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March 21st, 2013
Interview: 10 Questions With … Jeremy Balkin

Congratulations Jeremy Balkin! Jeremy, an ROI Community member from Sydney, Australia, was recently selected for The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Class of 2013 for his Give While You Live Initiative.  Jeremy Balkin

Give While You Live seeks to inspire wealthy people to give philanthropically during their lifetime. It began in 2005 as an educational tool for people with the means to give substantially and has since developed into a major fundraising vehicle

Team Schusterman spoke with Jeremy about his “Give While You Live” initiative. We also found out what makes him such as excellent leader, what inspires him and if he were a superhuman, what power he would have. Read More »

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March 14th, 2013
Jeremy Balkin Named World Economic Forum Global Young Leader

Jeremy Belkin

We are excited to congratulate Jeremy Balkin, an ROI Community member from Sydney, Australia, on his selection for The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Class of 2013. Other honorees include Chelsea Clinton, Randi Zuckerberg, William James Adams (aka will.i.am) and Nate Silver.

Balkin’s “Give While You Live” initiative seeks to inspire wealthy people to give philanthropically during their lifetime. It began in 2005 as an educational tool for people with the means to give substantially and has since developed into a major fundraising vehicle. Read More »

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February 14th, 2013
Tulsa Nonprofits and Businesses Join Forces to Feed Homeless Community Members on Valentine’s Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Sharon Catalano / 918-583-5588 ext 225 / scatalano@tulsadaycenter.org
Susan Tilkin / 918.936.4524 / stilkin@cfbeo.org
Roben Kantor Smolar / 404.745.9482 ext 5 / rkantor@schusterman.org

TULSA NONPROFITS AND BUSINESSES JOIN FORCES TO FEED HOMELESS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON VALENTINE’S DAY 

“I have been here a few days and the outpouring of love has been amazing.”

Tulsa, OK – February 12, 2013 – An estimated 500 homeless Tulsans will receive a nutritious meal while enjoying the spirit of community at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless on Valentine’s Day. The ninth annual Valentine’s Day lunch is a partnership between the Day Center for the Homeless, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a member of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network. The lunch aims to make Valentine’s Day special for members of the Tulsa community who are experiencing hard times.

Hunger and homelessness are global issues with local impact. Approximately 750,000 Americans experience homelessness on any given night, with 56 percent living in emergency shelters or housing programs and 44 percent unsheltered in the streets and abandoned buildings.

In Tulsa, an average of 400 people seek services each day at the Day Center for the Homeless, which is the only daytime shelter in Tulsa providing a safe, healthy environment for people in need and offering them opportunities for achieving self-sufficiency. In addition to sponsoring and serving the lunch, the Schusterman Foundation will donate beds to the Day Center’s program for community members who have recently transferred into private housing.

“Community partnerships are an integral component to providing that extra level of support for those in need,” said Sandra Lewis, Executive Director for the Day Center for the Homeless. “Holidays can sometimes be the toughest days for people to get through when they are faced with an issue like homelessness. Events like these remind people they are loved, no matter where they are in life.”

The Community Food Bank is the largest private hunger-relief organization in eastern Oklahoma, working with 450 partner programs to distribute enough food to prepare more than 247,000 meals each week. In 2012, the Food Bank distributed nearly 15.5 million pounds of food throughout eastern Oklahoma, the equivalent of more than 12.8 million meals.

“This is really a special way to spend a day which we mark as a celebration of love and coming together and serving,” said Eileen Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. “We all look forward to this each year.”

The Valentine’s Day Lunch also involves the generosity of local businesses. Bama Pie will donate apple pies for dessert, and community members will receive gift bags filled with bottled water, fruit from Frontier Produce and the DoubleTree Hotel’s signature cookies. Mary Murray’s Flowers will contribute premium Valentine’s Day roses.

During last year’s Valentine’s Day event, a Day Center client said: “I have been here a few days and the outpouring of love that has come through this facility has been amazing.” WATCH THE VIDEO

For 25 years, the Schusterman Foundation has been devoted to empowering people to better their lives and give back to their communities. Service and volunteerism have been a hallmark of its work within its hometown of Tulsa and internationally across the Jewish world and in Israel. As part of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network, the Foundation is especially focused on providing young people with the knowledge, experiences and resources they need to be agents of change and encourages all of the organizations it supports to infuse service and volunteer opportunities into their programming.

