A Word from the Director: 2/11/2011

We had a busy week here at Aish Tamid, with the big Super Bowl party. We had two big screens with the game on and we had two separate pizza deliveries. A big ‘thank you’ to Ben Zion Levin for helping with our technical needs and coming in late Saturday night to take care of the last minute setup. I also never formally thanked the Gohari family for donating their couches to Aish Tamid. It has definitely given Aish Tamid a well-needed facelift and is much appreciated by all.

In other news, a big ‘thank you’ to David Hagar and Elliot Dolin for helping us with our gym renovations. We expanded the area downstairs and it is ready for us to set up the gym. The boys are very excited and keep asking if we are going to charge them to use the gym. Of course not. This week we should be able to start moving equipment in to the room and hopefully we can open for business by the end of the month. Anyone interested in getting involved with the project should please contact us for more info.

There has been about four to five requests this week that we should have a Shabbaton in some type of resort. I personally have never thought about doing it but we are considering it, based on the request. I find it flattering that the boys are so comfortable that they want us to take them away for a weekend. Until recently, we have never been successful in organizing small trips and we found that the boys just want to come to the center and when they want to go on trips they go on their own time.

Just to make people aware, I have slots available during the week to meet with parents about their teens with or without their teens present. We have been getting many calls not only about the boys in the community but about teenage girls as well. We work a great relationship with the many schools in the community as they refer their families to us. Please call the office if you would like to schedule a meeting.

And lastly, I apologize for repeating myself: we have many students who are looking for employment, both for financial reasons and for self advancement. Please consider hiring one of the many Jewish boys in the neighborhood. We have a boy who we set up at Coffee Bean; he spent Super Bowl Sunday working and feels like a million bucks that he has a job and has structure in his life.

Have a good Shabbos!

Rabbi Gavriel Hershoff