Preparation
This Wednesday is a little different from the typical Wednesday I've come to know because there's no Schmooze Room. Actually, the entire past two weeks have felt a little off because many of our programs have slowed or halted during the students' winter break. Things appear slow here on the homefront, but appearances can be deceiving. Just because the students aren't here doesn't mean the Forest Foundation isn't working. It's quite the opposite - our students are at home brainstorming and planning how they can make their programs bigger and better. Undoubtedyly, our Fellows will return with renewed vigor and plans to improve upon our work from last quarter. We've come quite a ways this year; we plan to go further.
Creating Community
Today I'm reading a book entitled
Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times. It is about how low-income communities might start turning youths away from gang violence through local, community efforts. While the methods expressed in the book are not the methods taken by the Forest Foundation, I find it to be worthwhile reading because in both cases our goal is the same: to create community. By looking at others' approaches, no matter how disparate, we can find similar themes in creating community. So that's what I hope to accomplish in my reading; extending the manner in which the Foundation can create community by studying the methods of others.
Fellowship Program
Following the New Year, the Forest Foundation will begin accepting applications from students at campuses throughout California to become Forest Foundation Fellows. Our Fellowship Program is rooted in the work began by our current team last year and this past Fall. We have seen sufficient evidence to the end that our work is both improving the Santa Barbara community and developing our current Fellows' leadership skills, and thus believe that expanding our reach is warranted. The Fellowship Program will be statewide; college students across California will be able to submit applications to the Forest Foundation detailing a community program that they see a need for and would like to spearhead. Foundation members will review the program proposals and will grant Fellowships to students whose programs seem viable and beneficial, both to themselves and their community. Through our Fellowship program, the work of the Foundation may now stretch across the entirety of California. Application packets will be sent soon to a large number of campuses to begin the application and review process immediately.
Book
As we approach the New Year, it is important that we keep a clear vision for what we want to accomplish. For myself, the New Year means fulfilling my promise to the Forest Foundation to write a book about our work, and to make that book compelling at the very least. That is the task, beginning today, that should and will take top priority for me. Of course, I'll still be able to do other things, like write this here daily blog, but in terms of a top goal, the book is it. Writing the book is what I was brought on board to do, and I will do everything possible to write the best book I can. That is what I wish to accomplish this year. It is, like Jim Peal suggests, creating a compelling vision for myself, and I will see that vision carried out.
Wednesday Means Schmooze Room
Today's Schmooze Room promises to be extremely entertaining because the program is the Price is Right. Combining game show theatrics with trivia questions and prizes for the participants, it'll be a blast. As always, there'll be a top notch lunch provided as well. Jordan and Stefan work hard to provide the best entertainment value possible week after week, and they should be commended for it. They continue to keep up the good work, and the effects are seen weekly in the faces of the Schmoozers.
A Look Back
So, the first quarter of the school year at UCSB has come to end, and with so many year-end reviews coming out at this time of year anyway, I thought we should take a look back at what was accomplished this past Fall quarter. Kicking off the quarter, we held our first open community celebration at B'nai B'rith, the Jewish New Year's Celebration. That, of course, was backed up and improved upon with our recently held Chanukah Party at B'nai B'rith. We also helped oversee the formation of the Jewish Student Union at Dos Pueblos High School, providing lunch for their inaugural meeting and serving as an advisory body. Our involvement with SBORTY continued, overseeing the High School Overnight at B'nai B'rith. Two of our Fellows created new popular campus organizations at UCSB, the Jewish Ladies Society and the Jewish Business League. We sponsored the development of fatherhood workshops to be held at B'nai B'rith. The Hillel Outreach team successfully reached at to very large numbers of freshman over the summer and continue to achieve great things with their coffee dates and innovative Outreach methods. The list could go on, but you get the idea. The Forest Foundation managed to achieve many goals at an alarming pace during UCSB's Fall quarter, and that was just our initial run. Just wait until next quarter, the list will go on and on.
