On Wednesday, June 2, Teens For the Community (TFC) held its annual awards ceremony at the headquarters for Chabad of Larchmont and Mamaroneck. A sizeable crowd was in attendance to recognize club members and parents who have helped support the program.
The teens and the program were lauded in speeches by Rabbi Mendel Silberstein and Larchmont Mayor Josh Mandell, as well as by TFC board member David Rabinowitz, and two parents of teens participating in the program, Martha Kaplan and Col. David Everret. Mayor Mandell congratulated the teens for their volunteer work in a time when volunteering is on the decline across the country.
Rabbi Silberstein and Mayor Mandell handed out awards and Tzedakah boxes (used to collect donations for charity) to program participants, who include teens from Mamaroneck High School and local private schools.
Teens For the Community was started three years ago by Rabbi Silberstein and is run through the Chabad of Larchmont and Mamaroneck. The club meets every Thursday evening at Chabad to have dinner and do innovative community service projects, which have included collecting clothes for The Clothes Closet, holding a carnival in White Plains for homeless families and making sushi rolls to be distributed to the homeless.
Beginning with nine members, the club has grown to include more than 50 active participants. Sam Saideman, a member of TFC since its beginning, said, “Compared to the past two years, the group has grown significantly and it is a lot of fun. You really do get a lot out of it and you learn a valuable lesson.”
A video that was played at the event featured the members of TFC and described some of their projects.
Bryce Loebel, a junior at Mamaroneck High School, is a member of Teens for the Community.