“There is no better moment than the present to embrace the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose life and legacy we celebrated last month,” said Lynn Schusterman, Co-Chair of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network. “‘Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.’”

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About the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless

The mission of the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, Inc. is to provide a safe, healthy environment for people who are homeless and offer them opportunities and encouragement for achieving self-sufficiency. www.tulsadaycenter.org

About the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma

Founded in 1981, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is the largest private hunger-relief organization in eastern Oklahoma. The Food Bank distributes grocery items to 450 Partner Programs in eastern Oklahoma including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and senior citizen centers. In turn, these programs collectively provide more than 247,000 meals each week throughout our 24-county service area. In addition, the Food Bank helps raise public awareness about hunger and the role of food banking in alleviating hunger. Last year, the Food Bank distributed nearly 15.5 million pounds of food, the equivalent of nearly 13 million meals to help feed eastern Oklahoma’s hungry. www.cfbeo.org

About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is committed to strengthening the Jewish people, public education in the United States and the quality of life in its hometown of Tulsa, OK. The Foundation pursues its mission by providing young people with high-quality education, identity development, leadership training and service opportunities that foster their growth as individuals and as leaders in their communities, the Jewish world and beyond. www.schusterman.org

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is a member of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, a global enterprise that supports and creates innovative initiatives for the purpose of igniting the passion and unleashing the power in young people to create change in their communities.

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January 21st, 2013
Shabbat Supper with Dr. King

This article first appeared on the Huffington Post.

This weekend, in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, more than 1,200 people from New York to Knoxville to San Francisco symbolically invited Dr. King to Shabbat dinner.

Initiated by Repair the World–a national organization that mobilizes American Jews to address global and local needs through volunteering and service–the dinners were part of the Points of Light’s Sunday Supper campaign, designed to inspire dialogue and action on key issues affecting our communities. Read More »

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January 16th, 2013
Repair the World Names David Eisner President & CEO

CONTACTS:
Jacqueline Broder / jacqueline@werepair.org / 646.695.2700 *13
Jacob Berkman / Jacob_Berkman@dkcnews.com / 212.981.5187

 

 REPAIR THE WORLD NAMES DAVID EISNER PRESIDENT & CEO 

-Former Head of Corporation for National and Community Service and National Constitution Center to Lead Jewish Service Movement -

JANUARY 16, 2013, New York, NY – Repair the World, the country’s leading national nonprofit organization mobilizing Jewish volunteerism, today announced the appointment of David Eisner as its new president and CEO. Eisner, who was appointed by President George W. Bush to head the Corporation for National and Community Service and tapped by former President Bill Clinton to lead the National Constitution Center, joins as the organization embarks on a new strategic direction.

“We are thrilled to welcome David, a well-known, visionary leader with extensive experience in the non-profit, for-profit, government and grant-making sectors who embodies a passion for Jewish culture and learning,” Lieberthal said. “His track record of enhancing the efficacy, programming and positioning of leading organizations is extraordinary and makes him the right leader for Repair the World.”

Eisner’s appointment, which follows an extensive search, is the latest step in Repair the World’s evolution. In 2012, Geoff Lieberthal, Principal at Lee Equity Partners and a founder of the volunteer consulting group Inspire!, was elected as Repair the World’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the organization is finalizing the details of its new strategic plan in the coming months.

“Repair the World is a young organization with a limitless potential to help others and to have a profound impact on Jewish volunteerism and service in the United States,” Eisner said. “Global issues related to education, health, poverty, and the environment require innovative ideas and hands-on solutions. We are building a movement to capitalize and build on the ingenuity of individuals and the commitment of organizations on the ground dedicated to making a difference.”

A former executive at AOL Time Warner and America Online, Inc., where he established and directed the AOL Foundation, Eisner has helped build and raise funds for start-up organizations that have become the platform for innovation in the philanthropy and service worlds.

As the CEO of the independent, federal Corporation for National and Community Service from 2003-2008, Eisner helped drive America’s national service programs including AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America. Appointed to lead the $1 billion organization by President George W. Bush, Eisner is widely recognized for strengthening the agency’s accountability, improving customer service, increasing public trust, and positioning CNCS for significant growth with a strong focus on volunteer recruitment and mobilization. At CNCS, Eisner worked with Points of Light and others to expand MLK Day into the National Day of Service it has become today.

