Reflection sparks a connection between the service done and lessons learned. In addition, reflection enables us to understand why we participate in certain acts of service to others, and how it relates to our lives.

There is no doubt that many teens have dedicated a large part of their lives to service for various reasons. Making the connection to Judaism and understanding the relevance of the work to your own life adds depth to your experiences.

I have always had a passion for helping others. Although I have many hobbies and interests, there is no greater feeling than knowing I am helping someone else, no matter the significance. Community service has been a recurring theme in my life. From my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, I have received a powerful heritage of giving to the community – a combination of L’dor v’dor and Tikkun Olam. Just as they have always been active as leaders in the Jewish and surrounding communities wherever they have lived, I have found in myself a sense that giving to others is a necessity in life no matter the age or scale of that involvement. My project Send-A-Smile sends personal, caring messages to kids in hospitals around the country and world. No two kids are the same, and similarly no two cards are the same. However, every card is hand-crafted and contains a positive message “sent with a smile.” The goal of Send-A-Smile is to deliver personal reminders to hospitalized children that people are thinking about them and their well-being. These cards are more than just a tangible object; through the thought and detailed work required, they aim to evoke and create an emotional connection between the creator and recipient. This project provides a needed service all year long. Card themes have included Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, the seasons, Valentine’s Day and “Christmas in July.” Last May, we sent a batch of Mother’s Day cards to the hospital which were distributed to mothers spending their Mother’s Day in the emergency room. Each shipment also includes a number of birthday cards and plenty of general inspirational cards for distribution by the nursing staff when needed. Almost 2,000 cards have been sent thus far, and an effort that started with three students now exceeds 200 volunteers. Send-A-Smile allows students to use their education, or express their heritage, in a real-world situation. Since many patients speak languages other than English and to make the cards acceptable for children in other countries, we encourage volunteers to create cards in different languages, as well as for children of different backgrounds and cultures. While the predominant languages have been English and Spanish, we have sent cards in other languages including Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and French. In September 2006, over 100 cards were sent to New York, in honor of the victims of 9/11. Another batch of cards was sent to sick children at a hospital in Rwanda, where most of the children have lost relatives in the 1994 genocide. I was told that the cards felt like “warm hugs coming from the other side of the world.” I felt especially proud when some of the cards were sent to Hadassah Hospital, in Jerusalem. Hadassah is the only state-of-the-art health center in the Middle East, where “children of all faiths lay side by side,” coming from all over Africa, Asia and even some Arab countries to be treated. After the recent attacks on Sderot, I became determined to send cards there – a way of showing Israeli children in the midst of the violence that they are in our thoughts. Since there are few physical injuries in Sderot, I found it difficult to locate a hospital. Working with contacts at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (part of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation), I contacted Herzog Hospital. According to a representative, the children in the area suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We sent over 100 cards to the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma to help these children. Send-A-Smile has taken a great deal of effort to begin and establish as a successful endeavor. However, the true payoff for those efforts can be seen in Send-A-Smile’s domino effect that continues to touch people of all ages in both obvious and subtle ways – and the entire transformation begins with a smile.