The RYNJ eighth grade girls’ chesed initiative shark tank of 5777 changed the rules this year. Gabriella Bak, in an eloquent letter to the school’s administration, suggested that Chesed 24/7 be preselected as the spotlight organization of the year. Chesed 24/7 provides services, supplies and food for the elderly and those with special needs or health problems. Gabriella recommended that the shark tank use its brainstorming powers to come up with ways to specifically support Jewish hospital patients and their families. The eighth grade girls shark tank teams further researched the organization and came up with some fabulous proposals.

The winning proposal was to make festive “chag bags” to enrich the holidays of those away from home for chagim. After meeting with Dvora Adler to clarify what would also be a meaningful form of help for Chesed 24/7 directly, a series of themed care packages and collection drives were planned and many have already been implemented.

The month of Shevat had middle school girls packing Tu B’Shevat goodie bags full of healthy snacks, attached by an eighth grade boys class to tree projects made by the second graders. In the month of Adar a “puzzle and doodle drive” was initiated to collect fidget toys, puzzles and art supplies as relaxing distractions for hospital patients. Mishloach manot bags, packed by fourth and eighth graders who included personal notes with warm wishes, had masks made by first graders attached.

As Nisan approaches, the eighth grade organized a pre-Pesach paper goods drive to collect plastic cutlery, cups and plates to stock bikur cholim rooms at local hospitals. The RYNJ Early Childhood Division will be preparing sweet holiday cards with kosher for Pesach candy attached, and the third graders will be creating laminated Pesach themed placemats to cover patients’ bed trays.

For the months of Iyar and Sivan, an Israeli pickle drive, combined with Jerusalem themed, student-made projects, will enable all RYNJ students to share the joy of Yom Ha’atzmaut and the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem with others.

RYNJ’s shark tank encourages student leadership and empowers the graduating class to think and act philanthropically. Students have had opportunities to mingle with members of the Chesed 24/7 team, hosting them at Rosh Chodesh breakfasts and the seventh grade girls’ play.