Chanukah Celebration
Last week I wrote about how great the Chanukah Celebration was, but I don't think I actually said what we did at the celebration. So today, I thought I'd let everyone know exactly what we did.
The party began with a performance by the Inner Light Gospel Choir, which was specially commissioned by the Forest Foundation to learn and perform several traditional Chanukah songs. After the choir performance, the guests were provided with a sit-down dinner completely prepared and provided by a team of our Fellows. During the meal, the guests were treated to a live Capouera performance, a Brazilian hybrid of dance and martial arts. The performance was definitely a hit in energizing the crowd. After the performance, the Foundation provided a karaoke machine for guests to show off their singing skills and party the rest of the evening away. In addition to all this, every child who came to the celebration received a Chanukah gift, courtesy of the Forest Foundation. There was also a room with several Fellows that hosted activities for the children throughout the night.
Community Support 2
Yesterday, I posted some quotes on our work from different community members. Today, I thought I'd post quotes from some of our student Fellows:
"The most rewarding part of outreach is when you see the students you meet and connect to at more and more events and eventually their faces also become staples of the organization."
-Joanna Katz
“After being involved in the Forest Foundation for a couple months I realized that I wanted to take a leadership role in a program which I had a vested interest. The forest foundation has provided me the tools to create a program which, I believe is beneficial not only to the people involved but also the entire Jewish community.”/ “The Forest Foundation has in many ways changed the paradigm through which I view myself. It helped me to become more active, and realize my full potential, while inspiring me to grow as a person and showing me the value of community. Not only do I consider the Forest Foundation an amazing job and opportunity for college students, but I truly believe in it. I hope some day to be able to contribute to a foundation created on the same principles.”
-Kevin Sherman
"The Hanukah party was a HUGE sucess! The food was scrumptious as usual, Latkes, Fish, Pear Salad, steamed veggies, and cookies for desert were enjoyed by all. The Kapoera show had incredible energy, and kept everyone entertained. Kareoke was also a sucess as usual, and was especially popular amongst the teenagers. The party concluded with the children recieveing specialized age appropriate gifts courtesy of the foundation."
-Hannah Laiken
Communtiy Support
I often write about all the great things the Forest Foundation is doing in this blog spot, and the successes we've had. So I figured today I'd post some quotes from others in the community who have experienced and worked with the Forest Foundation:
"The Forest Foundation had allowed me to effect organizations that I feel passionate about. My work with the ADL, for example, is starting to really progress as we're planning a No Place for Hate video contest at the local high schools in Santa Barbara. An event like this wouldn't take off without the help of the Forest Foundation." -Alon Sachar, UCSB Student and Foundation Fellow
“The Forest Foundation has provided a valuable unique asset to the community - bright energetic individuals who are willing to step in and help our non-profits be the best that they can be.” -Julie Saltoun, Director of ADL in Santa Barbara
“The Forest Foundation has been a key supporter of the work of the Hillel Foundation at UCSB. Its support for Hillel's outreach program into the student community is invaluable.” -Steve Amerikaner,President of Hillel Board of Directors
“The Forest Foundation is an amazing organization which is supporting our community in so many ways. They have contributed programming ideas, talent, time and incredible spirit to Congregation B’nai B’rith and several other organizations in Santa Barbara. David Cygielman and this team are always thinking about what else they can do to support the Jewish community. The model of offering talented, enthusiastic college students the opportunity to work on programs and projects is brilliant. We hope they will be around and continue to work with us for a long, long time.” -Deborah Naish, President, Congregation B'nai B'rith
Schmooze Room
We had a great Schmooze Room today. As always, the food prepared by Jordan and Stefan was absolutely tremendous. The menu included bagels with cream cheese and lox, tuna salad with spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes in olive oil, spinach salad with egg and mandarin, and a tomato soup with potato nocci. Compared with last week's crowd, which numbered over 100, today's numbers were modest, with about 30 seniors in attendance. After the meal, the activity was card games, with separate blackjack and poker tables. Everyone was given ten chips to begin, and if you had twenty chips at the closing of the tables, you could redeem them for prizes. All in all, another entertaining and successful Schmooze Room. Keep up the good work.
