FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Nancy Rieger
914.589.8227
J-TEEN LEADERSHIP WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR
Local Youth Service Organization Announces November Events
WHITE PLAINS, NY, October 28, 2011…J-Teen Leadership, a community service leadership initiative for Jewish high school students, has hired Ms. Abbe Marcus as its new director. Marcus was selected for her strong background in creating and implementing innovative social action, interfaith, youth and adult programming curriculum for numerous Jewish organizations, including Westchester Jewish Community Services, Congregation Sons of Israel of Briarcliff, The Jewish Education Project (formerly BJENY), and the Richard Rosenthal YM/YWHA-of Pleasantville.
J-Teen Leadership projects are planned by teens for teens. In her role as director, Marcus will administer the day-to-day operations of the organization and oversee the service projects selected by J-Teen volunteers. Her immediate attention will be focused on two November events; a Habitat for Humanity project on November 8th, and a Midnight Run for the Homeless on November 10th.
“Teens are critical thinkers who can mobilize their peers, so J-Teen Leadership remains teen-led,” said Marcus. “I’m honored to be an adult ally to help develop and coordinate these initiatives that promote leadership and social justice.”
J-Teen Leadership has opened registration to all teens interested in participating in the two November events. The first, a Habitat for Humanity project, will take place on Tuesday, November 8, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Students are asked to spend their time off from school during Election Day to help build a house in Westchester County.
In addition, a Midnight Run for the Homeless event is scheduled for Thursday, November 10. Volunteers will meet at the J-Teen Leadership office in White Plains at 6:30PM to make sandwiches and sort clothing and toiletries, then travel into New York City to deliver them to pre-designated locations.
Additionally, registration has opened for 2012 service trips, including: a trip to Alabama to assist with post-tornado rebuilding efforts (January 13-16); a humanitarian mission to Cuba (February 17-21); and a service trip to New Orleans (March 23-25). Scholarships available.
More information on these events is available online at: www.jteenleadership.org. Students interested in participating can sign up online, or send an email to: info@jteenleadership.org
While based in Westchester County, the organization welcomes teens from Westchester, New York, and Connecticut from all backgrounds and affiliations. Through local service projects and hands-on service trips, the teens strive to improve the world while building skills in leadership, advocacy and philanthropy. The students’ work is often recognized with service hours and awards. Adult “allies” help coordinate their efforts.
Since its inception in 2005, J-Teen Leadership has organized more than 75 volunteer service projects both domestically and abroad. Locally, students participate in environmental clean-up projects, food bank projects, toy drives, visits to health care facilities, and other immersive days of service. Further afield, humanitarian service trips have included visits to Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, and trips to Cuba to deliver supplies and donations.
More information about J-Teen Leadership, including a full schedule of upcoming events, is available online at: www.jteenleadership.org, or by calling (914) 328-8788. The J-Teen Leadership office is located at 701 Westchester Avenue, Suite 203E, White Plains, NY 10604.
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J-Teen Leadership receives funding from UJA-Federation of New York; The Neshamot Fund, UJA-Federation Westchester Women’s Impact Philanthropy Group; and
The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation; and is an affiliated program of Westchester Jewish Council.
ABOUT J-TEEN LEADERSHIP: J-Teen Leadership provides a platform for teens to develop a collective voice, address issues confronting society, connect to one another, and be change agents in repairing the world. Recognizing that teens are critical thinkers who can mobilize their peers, J-Teen Leadership is teen-led, meaningful, and fun. Read about us, http://www.jteenleadership.org.
