Name: Shani Aharon Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Lexington, MA Primary Service Sites: x
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Blue Hills Hiking Group Language Empowering Action Project (LEAP) Healthy Waltham Community Connections Clubs in Service (CIS) ͞From the very start of my Brandeis career, I became the epitome of a true Brandesian. During my freshman year, I lived on a community service C3, filled with like-­‐minded students who had a passion for excelling in their academics and giving back to the community. That year I was exposed to my very first Waltham Group program: Junior Brandeis Achievers. Within the first 5 minutes of arriving at Stanley Elementary School, I was so overjoyed with being able to volunteer. After this I further became involved with CIS, which enabled me to volunteer at Cradles to Crayons, EPOCH, More than Words, Drumlin Farms, etc. Each one of those experiences allowed me to meet amazing people-­‐ both volunteers as well as those we worked with. Tracking hours is important both for you and for Brandeis. Brandeis can then use those tracked hours to apply for grants to expand Waltham Group and offer you MORE volunteering experiences. On top of everything else, if you complete a certain amount of hours, you get to wear a snazzy medal at graduation.͟ Name: Rebecca Bachman Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Scarsdale, NY Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Brandeis Big Siblings Cradles to Crayons Waltham Group Afternoon Enrichment Reflection x Celebration of Service Planning Committee ͞My journey of volunteering began early in my Brandeis career and has taught me many lessons that have changed my life. During my Freshman year, I was a tutor through General Tutoring and Afternoon Enrichment, and this experience showed me that I could make a difference in only 3 hours per week. Throughout my time at Brandeis, I became further engaged in service initiatives, serving as a Coordinator for Brandeis Big Siblings and joining the community of Waltham Group Coordinators. Service has such a strong connection to social justice, which is one of the pillars of Brandeis. It is really special to have your hours count towards Brandeis' grand total number of service hours completed this year. Service has been such a huge part of my Brandeis experience, so I really enjoyed wearing my medal at commencement. The medal was an honor but it was also a tangible way to show how important community service is to me. Volunteering is a journey of helping others and personal growth and ƌĞĨůĞĐƚŝŽŶ͘͟ Name: Amanda Dryer Award won: Bronze Medal Hometown: Melville, NY Primary Service Sites: x
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tĂůƚŚĂŵ'ƌŽƵƉ͛ƐdƵƚŽƌŝŶŐŝŶWƵďůŝĐ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ;d/W^Ϳ Brandeis Haiti Initiative ͞Being the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, I transferred to Brandeis for its commitment to social justice. I was inspired by the AssoĐŝĂƚĞĞĂŶŽĨ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ>ŝĨĞ͕:ĂŵĞůĞĚĂŵƐ͛ŽƌŝĞŶƚĂƚŝŽŶƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ͕͞/ƚ͛Ɛ
KƵƌ,ŽƵƐĞ͟in which he expressed that Brandeis was not only a place where I could carry on my ŐƌĂŶĚƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ͛ƐŽĐŝĂůũƵƐƚŝĐĞůĞŐĂĐLJ͕ďut also, grow as an individual. My experience volunteering at ^ƚĂŶůĞLJůĞŵĞŶƚĂƌLJ^ĐŚŽŽůƚŚƌŽƵŐŚtĂůƚŚĂŵ'ƌŽƵƉ͛ƐdƵƚŽƌŝŶŐŝŶWƵďůŝĐ^ĐŚŽŽůƐ;d/W^ͿŽƉĞŶĞĚŵLJĞLJĞƐƚŽ
the education inequity that currently exists in this country. Education is the bridge to a better tomorrow; therefore, all teachers mƵƐƚƐĞƌǀĞĂƐ͞ďƌŝĚŐĞďƵŝůĚĞƌƐ͘͟Recipients of the Commitment to Service Award have the opportunity to wear a medal at graduation. Prior to coming to Brandeis, I received a number of medals for various academic and athletic accomplishments. On graduation morning, I put my Commitment to Service medal around my neck and it felt different than any other medal that I had worn before. As I proceeded into the gym for my graduation ceremony, I noticed that the medal lied directly on my heart. The medal was at the center of my very being and as a result, I thought of a few words that WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ>ĂǁƌĞŶĐĞŽŶĐĞƐĂŝĚƚŽŵĞ;ĂƚĂƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƉƌŽũĞĐƚͿ͕͞dŚĞũŽƵƌŶĞLJǁŝůůďĞĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚĨŽƌĞĂĐŚŽĨƵƐďƵƚ
