Power of One: How can One person can make a difference!

 Sunday February 2,  at Lakeside congregation for grades 5th - Confirmation from10:00 am-12 noon we will have a Family Education Program: Power of One.  There will be 5 speakers who have made a change in the world by becoming involved in projects which they are very passionate about.  You will be able to pick 4 of the 5 speakers to hear on Sunday morning. We are privileged to have these speakers come and speak to us:

Benjamin Horwitz

Our own youth group director and congregant has been working on political campaigns for the past 2 years.  Ben has moved from local volunteer to paid political director in Wisconsin.  Ben is committed to working for Tikkun Olam whether here at Lakeside Congregation working with our students in grades 7-10 or helping to organize political campaigns here, in Washington DC or in Wisconsin.  

Gail Cutler (for Adults, 7^th and 8^th grades only)

Gail Cutler founded Rebecca’s Dream, an organization devoted to changing the face of depression. Rebecca’s Dream is named after Gail’s daughter who suffered from depression and died when she was thirty. The organization has funded an educational video about depression, a theatrical production sharing true stories of people impacted by depression and bipolar disorder, and a program that focuses on how depressive diseases affect families. Gail is a very positive woman, stating that it’s important “to count your blessings…not your losses.”

Patricia Fragen

Parents with very ill children needs lots of help - from support in the hospital to help at home with daily tasks like walking the dogs and feeding the rest of the family. Normal Moments, started by Patricia, makes it possible for these families to share time together, just like every other family. Come hear her unique story and find out why she was inspired to start Normal Moments. 

Jonny Imerman

Jonny Imerman started Imerman Angels, which connects a person fighting cancer today with someone who has beaten the same type of cancer. The relationship gives the person with cancer the opportunity to ask personal questions and receive encouragement from someone who is uniquely familiar with the situation. The survivor receives the opportunity to personally help others who are battling the disease. 

Pete Kalenik

Leave No Veteran Behind (LNVB), a non-profit organization which through college loans debt relief, community service, employment training, and job placement programs, LNVB invests in heroes who have honorably served our nation and seek to continue their service as productive citizens in their communities. Check out their Facebook page.  

Amanda Weaver  has been organizing with IIRON for approximately two years. She is responsible for organizing IIRON North which is currently organized in Evanston, Skokie, Rogers Park, West Ridge, Northbrook, and expanding into other Northshore communities.IIRON  is a charitable organization devoted to training ordinary people to create public lives, to understand, build and exercise power through collective action and to address the issues facing our families and communities. Every day, decisions are made by elected officials, government bodies and corporations that affect the lives of ordinary people. Without a clear understanding of these decisions, the power behind them, and an ability to mobilize people power, ordinary people have no chance to have their voices heard. IIRON is currently working on four issue areas: worker justice, mass incarceration reform, corporate tax accountability, and environmental issues, specifically fracking.

 

There is also a give away for all of our participants which I know you will enjoy it.  We ask all of our B'nai Mitzvah students to do 13 hours of Mitzvot and I hope that our Power of One will kick start your own personal projects.   On Sunday February 2 we will also have some of our current mitzvah project participants hosting a bake sale by Madison Jaffe-Richter as she is sending funds for park for children who were affected by the terrible shootings at the Sandy Hook school.