Today was the best day I’ve had so far during this trip. I volunteered to go to Lantern Light, which is a place where facilities are provided to the less fortunate people of this community. As we toured the whole place, I realized how thoughtful this place actually is. It has bathrooms, food, doctors, lawyers, and other important things available to the homeless and less fortunate people. It made me feel so satisfied that this amazing place exists in our world of less privileged people and unfair opportunities. We met this homeless man who I do not know his name, but I wish I did because from one simple act of his, I learned such a big lesson. He was given his lunch, and then asked us if we wanted some of his food. This act of kindness and generosity struck me because this man was willing to give all that he had, even though he had so little for himself. Going to Lantern Light taught me so much about how important it is to live life grateful for what you have and to always be willing to help others in need.

~ Samara Kleinman – 10th Grade, Guaynabo, PR

Our day began bright and early at 7:30 and although many of us were late, we still managed to break off into our groups and head to our volunteer sites on time. I chose to join the group which was going to help out at Lantern Light Mission, an organization which was founded by collaborative parties in order to meet the need of the poor and/or homeless. When we arrived we were first brought on a tour of the building. As we walked around, I was astonished by how well thought out and efficient the site was built. For example, they provided everything from good to medical attention. As lunch started and the guests arrived, we were quickly put to work by singing Christmas carols for the guests’ enjoyment. It was such a great experience watching how to us, our task was just symbolic and insignificant, but it meant so much to them.

My favorite part of the visit was interacting with a man named Wayne. Wayne was one of the most joyful and enthusiastic people I have ever met. He has recently gotten back on his feet and now lives in his own home. As the guests received their hot meals, Wayne came up to our group and offered us his lunch, we obviously declined, but Wayne then turned to a woman sitting next to him, who were obviously less fortunate than he, and handed his meal to her. She graciously accepted his gift and went on with her business. Watching this scene truly warmed my heart. It did so because although Wayne might be in better circumstances than this woman, he is still in need of support, yet so willing to give up his only meal of the day. This really urged me to do and give more because I know that Wayne has so much less than me, but still was eager to help others. The day was a huge success and an amazing Christmas.

Jonathan Israel – 10th Grade, Chevy Chase, MD

Today volunteering at the Animal Rescue New Orleans animal shelter I had a great time. This animal shelter was created to rescue and aid abandoned animals no matter how old or young, sick or healthy, mistreated or loved.  They also find family’s for the animals or return animals to their care takers if they were separated. The organization was founded in October 2005 by Jane Garrison and two of her friends.  Since then they have found homes for 8,000 animals and continue to save, help, and find homes for animals. There I had a chance of interacting with dogs and cats ranging from puppies and up. The animals were all very friendly.

On our visit I cleaned cages so when the dogs came back they would have a clean cage ready for them, I got to walk the cutest puppy ever named Kato, and cleaned the litter boxes for the cats so they were clean. When we walked in and I saw all the animals I was amazed.  I did not get how people could just give up animals or beat them. I personally would never be able to do that.  All I wanted to do was be with the animals and give them attention and just hold them.  I was glad that people gave up there time to come volunteer and walk the dogs and be there for them even though today was Christmas.  It was the sweetest thing ever.By doing this we helped the shelter get a lot done in a short amount of time. All the people working at the shelter were volunteers and just did it because they loved animals and cared for them. We made a difference and got a lot of work done and helped the animals so they had a clean place and were happy.

Rebecca Grossman – 12th Grade, Brooklyn, NY

Although we did not wake up with presents under the tree, we got much  more than any wrapped gift can offer. Today we went to a homeless shelter, were we sang Christmas songs and helped serve and distribute food and presents. But it was more than just singing Christmas songs. I spoke with a homeless man named Wayne, talking to Wayne really made me understand how privileged I am to be here in NOLA, and for everything I have. As I was speaking to Wayne, I asked him what his favorite part of Christmas was and he simply answered, “waking up”. Little things such as waking up are things we take for granted everyday. Wayne as well as many others I met today helped remind me how privileged I am, and how privileged we all are just to be on this trip.

