Iris teen tzedaka project marks two-year cycle of giving and getting
Iris Teen Tzedakah Program advisers, students, and representatives of agencies that received grants gathered in Whippany to celebrate the teens' introduction to philanthropy.
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The late Herb Iris believed in the importance of teaching Jewish teenagers the philosophy of philanthropy — to get them interested in more than just writing a check, but in giving of themselves in the spirit of tzedaka and tikun olam, repairing the world.
It was that spirit that infused the more than 130 people gathered at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany on June 10.
There they reveled in the accomplishments of the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program, a project of the Herb Iris Youth and Family Philanthropy Endowment that encourages teen participants to put lessons in giving into practice by both raising and allocating their own funds.
Celebrating the achievements of the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program, a project of the Herb Iris Youth and Family Philanthropy Endowment, on June 10 are members of the Iris family, from left, Roree Iris-Williams, Kerry Iris, Milly Iris, and Jeremy Iris-Williams, who gave a speech about his late grandfather, Herb Iris.
The celebrants included the program's 34 teen participants and their families, as well as donors to the endowment.
Participants recalled the genesis of the program, which was developed in the months after Iris, a builder and supporter of local Jewish causes, died in April 2006.
After his death, the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest NJ received numerous donations in his memory, according to JCF development officer Kim Hirsh. "We sat with the family and discussed a meaningful way to perpetuate his legacy," she said.
The Teen Tzedakah Program was originally conceived as a one-year pilot project. Participation was limited to 18 teens, who had to be nominated and undergo an application and interview process. Each student was required to make a $200 donation, which was matched by the endowment. In the first year, the program collected $7,200, including matching funds. The teens themselves chose the local Jewish agencies that would receive allocations.
The students were so impressed by the experience that they requested the program be extended.
This year, the endowment amassed $16,100, which included additional monies raised by the teens.
The participants come from "all over MetroWest," representing 12 public, private, and Jewish day schools and 15 synagogues, said Hirsh.
"One of the nice things, this is one of those rare places that kids from different…schools with common views and common values can get together…and share a common passion," she said. They inspire each other, she added, and have said they will be disappointed when they leave the program after the maximum two years.
At the June 10 event, "the donors…got to actually see, in the flesh, what their money is doing," Hirsh said. "It was really inspiring for many of them to see what the Iris Fund is going for and what an impact it's making on young people's lives."
The program is a joint effort of JCC MetroWest, the Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, and the JCF, according to Hirsh.
The JCC coordinates the program, and the Partnership provides the educational component. JCF manages the funds and writes the grant checks, Hirsh said.
In a d'var Torah at the dinner, Ariela Lovett, a second-year program participant and graduate of Livingston High School, said she was grateful for the opportunity "to stand forward and be a leader among the Jewish teenagers in our MetroWest community."
"I felt honored knowing that we…are carrying on Herb Iris' legacy through our commitment to Jewish philanthropy," she said. "[We] are truly grateful for the lessons the Iris family has so generously imparted."
In a telephone interview the day after the dinner, Milly Iris called the event "sensational," adding that the parents and the donors were very impressed with how articulate and knowledgeable the youngsters are. Her husband, who ran a construction company, was involved in numerous philanthropic efforts that were instrumental in developing local community institutions, including the Aidekman campus, the Lester Community Senior Housing project on the campus, and capital expansions at the Daughters of Israel senior facility and the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, Ross Family Campus, both in West Orange.
The aim of the teen program, she said, was to "follow the footsteps" of her late husband. "His belief was that if you start with the young people and get them interested in giving — giving of themselves, not just money — if they get involved, they bring it back to their parents, who might not be as involved."
"The parents were so proud of these kids," Iris said. "Herb was involved and that's what I wanted these kids to feel — they should be involved."
Members of the Stamelman-Spier family and two youngsters who
received a grant from the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program for a recycling project.
Kerry Iris, left, with Lester and Judy Lieberman, cochairs of the
"Remembering Herb Iris" campaign, which has raised $1.1 million for
the Herb Iris Youth and Family Philanthropy Endowment.
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