Volunteers From Abroad Bring Joy To The Children In The Emunah Children's Homes
This past summer, in addition to the wonderful Bar and Bat Mitzvah groups and summer missions that visited Emunah Children's Homes, volunteers from abroad ,joined the their dedicated staff. They lived, ate, played, hiked and worked with our many children who are forbidden to spend summer vacation with their family or who have no family except for Emunah. The feedback from the directors has been very positive, and all appreciate how the volunteers gave of themselves to the children.
David Friedman Director of the Emunah Neve Michael Children's Village related how special it was to see how the two separate sets of mother – daughter volunteers, one from Australia and one from Canada, worked with the children, hiked with them and really connected. During their respective visits, the children's English actually improved! On their return home members of the Australian family are now working on a project to help the children they met at Neve Michael.
Shmuel Ron Director of the Emunah Achuzat Sarah Children's Home in Bnei Brak is always happy to have volunteers join him and the children who spent their entire summer at Achuzat Sarah. The English girls who had just finished their year in Seminary, and the American high school boy who taught himself Amharic and Russian, were very well received by the children. While working closely as counselors, the volunteers helped the children and were very gratified by the positive feedback they received from them. Shmuel feels that having volunteers visit also helps teach the children how to receive and react to new people.
Up North in the Afula , Director Shlomo Kessel spoke about the enthusiasm and motivation that volunteers bring to the Home while giving of them-selves. They contribute by helping the over-worked staff and making the kids feel special. As Shlomo put it, "Volunteers are a breath of fresh air."
In light of the special relationship that often forms between the volunteer and the children, Yehuda Kohn Director of Beit Elazraki, together with Emunah of America, developed a formal and highly organized month-long summer program for volunteers who also paid for this privilege! 27 high school and college students who are currently studying in America were recruited during the year from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Florida and Los Angeles. After reviewing their applications and letters of recommendation, the perspective participants were interviewed in the Emunah office in New York. It was imperative that the applicants understand the two-fold responsibility they would be undertaking: 1- To agree to live and work with troubled children from 6:00AM until 10:00PM and 2- To commit to become ambassadors for Emunah Bet Elazraki upon their return to their communities.
The students started with three intense days of training and preparation before assigning them to the groups of children. The Americans were supervised by two counselors together with an Israeli coordinator. Although Yehuda has been welcoming volunteers for years, this formalized program has developed over the last three years. The strong attachments formed between the American youth and the children are reflected in the moving letters that the participants have written and in the fund raising efforts they have initiated. All this has generated much positive PR for Emunah Bet Elazraki.
Last Erev Purim, college students organized a costume party with proceeds going to Bet Elazraki. One young adult from Los Angeles recently wrote about "The power of giving" in a "most amazing and extraordinary Home," and she thanks her parents for giving her "the opportunity for a life changing experience." Two other students from NJ showed tremendous initiative upon their return to their homes. Eli and Michael contacted the presidents of all the Jewish Day Schools in the New York/New Jersey area and asked them to please e-mail the letter they had written to thousands of their students. In their heartfelt letter, they describe the Emunah Bet Elazraki Children's Home and the volunteer work they did with the different aged children…. "While during the year we may not be able to be there physically for them, we can still provide material items for them in a way that shows we are still thinking about them and trying to keep that relationship alive…We are asking if you can give a percentage (small or big) of what you earned while working this summer…"
Children are responding to their enthusiasm.
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