Toby Barrocas – 10th Grade, Condado, Puerto Rico

Today, we got to choose what service project we wanted to do, so I chose to go to the Woldenberg Village elderly home. While there, we played bingo with the residents and talked to them during lunch. One of the residents that I met was named Les.

We talked for a while; I learned really cool things about him. He worked at an Air Force base in Georgia (where I live). He was the first person to see a polar ice cap on Mars through a camera – he has original pictures of it. When Les was younger, he attended a Young Judea camp. He told me that it was only his second time playing bingo, and the only reason he went was because our Young Judea group would be there. I really enjoyed talking and listening to Les; he made my day!!

As we were walking out of the home, a man saw our Young Judea songbooks and started talking to us about how he was part of Young Judea. It was amazing to be able to connect with people of different generations who have done the same things as us.

Sydney Rein – 9th Grade, Roswell, GA

The Arc of Lower New Orleans is a multi-pronged organization committed to helping the mentally disabled community. We walked into a stark building not really knowing what to expect from this organization, but we walked into a room piled wall to wall, floor to ceiling with bags of Mardi Gras beads and a woman with 5 strings of beads around her neck and a smile on her face and I knew we would be okay. Debra gave us a tour of the building and explained the way the organization works. They take donations of Mardi Gras beads from New Orleanians and employ mentally disabled adults to sort through the beads so Arc can sell them. Additionally, they run a soup kitchen. This kills three birds with one stone: they recycle Mardi Gras beads, which as she explained, Mardi Gras generally produces 2 millions pounds of, they employ mentally-disabled adults who might not otherwise be able to get employment, and they run a soup kitchen for those who can’t afford meals.

A half an hour later, we were elbow-deep in Mardi Gras beads, learning how to sort them into five categories. Debra taught as all about the different krewes who run Mardi Gras and how to differentiate their beads. We learned about the history of Mardi Gras through the beads, we were elbow deep – actually gloved-hand deep – in Mardi Gras beads which had spend brief periods of time up on puke covered historical streets, and then lived forgotten in someone’s attic until the folks at Arc encouraged them to donate the beads. Debra told us that they say New Orleans is sinking because of all of the Mardi Gras beads in people’s attics. We sorted enough beads to make $1,500 for the organization, which would go to wages for the mentally disabled and the keep the organization running.

The chanichim reflected on the uniqueness of this organization. The other organizations we are volunteering for are wonderful models that can be transplanted on any other community in need: St. Bernard’s Project has offices in North Carolina to help rebuild houses after natural disasters there, Green Light is a wonderful model for any suburban setting, as Recirculating Farms is for an urban setting. The Arc organization is truly a New Orleans organization. They don’t have any great plans for expansion in the future. They are recycling beads and employing the mentally disabled as long as Mardi Gras exists and mentally disabled adults need jobs. A few of the chanichim expressed gratitude for the ability to interact with some of the employees, some of them explained that they had personal connections to the cause and really appreciated how much employment means. We later had a peulat about Maimonides  eight rungs of tzdakah and we mentioned that this organization rose to the top of the ladder: past giving happily, past a wonderful charitable interaction, past a double-blind tzdakah exchange. This organization gives employment. They give the opportunity to be self-sufficient. This wonderful organization would not run smoothly without Debra’s patient leadership and easy smile. She was a wonderful woman to have the pleasure of interacting with.

Later that day, all of AWB visited Mardi Gras world to see where all the floats and props for Mardi Gras are produced. During the informative video before the tour, they mentioned the krewes and how they worked and I heard dispersed whispers of the chanichim who were with me. They were proud to have touched hundreds of beads with the names of different krewesfd on them. We already knew how that work. Arc gave the chanichim a certain ownership of this city, a certain admittance to the secret club of those involved with making the magic of Mardi Gras happen.

Ariel Glueck is from Highland Park, NJ, is a student at Hunter College  and is a staff member at Sprout Lake. Ariel’s young brother is also on AWB for the first time.

