Nine teens were selected this month to be a part of Orlando’s J-Serve Teen Task Force. The Teen Task Force is a unique leadership opportunity for Jewish teens in grades eight through 12 to plan the community’s annual J-Serve day of teen community service. Teens on the Task Force are selected because they have a desire to plan and lead their peers through community service, representing all local Jewish youth groups.

The team is comprised of: Jonah Goldberg (sophomore, Lake Mary Prep), Matthew Gottfried (eighth grader, Sanford Middle), Taylor Harris (sophomore, Virtual School), Sara Hoffen (junior, Lake Mary), Brandon Levitt (sophomore, Winter Park), Ilana Loory (junior, Lake Brantley), Hannah Procell (senior, Oviedo), Kyle Sabell (junior, Apopka), and Sophia Schnaper (senior, Winter Park).

The first Teen Task Force meeting was held Sept. 10 at the Roth Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando.

“At the first meeting, we got to know the other Task Force members and worked together to find a theme that we were all interested in,” said Schnaper.

The beginning months of planning for the April 6 J-Serve event will focus on teambuilding, selecting a theme and creating an action plan. The Task Force will work together on all aspects of event planning from marketing to fundraising and outreach to programming. Local Jewish professionals will come to Task Force meetings to share their expertise. Judaic components are woven throughout the entire planning process.

J-Serve is the International Day of Jewish Youth Service, held on April 6, 2014. J-Serve provides teens with the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim (acts of loving kindness), tzedakah (just and charitable giving), and tikkun olam (the responsibility to repair the world). Across the globe, teens will join together to make their community and the world a better place.

For more information, contact Robby Etzkin at RobbyE@orlandojcc.org.