The air was buzzing with the energy of the community’s teens on Dec. 3, as United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks launched Super Sunday 2007 at the Merrill Lynch complex in Pennington.

The all-day event garnered 537 pledges totaling over $221,000 for the federation’s 2007 annual campaign.

In addition to many other community volunteers, some 80 teens turned out for Super Sunday, including contingents from Adath Israel Congregation in Lawrenceville, Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, Congregation Beth El of East Windsor, the Jewish Center of Princeton, Brothers of Israel in Trenton, and Har Sinai Temple in Trenton. They made phone calls for pledges, filled out forms, ferried baskets of pledge cards from place to place, wrote letters to Israeli soldiers, and wrapped Hanukka gifts for needy children served by the LIGHTS (Love Is Giving Hanukkah Toys to Share) program of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County. Hanging from the ceiling above them was a Merrill Lynch sign that seemed to say it all: Center of Excellence.

“I’m always excited about the teen component,” said Emily Josephson of West Windsor, federation’s associate campaign chair, who coordinated the day together with Debbie Freedman of Monmouth Junction, Women’s Campaign liaison to Super Sunday.

“Super Sunday is such a wonderful community day,” Josephson said. “It’s all about giving to community. What better place to have teens learn about that?”

Janis Oolie Glasberg, federation’s new associate campaign director, also welcomed the participation of the teens. “I’m delighted by the number of young people who have come out to make calls,” she said. “It really shows that this community’s next generation is being groomed to take the reins.”

Nancy Dince, chair of the annual campaign, agreed. “It’s great — all these kids,” she said as she surveyed the scene. “I think this is the biggest turnout of kids we’ve ever had. For me, the whole thing about today is what’s going on right now — our small army of young Jewish philanthropists. It gives me a great deal of optimism and hope.”

Dince noted that federation’s 2007 campaign is going well. “I think what we’re seeing is that people are realizing it’s an increasingly challenging environment for Jews around the world,” she said. “We hear it when we call people — the awareness. People really need to participate in the campaign.”

And that made for a tremendously exciting day, said Andrew Frank, executive director of the federation. “We’ve made a lot of contacts, talked to a lot of very generous people, and the momentum seems to be carrying through,” he said. “All in all, this has been a mix of people from all over our community, gathered together to have a good time while they’re doing good — and it’s working.”

Rabbi Sholom Leverton, who was on hand for Super Sunday with his family, remarked about how wonderful it was to see the vitality of the community. “It’s a cross-section of the entire community coming together for common cause,” said Leverton, religious leader of Chabad of the Windsors. “That’s why it’s an honor to be part of it, to be connected to it. It gives an opportunity for so many to do mitzvas.”

One of the teens doing mitzvot, 13-year-old Sam Rumack of Princeton Junction, said he was enjoying the effort. “I think it’s a great thing for people to get involved in the community,” he said. “It’s a really fun thing for people to do.”

His neighbor on the phone banks, 12-year-old Sam Waldorf of Yardley, Pa., announced that it was his first time on the phones, and he had just raised $100. “It feels good,” he said. “This is a worthwhile cause. It helps support Israel and the Jewish community everywhere.”

On that, he has the full agreement of his mother, Anne Berman-Waldorf, educational director of Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction. “I think it’s important for our kids to see that they’re part of the Jewish community and there are needs in the Jewish community they can help fulfill,” she said.

Jerri Blitzer of East Windsor, chair of the day’s teen component, said she was amazed at the energy of the young volunteers. “They definitely add so much more to the other side of the phone. They inspire me.”

Blitzer’s 16-year-old daughter, Monica, who helped recruit the teens for Super Sunday, was feeling some inspiration of her own.

“I just got $500!” she shouted, adding that she told the donor,

“Thank you so much. Trust me — you made my day.”