I am so glad to be volunteering to help cook and spend the holidays with these individuals that have so little. It’s amazing to see that my little actions make such a big difference to them. One man I spoke to told me all about his life, and I was so moved to find out how much we had in common. Many of the people I talked to were so grateful despite how little they had. Its so wonderful to see these positive people with hope even though they aren’t in the best situations. I also enjoyed asking them and learning about the work they are doing to move forward in their lives.

Today as I celebrated Christmas eve with the people at PATH, I found myself continuing to think about what I came across yesterday at Skid Row. I saw hundreds of people living on the streets without access to basic human needs. It’s crazy to see what so many people go through, and it really makes me think about how fortunate I am. As much as PATH does, there is still so much more that we can do for these people.

Tamar Yaniv, Miami Florida – 11th Grade

Becoming older is such a weird sensation. I’m gaining so many novel experiences and meeting tons of interesting people. These things shape us whether we like it or not.

As I’m going through life, I’ve accumulated so much knowledge and perceptive about the world around me. Participating with PATH exposed me to a new way of communicating and handling people.

Walking along the streets of Skid Row and seeing the collection of tents and homeless communities in downtown LA opened my eyes in a whole different way. I’ve never seen such intense poverty. But for some reason, there was a part of me that was happy for them, for they didn’t live secluded from each other. They were aware of the situation and accepted it – making it their own.

Talking to the residents of PATH and hearing their impeccable stories, I feel extremely humbled. Seeing the poverty in New York City, I have created this assumption about homeless people and was not in tune with their background stories.

Once I really heard their voices and their emotion was unleashed, the connection that was created and the impact that was left, lasts forever. It’s truly been a pleasure to speak with such amazing individuals and take this experience home with me and spread it to others.

~ Oren Yaari – 11th Grade, Huntington, NY

As a two-time alumni of Young Judaea’s Alternative Winter Break program, I have high expectations for the outcome of AWB 2015: Los Angeles. Attending AWB Navajo Nation Arizona in 2011 and AWB New York in 2012 gave me both experiences and friends that I will have for years and years to come. My goal for this trip is to foster an environment where participants will be able to take as much out of the trip as I have; and judging by the trip’s success thus far, we will not come short of that goal.

Our trip is focused on the homelessness issue in Los Angeles. We have been doing a lot of work with PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) so far, who provide supportive services, permanent housing development, support for homeless families, and community engagement services for those in need. We have been cooking meals using fresh ingredients for the residents within PATH.

Being able to watch the participants enjoy the measurable impact they have had on the residents of the locations has been incredibly rewarding for me as a staff member. Residents will constantly go up to participants and mention how happy they are that we are here, and have acknowledged that the work and presence of AWB participants have brightened up their day. It is critical that we tackle the issue of homelessness head-on; visiting some of Los Angeles’ most homeless neighborhoods, and cooking and serving meals for residents in need. It is always nice to head back to base after a long day and see a room full of smiles, and hear about the participant’s unique experiences.

~ Ari Abramson – Temple University, from Westchester, NY

I want to write about making a child smile. I want to write about how making them happy made me happy. But I can’t. I can’t sit here and type away another story about superficial fluff. Not when I spent a good portion of my time at the Christmas party thinking about what lies ahead for these little boys. These boys, who will face challenges in their lives many of the people reading this could not even dream of.  It is not because of their merit that they will fall behind, but because of the circumstance of their race, their education, their economic circumstances, their family and their community. When they are much more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white man, despite similar use rates.  When African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense as white Americans do for a violent offense. When they will struggle to finish high school, to get a job, to get a life better than what their parents had. And what angers me is that, at this point in their lives, not a single piece of it is their fault. Their lives were pre-determined and shaped by a thousand factors before they were even conceived.

I found myself questioning why we were there. What good was it to help now if we know that in the future, there is a mountain of adversity in front of these little boys? Why do we even bother? But I have come to realize that while that particular activity may have not brought about lasting change, the thoughts it arose in me have given me new passion to build more, work more, do more, for the benefit of this community. Work so that those children may have a better chance, in their schools, in their jobs, or in their houses. Because that’s what AWB is. AWB is change, change in the present, change for the future.

~ Noah Doshna – 11th Grade, Flemington, NJ