“What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom give later.” – P.D. James
On Monday, every available space in my car was full of food.
I told Gina Harper, director of RWJD, that all this food had been donated to J3T by various local youth. She smiled and told me that the full name of the program is actually “Real World Job Development: Teens Helping Teens.”
I never knew!
I believe that the full name’s meaning is two-fold. First, the youth at RWJD are there for each other unconditionally. “They get each other,” Gina explained. They are each other’s tutors, advocates, confidantes, and cheerleaders. They write words of encouragement and praise on the “Wall of Positivity” for one another (photo attached). Their support is a integral part of the program.
Second, other young people in Arizona have contributed faithfully to the J3T pantry. In the past 6 months, for example, these teens have been very busy supporting other youth in need:
• Nora Feinberg asked her guests to donate food in lieu of gifts at her 10th birthday party.
• At Tesseract School, Gabriel Breakstone planned and implemented his second food drive.
• The teens of BBYO sponsored a successful food and clothing drive.
• The Jewish community Youth Philanthropy Foundation hosted a Tzedakah Shuk that gave nonprofits an opportunity to engage new donors and volunteers. Each youth also brought canned food to the event.
• B’nai Mitzvah class of Congregation Beth Israel used their own tzedakah money to purchase food to donate to J3T.
This program truly lives up to the full name, Real World Job Development: Teens Helping Teens.
This month’s request: anything “Grab and Go” (granola bars, trail mix, peanut butter or cheese crackers etc.).
Thank you,
Holly Packer
