What does it look like to compete in Shark Tank where the winner gets to give all the money away? If you were at WTA on Chol Hamoed Sukkot, you saw middle school students collaborating and competing on which chesed organization would be the focus of a schoolwide fundraiser in 5782. Students split up into teams and participated in WTA’s very first…Chesed Shark Tank! Each group began by researching organizations to understand what they do, debated among themselves, and then voted on which one they would select as their project.

Once they decided on an organization, they began brainstorming their plan for how to effectively fundraise for their chosen tzedakah. As the ideas began to flow, their individual skills, talents, and creativity guided the presentation they were creating. The winning group, selected by a panel of judges, will have the opportunity to make their program come to life by organizing it as a schoolwide chesed campaign.

Some of the organizations chosen to be presented were United Hatzalah, Yachad, Camp HASC, FIDF (Friends of the Israel Defense Forces), The Lone Soldier Center and Leket Israel. Students experienced what it means to analyze and understand the purpose of an organization, work as a team, and come up with a unique presentation. Leaders, thinkers, innovators, artists and many more personalities became a unified group. They are excited to bring the winning campaign to life throughout the school year!

Kol hakavod to all the WTA students and a special thank you to the teachers who guided their students through a fun, educational, and meaningful Chol Hamoed experience.