Page 14 - Jewish News | November 2021

14A November 2021 FEDERATION NEWS

STEP teen mensches hold donation drive

for Afghan refugees

By Jessi Sheslow, Teen & Family Programs Manager
ou shall not wrong a stranger Within a week, I was coordinat- The donation drive was a smashing proud of their demonstration of this
or oppress them, for you were ing and meeting with a core group of success. Thanks to the incredibly gen- key tenet from our Federation mission
Ystrangers in the land of Egypt.” juniors and seniors to be the leads on erous hearts of our STEP teens and the of Tikkun Olam. I know I am!
(Exodus 22:20) this project. With Gustavo guiding the connections of our Federation, Afghan To learn more about STEP, visit
What a powerful statement to keep way, Michela Hazan, Lucy Thomas refugees being resettled in the Tampa jfedsrq.org/step or please contact me
in our hearts – a statement that our and Maxwell Fletcher helped to plan a Bay and Sarasota areas now have the at 941.343.2109 or jsheslow@jfedsrq.
STEP (Shapiro Teen Engagement Pro- donation drive in partnership with Gulf items to help them feel more at home in org.
gram) teens are living right now. Coast JFCS and JFCS of the Suncoast. a foreign land.
At the STEP Open House meeting At the same time, I connected with We are thankful
for the 2021-22 season, teens discussed my friend, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman. He to our partners
ideas for volunteering throughout the shared with me the initiative the Sara- and to everyone
year. Gustavo Trope Mayer, a junior at sota County Sheriff’s Office was plan- who donated
the Riverview IB program, asked if we ning to help Deputy Mubarak resettle items for these
could do anything for Afghan refugees. his family from Afghanistan to Sara- families who
The rest of the group started nodding sota. When I told him about our teen came here with
their heads in agreement. After all, the donation drive, he immediately asked nothing but the
news of the U.S. military pullout from me to join his SCSO resettlement team, clothes on their
Afghanistan was something everyone and they became our third partner for backs. Our teens
was talking about. the donation drive. are true men-
sches, and our
community
should be very Gabrielle Meese and Gustavo Trope Mayer carry donated boxes

STEP teens and Jessi Sheslow (2 from left) with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
nd
and Sarasota Police Department Michele Trope Mayer, Maxwell Fletcher, Gustavo Trope Mayer, Megan Meese, Caroline Spiegel,
Jessi Sheslow, Gabrielle Meese, Spencer Cohen, Michela Hazan

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