He is also credited with success at the National Constitution Center, the museum, education hub and civic venue that engages all Americans in smart conversations about freedom and civic responsibility. He led the Center from 2009 to 2012, transforming it into a national leader in meaningful online and on-site discussion about the Constitution and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Early in his career, Eisner was a senior vice president for Fleishman-Hilliard Communications, directed public relations and field communications for the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C., and served on Capitol Hill as the communications director and press secretary for several members of Congress.

He has served on many boards of national nonprofit organizations, including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, Public Allies, Points of Light and Network for Good.  He received his B.A. degree from Stanford University and his J.D. from Georgetown Law.

Repair the World began operation in 2009 through the founding partnership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, Jim Joseph Foundation and Nathan Cummings Foundation. It was recently highlighted in The Slingshot Guide, a resource guide for Jewish innovation for 50 of the most creative and effective organizations and leaders across the country.

“We are thrilled to have a leader of David’s stature and experience taking the helm of Repair the World. Under his leadership, Repair will help to mobilize a generation of young Jews committed to making an impact on the world, as well as ensure that service and volunteerism are central to Jewish life,” said Lynn Schusterman.

To learn more about Repair the World, visit www.weRepair.org

 

ABOUT REPAIR THE WORLD

Established in 2009, Repair the World is a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes Jewish Americans to address the world’s most pressing issues through volunteering.  Headquartered in New York City, we connect individuals with meaningful service opportunities to help their local, national and global communities, and enable individuals and organizations to run effective programs rooted in Jewish values. For more information, visit weRepair.org. Follow us on Twitter @repairtheworld.

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January 7th, 2013
From Our Partners: Make a Difference Without Leaving Your Living Room

Cross-posted from Repair the World. 

Beyond posting an inspirational quote on facebook, when was the last time you did something meaningful on MLK Day?

We know you’re busy. And we know that your three-day weekend is sacred (and that you probably deserve the break!). But did you know that for over 15 years, MLK Day has been celebrated as a day of service by millions of Americans? Here at Repair, our team has partnered with NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation, and with one of the organizations who pioneered the MLK Day of Service, the Points of Light Institute, to offer you a way to join the movement from the comfort of your own home!

MLK SHABBAT SUPPERS. JANUARY 18th. YOUR PLACE.

Repair is challenging you to become part of the living legacy of Dr. King by turning your kitchen table into a table of brotherhood the weekend of January 18th. Through our Shabbat Suppers initiative, you will be sent the tools to transform Friday night with friends into an opportunity for social action.

It’s ok if you’ve never held a Shabbat dinner. We know that not everyone “does” Shabbat. But you’ve gotta eat! Use this event, and this toolkit, as a foundation for a meaningful meal – whatever that means to you.

Shabbat Suppers will take many forms. They might be talks over take-out Chinese or screening parties with your friends from college. Some folks will have sit-down brisket dinners with friends of different faiths, and others will have potluck style meals in tiny apartments. At all of these events, food might get your guests in the door, but it’s the discussion will bring you together.

A SUPER COOL KIT…

On this year’s plate (we couldn’t help ourselves…) is of the defining civil rights issues of our time: education inequality. Once you sign-up as a host, Repair will send you a real, live toolkit via snail mail. These toolkits will contain a discussion guide, Repair swag for your guests, and a T-shirt as a thank you (just for you)!

Our discussion guide bears absolutely no resemblance to your AP Government textbook. Instead, it offers simple questions, real facts, and easy to enforce ground rules so that you can host a dynamic (and respectful) conversation around education and the legacy of Dr. King.

We want to arm you with the facts, and the tools to act on them. In honor of the MLK Day of Service, you will also receive information on how you can make a difference in the lives of public school children all over the country!

JOIN US!

Excited? Sign-up HERE to become a host, and we’ll send you a toolkit for free!

And there’s more exciting news for Birthright Israel alumni! Through our friends at NEXT, you can receive funding for your Shabbat Supper through the NEXT Shabbat program. Register your meal, and you will be able to click a box to receive our free toolkit.

As always, we want to hear you from you! Tell us about your Shabbat Supper plans, or send us a question, by emailing campaigns@weRepair.org.

