By Karen Parry in San Diego
We’re seeing some trends at Hillel of San Diego that we need to address.
We’re seeing more students more often. Three out of our four schools have been back for about a month, and UC San Diego started classes just yesterday, and already our start-of-school numbers are record breaking. We’ve had more than 800 students engage so far, but what’s even more telling is that nearly 25% of those students have already reached the “deeply engaged” threshold of participating more than six times. That means students are coming to Hillel and actively participating in Jewish life at a much higher frequency than years past. TREND ALERT: More students, more often.
Students want predictable consistency. They aren’t asking for speaker events. They aren’t asking for pool parties. They want to come every week for the cooking class; they want to know that they can rely on Hillel for meals and resources. They want to know that every week, whether it’s a good week or a bad week, they have someone they can talk to about it. TREND ALERT: Students are relying on their Jewish community for support more than ever.
Students are hungry for leadership. Across all four campuses, students are stepping up to create their own Jewish experiences for themselves and their peers. At UC San Diego, it’s creating a mega on-campus party that has Hillel and AEPi working together to connect students. At SDSU, it’s a Shabbat committee that is crafting a new Shabbat service program that brings in a core group of students for prayer. At USD and CSUSM, it’s student boards where students are managing recruitment and hosting for their events. TREND ALERT: Our next generation is finding ways to lead.
And that’s where you come in. Because your Hillel of San Diego needs your help. I’m worried we are maxing out our spend early in the year because of the continued high demand for support, for community, and for high-quality Jewish experiences that foster connection. Having so many involved students is a good problem, but the pressure on our resources is still a challenge we need to address.
I need you to show up for our young people. This October, we have our first big fundraising event in 10 years – our Back to School Bash, and I really need to see you there. Now, I’ve been very reluctant to host a fundraising event because they are expensive to host, but I can genuinely say that every dollar of our event is directly supporting the students we all care about. It’s all for the next generation that we need right here in San Diego.
It’s why we are hosting it at the Melvin Garb Hillel Center adjacent to the SDSU campus. Instead of spending money to rent a ballroom, the money is going toward building improvements that will serve our students for years to come. Instead of hiring staff, our students will be at the party to connect with guests. Every part of the evening is a chance to give back, oh, and have a lot of fun. But it doesn’t work if you’re not there. So we need you!
You can register here: www.hillelsd.org/b2sb. The time is now. We have three weeks to put on a great party for a great cause, but it only works with YOU. Looking forward to seeing you there.
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Karen Parry is the CEO of Hillel of San Diego, which has offices at Cal State San Marcos, San Diego State, UC San Diego, and the University of San Diego.