rindler, Sam Ross, Katherine Rosson, Alex Rubin, Melissa Schram, Alexandra Seeman, Joey Silver, Allison Sokol, Jessica Sokol, Moriah Sonsino, Benjamin Spener, Stephanie Stern, Jennifer Weiss and Eli Williams.
To add your name to this list, please email me at rpstern@gmail.com