Moving Forward
As we come off such a major success as the Chanukah Party, it is important that we not slow down. It's easy to sit back and think about what a great job we all did, and although it is OK to do so for a little bit, we have to make sure we don't do it for too long. Because as great as the event was, we have to keep moving forward to ensure that every program and event surpasses the one before. The bar has been set very high with the Chanukah Party, and it is our duty to keep raising that bar with everything we do. It's like the timeline exercise we did with Jim Peal; step aside for a moment, see where you've come from to get to the present, experience the feeling of the moment, and then keep moving forward to ensure that feeling is enhanced and improved. Together, we are all making a compelling vision for the Forest Foundation, and it is important to continue holding ourselves to higher and higher standards. We set the bar, and we raise the bar.
Chanukah Blast!
The Forest Foundation held its first Chanukah Celebration yesterday at B'nai B'rith, and over 250 people came to enjoy the festivities. The party was a huge hit, and it all began with the tireless planning efforts of Hannah Laiken. She was responsible for planning the party from its inception, organizing the events and staffing, and planning the agenda for the evening. All of the original ideas at the party, from giving gifts to all the children who arrived to the Capuera performance, came straight from Hannah.
Hannah's main strength, however, was organizing the staff at the event. She planned for every contingency. Jordan and I were responsible for preparing dinner for everyone who came, which was definitely the biggest event any of us had ever even attempted to cater. The fact that everyone had their meals on time is another testament to the great planning and hard work put into the event. Maia and Kirill handled the children's activities with zest and enthusiam, infecting the kids with an energy that only they could provide. Sivan, Kara, and Stefan rounded out the team at the celebration, and each worked tirelessly to make the event a success. They did everything asked of them and beyond.
We would also like to thank all of the parents, relatives, and friends who helped last night. It is that kind of support that the Forest Foundation cannot express enough gratitude for. Lastly, we'd like to say thank you to everyone who came, and that we hope you all had as good a time as we did. We look forward to holding more celebrations for everyone to enjoy in the future.
Happy Chanukah.
Busy Weekend
Well, it's another Friday and another week has passed. But its going to be a busy weekend for the Forest Foundation. Tonight, several of us will be sleeping over at El Capitan Canyon, overseeing a high school overnight there. Then on Sunday it's the big event: the Hanukka celebration at B'nai B'rith. We're anticipating a fun and successful weekend, and hope to see everyone this Sunday. Regardless of what you choose to do this weekend, however, we hope you enjoy yourself, and make the most of the holidays. Happy Friday.
Exposure
Tomorrow the Forest Foundation will be featured in an article in the
Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, and it got me thinking about all of the various media the Foundation is using to get word out. In addition to issuing press releases for coverage in various magazines, we have this very blog to keep you updated on the day-to-day workings of the Foundation. There is also the website, where you can meet our entire team and learn about past, present, and upcoming programs. We also have our newsletter, upcoming brochure, and word of mouth helping spread the word. Combine these things with the Foundation's vast art collection that is beginning to gain wider exposure and a broader audience, and it becomes apparent that the Foundation is working with all the media it can to promote community service and youth leadership. And with both a television and radio program in development, the Forest Foundation will continue to expand its use of various media in order to promote our goals.
Dedication
This is a very busy week for the Forest Foundation team members, not in terms of our usual work, but in terms of school studies. As I said yesterday, it is finals week at UCSB. Last night, despite the pressure of their studies, our team members made it to meeting to discuss this weekends Hannukah celebration at B'nai B'rith. For those who don't know, by the way, the celebration begins at four in the afternoon on Sunday and promises to be a blast. Why do we expect it to go so well? Because of the dedication of our valuable team members, that's why. Each of our college employees were hand selected for the commitment they show to their work, and that commitment shone through at meeting last night. It's not an easy task to be mired in a high pressure situation such as finals and help plan a celebration at the same time, but our team has shown time and again the dedication to do so. And their commitment and dedication no doubt will shine through again this Sunday, and for that reason alone, we can all expect to have one tremendous time. Count on it.
