ReachOut Blog
ReachOut! engages Jewish young adults in meaningful community service, combining the oppurtunity to volunteer across greater Boston with building community through shared learning and Jewish experiences.
The ReachOut! blog offers an additonal layer to our community, as we welcome posts from all of our volunteers on the issues, stories and motivations that inspire us to volunteer.
Access the ReachOut blog archives here.
Posted on January 23, 2012 by ReachOut
All your ReachOut! questions- answered RIGHT HERE.
Posted on December 19, 2011 by Georgi
Every morning over the summer before I turned 13, I would wake up to the sound of a muezzin reciting the Muslim call to prayer on a loud speaker, stumble out of my bunk bed, and tiptoe outside to a picnic table where I would practice reading the Haftorah. It was August 1993, and I was spending the second of many summers at an international, multicultural summer camp. I may be the only person in the world who associates the words “Allahu Akhar” (the beginning of the Muslim call to prayer) with preparing for her bat mitzvah.
Posted on December 16, 2011 by Jordyn
Last Sunday 37 volunteers joined ReachOut! and Muslims Against Hunger for an Interfaith Day of Service. The event was part of a larger series of programs organized with help from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Our goals for the event were simple: fill a room with young adults and have an amazing time. And foster community and understanding. And tackle issues of hunger. And get from our lunch meeting spot to our volunteer spot in one piece. (Admittedly, our goals might not have actually been simple.)
Posted on December 7, 2011 by Jordyn R
I sat down with the ReachOut! monkey the other day and asked him for his story. “My story?” he asked. (I could already tell I was in for a ride.) He looked me right in the eye and let out a loud cry, “Nants ingonyama bagithi ! Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama!” I was entranced.
Posted on December 1, 2011 by Matt
Oldies stations have already entered their 24/7 Christmas mode, and you’ve already watched the South Park or SNL Jew-on-Christmas videos more times than you care do admit. (At least, I have.) You may be thinking ahead to which of the Taam Chinas you’ll patronize on the 24th. (Or… not.) Maybe you celebrate “Erev Christmas” with your partner or parent but have no traditions during the Day. In all of these cases—might I suggest ReachOut’s Day of Voluncheer?
Posted on November 23, 2011 by Georgi
Recently I volunteered with an awesome religiously-affiliated community service group at Rosie’s Place, preparing and serving a three-course meal to local women in need. Like me, most of my fellow volunteers were in their 20s or 30s, and as we peeled potatoes and chopped onions together, we joked and chatted about work and school. Some of us were doctors, others in biotech, others MBA students. Most of us seemed to have grown up in the Boston area, although a few of us were from elsewhere in the US or abroad. It was a light-hearted, friendly bunch, and we all had lots of fun serving food to and chatting up the women at Rosie’s Place.
Posted on November 17, 2011 by Jason
I didn’t always feel so comfortable at the Boys and Girls Club. On my first day, I was nervous. I never would have thought driving by that the fairly non-descript brick building at 230 West Sixth Street in Southie was hiding a state of the art facility for children. They come after school and during the summer to learn and play while their parents worked to provide, many of them blue collar single parents who came from the area and spent years of their own childhood at the club. The place was like a school building except instead of classrooms, each room contained something different: a band room with drums, guitars and microphones. A computer room with internet enabled PCs and a fully functional music studio. An indoor basketball court and swimming pool. An arts and crafts room with a kiln for pottery. A library and homework room. Separate teen and pre-teen lounges with multimedia capabilities. And my personal favorite, the game room.
Posted on November 3, 2011 by ReachOut!
ReachOut! has a mascot. He's a flying, glow-in-the-dark, cape wearing, often screeching monkey. Only problem? He has no name.
Posted on October 12, 2011 by Jordyn R
What does it mean to be part of the 99%? Or rather, what does it mean to be part of a whole? How does find action in prayer?
Posted on September 28, 2011 by Jordyn
It amazes me how a few days- no matter how they are observed- can provide so much fodder for taking stock in oneself. The holidays provide a thankful reminder to take a breath, pause, and reexamine. Unlike the secular New Year which prompts us to pop champagne and celebrate in ways that often lead to forgetting, the Jewish New Year is a time to contemplate and celebrate by being present and self-aware.
