SAN FRANCISCO, California (Press Release) —The Helen Diller Family Foundation has awarded 14 young leaders from California and across the nation the 2016 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award in recognition of their exceptional leadership and commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world. At a luncheon at San Francisco’s Four Seasons Hotel, each teen was awarded $36,000 to support their community service vision and action. Among the awardees was Isaiah Granet of San Diego.
The 2016 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipients are being recognized not only for their vision and demonstration of leadership skills, but for their ability to strategically create workable solutions to critical issues facing society today. By establishing community-based programs and global organizations, this year’s teens connect underprivileged and homeless youth to life-changing opportunities, validate and empower victims of bullying, raise awareness about challenges faced by children with special needs, and engage peers in social good campaigns.
The celebration was the culmination of a weekend-long networking and mentoring initiative during which teens exchanged ideas with other socially conscious peers and interacted with Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award alumni from years past who are continuing their social justice work. Recipients participated in workshops and learning activities exchanging business insights and strategies for improving and expanding current and future ventures. Each teen brought their projects to life with an interactive showcase prior to the awards luncheon.
A highlight of the afternoon was the debut of a special documentary-style video that featured the accomplishments of all 14 teens in a behind-the-scenes chronicle of their leadership achievements. The video, seen above. illustrates an individual’s ability to affect global change through leadership and community and service, and inspires hope for viable solutions to even the world’s toughest problems.
“The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards program provides the opportunity to recognize and support the next generation of youth committed to making positive changes in the world,” said Jackie Safier, Helen Diller’s daughter and President of the Helen Diller Family Foundation. “We are so pleased to be able to acknowledge the leadership and passion of these 14 spectacular teens. They are now part of the Foundation’s growing network of 84 young change makers and we all look forward to seeing what they do next.”
The 2016 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipients are:
- Kayla Abramowitz, 14, North Palm Beach, FL: Kayla Cares 4 Kids – developed an organization that lifts the spirits of young patients nationwide by donating recreational items to keep youth engaged and motivated during long hospital stays.
- Brittany Amano, 18, Honolulu, HI: The Future Isn’t Hungry – formed a project that combats malnutrition in youth living in under resourced and low-income housing through peer mentoring, cooking lessons, and donations of nutritious food and school supplies.
- Maxwell Davis, 14, Stoneham, MA: Legislature in Action-Kids Helping Kids – created a community project that engages youth in advocacy and lobbying efforts to raise funds to provide unaccompanied homeless youth with housing and supportive services.
- Talia Eskenazi, 16, New York, NY: Celebrate U – co-founded a non-profit organization that hosts birthday parties for disadvantaged children, to spread happiness, raise self-esteem, and create memorable experiences.
- Jessica Goldberg, 17, St. Louis, MO: Performing for Pencils – co-founded an organization that hosts an annual talent show to raise funds to provide disadvantaged students with the school supplies they need to be successful learners.
- Alexa Grabelle, 15, Voorhees, NJ: Bags of Books – formed a program that helps close the reading gap by collecting and donating new and gently used books to students in underserved communities.
- Isaiah Granet, 16, San Diego, CA: San Diego Chill – created a non-profit ice-hockey league to offer a welcoming community to children with developmental disabilities where they can connect with peers and gain self-confidence.”Isaiah’s efforts continue to receive national recognition as he pioneers San Diego Chill, a nonprofit organization that has grown into a welcoming community for 30 players and 30 coaches,” a spokesperson said. “Using a one-on-one mentoring model, teens teach children between the ages of seven and thirteen, with disabilities like Autism and Down Syndrome, how to play ice hockey.”
- Corinne Hindes, 16, Walnut Creek, CA: Warm Winters – co-founded an initiative that engages teen volunteers to collect unwanted warm apparel from ski resorts and distribute it to homeless people to help protect them during the winter months.
- Alexandra Jackman, 16, Westfield, NJ: A Teen’s Guide to Autism – autism advocate and creator of an award-winning documentary that is used in schools nationwide to increase autism awareness, acceptance, and education.
- Michael Mottahedeh, 18, Calabasas, CA: Taft Teen Court – expanded awareness and involvement for a local program that works to reduce juvenile delinquency rates. Teens suspected of committing misdemeanors get chance to clear their records by presenting their case to a jury of their peers.
- Laurielle Schwab, 18, Running Springs, CA: Rim High Literature Club – launched a program that pairs teens with elementary school children in one-on one and group settings to help foster a love for reading, build comprehension skills, and increase classroom engagement.
- Zachary Stier, 18, Paramus, NJ: YMath – established a nonprofit organization that recruits and trains teen volunteers to provide free one-on-one personalized tutoring to students struggling in math and cannot afford to pay for a private tutor.
- Eli Wachs, 19, Bryn Mawr, PA: High School HeroesX – hosts incentivized competitions to give students a platform to problem-solve issues in their community and effect meaningful change on a global scale.
- Valerie Weisler, 18, New York, NY: The Validation Project – founded an international non-profit organization that empowers teens to gain self-confidence, overcome bullying and other personal obstacles, and tap into their skills to create solutions for social justice issues.
*Complete descriptions of each of the recipients can be found at: http://www.dillerteenawards.org/
Committees of educators and community leaders from across the United States selected the 2016 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipients. Candidates completed detailed applications describing their projects, goals, inspirations and challenges, fundraising tactics, and ultimate accomplishments. Eligible applicants were United States residents, between 13 and 19 years of age at the time of nomination, who self-identify as Jewish.
The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards began in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007, the vision of Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller. The awards recognize Jewish teens demonstrating and exemplifying the spirit of tikkun olam, a central Jewish value meaning to repair the world. Since 2007 the program has awarded over $3 million to 84 teens in recognition of their vision, innovation, and demonstration of leadership.
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Preceding provided by the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards program.