Josh's Avodah L'Olam Project

Josh, along with the entire 7^th-grade class at Hausner School participated in a year-long project of Avodah L’Olam [Work for the World] (or Tikkum Olam [Repairing the World]). The project is designed to correspond with the students’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah milestones, during which they take on many of the obligations of Jewish adults. Foremost among these are the values of Tzedakah [righteous giving of oneself to others] and working to better the kehillah [community].

Each student did extensive research on a non-profit organization whose mission is important to them. The organizations chosen by the students championed issues ranging from environmental causes to animal rescue, from medical research to the distribution of food and medicine to underprivileged communities on the local, national and international level.  During the year, the students examined the finances of their chosen organization, interviewed an officer or representative about the group’s operations, spoke to individuals who volunteer or who been helped by the organization, and researched their group’s missions and goals.  The students also wrote persuasive essays about their organization and advocated support of their cause to their classmates.

Simultaneously, the class as a whole raised funds throughout the school year in a variety of ways, including babysitting for younger students during parent-teacher conference and gift wrapping books during the annual holiday book fair. Most importantly, the students and their families were asked, in lieu of exchanging gifts for their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, to donate money to the 7^th-grade Philanthropy Fund. The money was collected and then the students met, discussed and debated, foundation-style, how the funds should be allocated.

For his Avodah L’Olam project, Josh focused on the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).  As Josh described in his year-end presentation:

Stomach pain, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, leg cramps. I know from personal experience that none of them are very fun. All of them are symptoms of a set of diseases who are encompassed under the name of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD. IBD, a disease where so little is known about it that researchers don’t know the cause, let alone the cure, is a big part of the lives of over 1.4 million Americans, 20% of whom were diagnosed as children. There is only one national organization that deals with the problem of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are the two diseases that make up IBD. The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, or CCFA, has helped fund research, support, and education on IBD since 1967. Not only does CCFA fund research, but they fund education and support for families who have been affected by IBD. They run support groups and even online chat rooms for teens to talk about their experiences. CCFA has helped millions of people, including myself, my mother, and my six year-old cousin.

Josh’s persuasive essay about CCFA, which he presented to his classmates, can be found here.

The Avodah L’Olam project of Hausner’s 7th grade class of 2010–2011 raised $32,000 which was distributed to 35 worthy organizations.