The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2015 - Page 16
Shalom Park Freedom School Gives 80 Scholars a Summer They
Won’t Forget
There were extra shouts of joy
at Shalom Park Freedom Sehool’s
morning pep rally “Harambee”
one day this summer. The seholars
and friends of SPFS surprised vol
unteer and resident photographer
Alan Goldberg with a birthday
eelebration. Alan, who turned 90
on July 11, was “toasted” by sev
eral seholars who read aneedotes
of some of Alan’s many life expe-
rienees — from meeting General
Patton in World War II to the first
time he met his wife Ruth. Alan
has volunteered with SPFS sinee
it began five years ago, using his
photography skills to eapture the
fun and memories of Freedom
Sehool. From the sweltering heat
at Cane Creek to indoors at the
JCC, Alan, along with Temple Is
rael’s Ralph Besnoy, has been
SAVE THE DATE
NOVEMBER 4, 2015
Ari Shavit*
7:00 PM
Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts
*Ari Shavit is the author of the critically-acclaimed,
New York Times bestseller My Promised Land: the
Triumph and Tragedy of Israel. An outspoken
columnist for Haaretz, Israel’s newspaper of record,
and a prominent commentator on Israeli Public
Television, Shavit has become one of the strongest
voices in the nation’s public arena. He challenges
the dogmas of both Right and Left with his unique
insights into the roles of Israel and Zionism in the
2?' century.
WWW.JEWISHCHARLOTTE.ORG
For more information, please contact Tal Stein, Director of Community
Relations & Israel Affairs, 704.944.6751 or tal.stein(a)jewishcharlotte.org.
Freedom School scholars enjoy swimming on a field trip
to Cane Creek Park.
Freedom School scholars spent an afternoon learning
about science and enjoying the theme “Blow it Up! ”
thanks to Atomz Lab.
1^
Jewish Federation
OF GREATER CHARLOTTE
THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE.
THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.
Jewish
Community
Relations
Council
there to doeument the seholars’
experienees at eamp. Fie has
snapped away at the ehildren tak
ing home their first ehallah ever
and eaptured them getting off the
bus the first day of Freedom
Sehool and giving their site diree-
tor a “ehai five.”
“They say a pieture speaks a
thousand words,” SPFS Co-ehair
Mareia Stern said. “Our pietures
speak more than a thousand
words. They tell the story of the
Freedom Sehool here. You are a
part of Freedom Sehool.” From
there, Mareia presented Alan with
his very own SPFS T-shirt, a “bil
lion dollar ehoeolate bar,” and a
birthday eake to feed all.
For his part, Alan said he’s en
joyed watehing SPFS grow and
flourish every year. “This is the
best group we’ve ever had,” he
said, referring to the 80 seholars.
Every time he volunteers, the kids
reeognize him and hug him. “A
wonderful feeling — just look at
them,” he said. In addition to the
hugs, the best part about SPFS ae-
eording to Alan? “Seeing the spirit
SPFS scholar and teen board members Dana Sheinhaus, Rachel
Musa, Lindsay Rosenzweig, and Ian Bodeheimer cool off with a treat.
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of these young ehildren — their
involvement, their happiness. And
the faet they are learning along
with it.”
Alan is one of the many 150
volunteers who helped make
SPFS a sueeess this year. This
summer marked the fifth time that
eight Shalom Park ageneies have
pulled together to provide a six-
week, literaey-based eamp for
eeonomieally disadvantaged ehil
dren. The eamp expanded to serve
80 seholars, up from 50 in previ
ous years. These seholars are
seleeted from Fluntingtowne
Farms and Sterling Elemen
tary, the two sehools that have
faith-based partnerships with
Temple Israel and Temple
Beth El.
In addition to the 11 Free
dom Sehool staff members
and interns, 27 teens served at the
eamp. These rising 10th-12th
graders worked as sehool assis
tants for at least two weeks at the
eamp, helping seholars boost their
literaey skills and assisting with
daily aetivities. They also helped
with fundraising for the sehool,
planned a book drive and raised
funds for Challah for Seholars.
“Being on the board gave me an
opportunity to partieipate in a
great program that really benefits
these young seholars,” said Ian
Bodenheimer, a first-time teen
board member who spent four
weeks at the eamp. “I thoroughly
enjoyed making meaningful
bonds with the seholars, other
board members and interns. I look
forward to eontinuing my involve
ment.”
More than 45 individuals and
organizations volunteered their
time to provide afternoon enrieh-
ment aetivities for the seholars
that ranged from an interaetive
drum eirele to making “snow” in
a seienee experiment. Community
volunteers ehaperoned off-site
trips to Diseovery Plaee, Ray’s
Splash Planet, Cane Creek Park,
theater performanees and bowl
ing. Twenty-eight people served
as guest readers eaeh morning.
And others helped ensure SPFS
had the supplies needed for the
eamp. From 2,400 snaeks and
drinks to 1,200 books to 88
bathing suits and towels, SPFS is
a true example eaeh summer of
the Charlotte Jewish eommunity
engaging in Tikkun Olam and giv
ing ehildren a truly memorable
summer experienee.
For more information about
SPFS or to make a donation, visit
www.spfreedomsehool.org. ^
FREEDOM SCHOOL PARTNERS
Shalom Park Freedom School
The birthday presentation made to Alan Goldberg.