First Faculty-Staff Service Day
Upper School faculty, staff, and administrators set out across Los Angeles to engage in service to the community for the first annual Faculty and Staff Service Day on Wednesday, January 23. Held on a professional development day, the program was dubbed, Milken Ba-Ir, which means “Milken in the City.” The Milken volunteers truly were in the city, rolling their sleeves up to volunteer at one of six service sites, which included LA Family Housing in North Hollywood, the Bessie and David Pregerson Child Development Program of the Salvation Army in Westwood, the Veterans Affairs assisted living home on the West Los Angeles VA campus, Midnight Mission on Skid Row, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission in Van Nuys, and the LA Garden Council Community Garden on Solano Avenue.
The day began for volunteers who were not serving at the early breakfast shift at the LA Family Housing, at Milken, in a meeting in the Margolis Theater for breakfast and a framing of the day. Organizers, Jewish Studies Teacher, Rabbi Shawn Fields-Meyer; Director of Service Learning, Wendy Ordower; and Director of YOZMA, Carolyn Camras, addressed the eager group. Ordower and Camras explained the value of service learning and why we follow the circle of Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim — learning, reflection, and service. Camras cited empirical evidence and research on the positive benefits of acts of kindness to others in our lives. Each group left school ready to serve and carrying a card containing two prayers to choose from to recite together before beginning service.
At the Midnight Mission on Skid Row, volunteers toured the facility and served a buffet lunch to hundreds of homeless individuals. Director of Experiential Learning, Lauren Miller, was one of the volunteers and explained how her proximity to the guests in the buffet line, while she was handing out drinks and forks, affected her. “It was a moving and deeply humbling experience to come face to face with so many individuals going through hardship, despair, and brokenness,” shared Miller.
The group at the Bessie & David Pregerson Child Development Center worked closely with pre-k students, reading to them, encouraging them, and working on an art project. College Counseling & Academic Planning Coordinator, Michael Wiesinger, related how rewarding it was to see the joy on their faces because of the attention and encouragement they received. The students, he said, were thrilled to have adults working with them to complete their project. “The engagement of working on the art project with two of the kids was magical,” he noted.
A+DI-Design Arts Teacher, Delphine Anaya, who volunteered at Hope of the Valley in Van Nuys, recalled that the highlights of her service were the face to face moments with the guests. One moment, in particular, stuck out to her. After striking up a conversation with an elderly woman, who was also volunteering, Anaya learned that she lived in her car, moving it around daily to find a safe spot each night. While they didn’t speak long, Anaya was touched. It had struck a chord with her, she explained, because lately she was noticing more and more elderly women that were homeless and it disturbed her. “It is evident that love is served in abundance here at Hope of the Valley,” said Anaya.
When asked about the importance of having a service learning day for faculty and staff, Rabbi Fields-Meyer cited Milken's commitment to work as a community to improve the world we live in. “By taking a day together to focus on this central value, we grew as individuals, strengthened our relationships with one another, and deepened our connection with our students, who also engage in community service,” she explained. Ordower commented, “It is important to bring our community together to participate in acts of kindness beyond the walls of Milken.” She added, “I hope the volunteers came away feeling more connected to their colleagues in other departments.” Ordower felt that she personally became closer to the operation staff members after serving together.
“I was truly inspired by the spirit of generosity, kindness, and purpose that I saw during Milken Ba-Ir— and I can't wait to see what else we can do,” expressed Rabbi Fields-Meyer.
It was a transformative day brimming with stories of touching moments and rewarding encounters as faculty, staff, and administrators left their classrooms and offices to make a difference in the community. Indeed, it was a meaningful and fulfilling day of service for everyone who participated.
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