New Jersey Jewish News
MetroWest Feature

AMONG THE 32 speakers who addressed the Darfur rally on Sunday were two of the three New Jersey teens who started Help Darfur Now, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness and funds for the victims of the genocide.

Arielle Wisotsky of Ridge High School in Basking Ridge and Eric Messinger of Millburn High School spoke from the podium to a crowd of tens of thousands gathered at the National Mall in Washington.

Together with cofounder David Messinger, Eric’s brother, the students have expanded their organization into several high schools across the country and have given presentations to schools and temple youth groups to educate other teens about the genocide. Along with fellow Help Darfur Now members, they have raised almost $50,000 for organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee to provide medicine and food for the victims of this genocide.

As part of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign, Arielle, Eric, and David have also collected 3,500 postcards, which they sent to President George Bush, urging him to use the power of his office to help stop the genocide.

“We were really honored to speak on behalf of the Save Darfur Coalition’s Million Voices for Darfur campaign,” said Arielle. “We have to reach out to President Bush. Sunday was an opportunity to let him know that we are not going to sit idly by knowing that people are being massacred because of how they look or where they were born.”

Eric added, “To stand on the stage and look out at the thousands of people who came from all over the country was really amazing. The first rally for Darfur that we attended in New Jersey in October had about 50 people. Finally, the word is getting out about the genocide and people are taking action. Now we need our president to take action.”

As a result of their appearance at the rally — and one of the first indications of its impact — the teens report that they have been inundated with requests from students around the country and are adding high school and middle school chapters of their organization in North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, upstate New York and Long Island, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

Visit their web site to find out more about starting a chapter of Help Darfur Now in a high school or middle school or to make a contribution to Help Darfur Now.

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