Students First
This week the employees of the Forest Foundation have finals at UCSB. For this reason, our usual Tuesday meeting is going to be cut quite short. It is important to us that the Foundation team members are able to have the necessary amount of study time that they feel they need. The Forest Foundation will never be a burden on them, but rather a subsidiary to their education. We realize school comes first, and as we've said in this blog spot before, our aim is to allow students to be students, not workers who study.
Creating a Vision
Last night the Forest Foundationers attended the final training session of the quarter with Jim Peal. In addition to bringing everything we had learned over the course of the several sessions together, the session also included an exercise on how to create a compelling vision for your life. I thought this interesting - a vision statement is something almost every business in America creates for itself, yet as individuals, hardly anyone seriously considers making a vision statement for themselves. Why not? Without a clear vision for what they wanted to achieve, a business would no doubt fail right out of the gates. So it makes sense for people to create visions for themselves as well; it creates a track for one's self and sets out a series of attainable goals. Moreover, creating a vision for one's self lends purpose to the moment at hand, rather than seeming as if the moment were a random, disconnected event. Last night's session, then, can be said to be both helpful for the individuals there, and for the foundation as a whole.
Happy Friday
Happy Friday everyone. The Forest Foundation couldn't have had a better kickoff to the weekend today with a successful event involving the preschool at B'nai B'rith. After spending the morning with the kids, we held an introductory informative meeting for fathers with children at Beit Hayeladim preschool. The foundation will be sponsoring some fatherhood workshops at B'nai B'rith in Januarty, and today was an opportunity for the fathers to find out what the workshop is all about. The event was capped off with a shabbat meal for everyone, children, fathers, and all. The turnout was great, and if today was any indication, the workshops should be quite successful.
Greek Dinner
As has been said in this blog before, we have a group of five students working on a Hillel Outreach program. After successfully reaching out to incoming Jewish freshmen this past summer, the Outreach team had to decide what to do next. After some discussion, they decided that UCSB Greeks (members of faternities and sororities) were a relatively large group of students that was underrepresented in Hillel. Movement began immediately to get a larger Greek contingent involved at Hillel, culminating in a Greek Dinner held at Elephant Bar in Goleta last night. The same event had been tried many times before by those working at Hillel in order to reach out to Greeks, but each time the event met with little success. With the Forest Foundation in charge this time, expectations were high.
Needless to say, those expectations were met and exceeded. The Dinner boasted 41 fraternity and sorority members, the largest of its kind, all paid for individually by those who came to the dinner. To have such a large showing of Greeks at a Hillel event is incredibly impressive. The event went seamlessly, integrating the Greeks into the Hillel scene, and is sure to prompt future involvement. The tireless efforts of our Hillel Outreach team continues to impress.
Blogging
While working in the International Headquarters today, Dave told me an interesting statistic: "blog" was the most searched word on the internet in the past year. I couldn't believe it. Before I started writing the blog for the foundation, I'd never heard of the term before, and now it's the most searched word on the internet? Amazing. In addition, blogging is so popular now that some people pay up to 1500 dollars to have a blog spot of their own. Think about that - what would you buy if you had an extra 1500 dollars? When I think about it, though, it makes sense. With blogs you can let the world know whatever you are doing, how you feel, anything. And it costs the consumer nothing. It's a completely open, accessible forum to put yourself or your organization into the public eye. So in that respect, the Forest Foundation is fortunate to have a blog spot of its own. What better vehicle to alert the public about our approach and results than a completely free and open forum, and what better method than with the latest technology. In every aspect, the Forest Foundation is striving to be at the forefront.