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December 4th, 2012
Repair the World Announces Micro-Grant Program to Help Student Groups Aid Communities Affected by Superstorm Sandy

REPAIR THE WORLD ANNOUNCES MICRO-GRANT PROGRAM TO HELP STUDENT GROUPS AID COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY 

Jewish Teens and Young Adults Mobilized to Volunteer in Affected Areas over Winter and Spring Breaks

NEW YORK, NY, DECEMBER 3, 2012 – In the wake of Superstorm Sandy’s destruction, Repair the World, a national nonprofit that works to inspire American Jews to volunteer, is offering micro-grants for winter and spring alternative break programs that focus on Hurricane Sandy relief and response efforts. Alternative breaks offer young adults a hands-on service-learning opportunity and give them the chance to experience how the integration of service, education and reflection can create a meaningful and positive change in themselves and in communities.

The micro-grants, ranging from $1,000 – $5,000, may be used by programs to help cover costs of the trip such as travel, supplies, staffing and local housing. Eligible groups should engage teens, college students and post-college-aged young adults (up to age 35) to serve at least 200 hours, to implement a disaster response service-learning curriculum developed by Repair the World, and to report on their experiences. All groups receiving a micro-grant must operate under or in connection to a 501(c)(3).

 “As a national organization headquartered in New York City, we are committed to helping Jewish young adults connect their passion for service and get their hands dirty with real opportunities,” said Will Berkovitz, SVP and Interim CEO for Repair the World. “We want young Jews across North America to dedicate themselves to hands-on volunteerism where it is most needed on the ground, responding to short, medium and long-term needs.”

The grants are made possible through the generous support of The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, whose partnership with Repair the World has helped thousands of Jewish young adults participate in high-quality immersive Jewish service-learning programs. In the coming months, Repair will continue to assess and identify local needs as they evolve in Sandy’s hard hit communities.

For more information, visit werepair.org/repair-now/sandy-recovery or contact Mordy Walfish at 646-695-2700 x 23 or mordy@werepair.org.

ABOUT REPAIR THE WORLD

Repair the World is a national nonprofit organization that mobilizes Jewish Americans to address the world’s most pressing issues through volunteering. Headquartered in New York City, we connect individuals with meaningful service opportunities to help their local, national and global communities, and we enable individuals and organizations to run effective programs rooted in Jewish values. For more information, visit weRepair.org. Follow us on Twitter @RepairtheWorld.

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December 4th, 2012
Sandy Recovery: A Repair the World Update

The rain has stopped, the winds are gone, and the tides have eased. But the real storm isn’t over just yet. As an NYC-based organization, Repair the World witnessed first-hand the devastation right in our own backyard. And we’re fighting back with service.

We’re here to give you the resources and information you need to make a difference. But we need YOU and others across North America to respond and take significant action where it’s most needed on the ground. Are you ready?

Read More »

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November 20th, 2012
Teaching to the Moment: A Study of Immersive Jewish Service-learning Educators

Summary: Repair the World commissioned Teaching to the Moment: A Study of Immersive Jewish Service-learning Educators to provide a comprehensive look at the qualities of effective immersive Jewish service-learning (IJSL) educators and the training they need to continue providing deep and engaging IJSL experiences. Though this study focuses on the IJSL field, given that IJSL is a subset of Jewish experiential education, its findings also have relevance to the broader field of Jewish experiential education. Many of the skills, capacities and knowledge areas that IJSL educators need to be effective are shared with other Jewish experiential educators. The framework that this study offers for testing these competencies serves as a model that can be used in other areas of education.

Author: Dr. Shelley Billig, RMC Research Corporation

Download: Teaching to the Moment: A Study of Immersive Jewish Service-learning Educators

Download: Teaching to the Moment: A Study of Immersive Jewish Service-learning Educators Executive Summary

www.werepair.org

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November 2nd, 2012
From Our Partners: Hurricane Sandy, Google and a Message From the Whirlwind

I’m looking at a Google map that showed up on my Facebook feed. It is filled with multi-colored virtual thumbtacks on my desktop that says Hurricane Sandy Recovery — Volunteer Opportunities. The colors represent the type of help needed. Red pin: volunteer opportunities at food banks and evacuation shelters. Yellow pin: donation sites for emergency supplies and food. Teal pin: volunteer opportunities to clean up damaged neighborhoods.

Between phone calls with colleagues, photos and new reports, and live Twitter and Facebook feeds, I felt I had entered the fourth dimension and was personally in the heart of Sandy’s path as it thundered up the coast and pounded the northeast. Read More »

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