ƚŚĞĐĞŶƚĞƌŝƐƚŚĞƐĂŵĞĨŽƌĂůůŽĨƵƐ͘͟LJƚƌĂĐŬŝŶŐŵLJĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJƐĞƌǀŝĐĞŚŽƵƌƐ͕/ǁĂƐĂďůĞto receive a medal but more importantly, tracking my community service hours gave me the opportunity to realize that service learning has always had a special place in my heart.͟ Name: Lauren Grewal Award won: Silver Medal Hometown: Wellesley, MA Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Spectrum ͞Being a Waltham Group Coordinator and being a founder of a community service initiative has taught me so much and truly impacted my Brandeis experience. Not only do I know that I can handle the pressures of running a program, but through my work with SPECTRUM specifically, I learned that I am truly passionate about working with people who have special needs.. I have realized just how much I enjoy teaching others and how much pleasure I derive from not only doing service for the outside community, but for my community within Brandeis. Service ŵĂŬĞƐŵĞĨĞĞůůŝŬĞ/͛ŵĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚƚŽ
something greater than myself. My volunteer work has kept me in touch and motivated to keep trying to help others rather than get stuck in my own daily problems as there is always someone else who can use some help. Tracking hours is just a good idea. It lets you know your impact on the community, helps Lucas or Kelly if you one day want a recommendation, and will help greatly if you apply to service based programs out of Brandeis. Also wearing a medal is fun since it helps you stand out at graduation.͟ Name: Miriam Halimi Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Brooklyn, NY Primary Service Sites: x
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Hospice of North Shore and Greater Boston Language and Cultural Enrichment (LaCE) Brandeis China Care ͞ To me, community service is a responsibilityͶa responsibility to give back to the society that helped raise me and mold me into the person I am proud to have become today. Community service has also taught me many things about myself. Among the various activities I have participated in, some of which include volunteering with hospice, bringing together Chinese orphans in the community, and assisting ƉĂƚŝĞŶƚƐĂƚŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ,ŽƐƉŝƚĂů͕/ŚĂǀĞůĞĂƌŶĞĚĂďŽƵƚŚŽǁƚŽďĞŝŶĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶƚĂŶĚƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďůĞǁŝƚŚĂ
commitment. Time-­‐management is a very important quality that I also have acquired and have fortunately become very good at. I have also grown to become wiser and more aware of real-­‐life issues. Community service exposes me to the lifestyles of other people and allows me to view life through a different lens. It feels good to do something where there is no tangible gain to receive in return. This program is a great way to remind you of all the hard work you have put in to make your community a better place. It is an acknowledgement of your efforts and can serve as a motivation to continue striving to give back. Tracking your hours also helps you remember thaƚŝƚ͛ƐŶŽƚƚŚĞƋƵĂŶƚŝƚLJŽĨĂĐƚŝǀŝƚŝĞƐLJŽƵĚŽ
around campus or in your community, but the quality of the time you put in to each of the activities you really care about that matters.͟ Name: Sarah Johnson Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Saint Charles, IL Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Kids Club Junior Brandeis Achievers (JBA) Charles Webster Potter Place ͞sŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌŝŶŐǁĂƐƚŚĞƐŝŶŐůĞŵŽƐƚŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚĞǀĞŶƚƚŚĂƚƐŚĂƉĞĚŵLJƚŝŵĞĂƚƌĂŶĚĞŝƐ͘ƐĂƌĂŶĚĞŝƐ
student, you are surrounded by amazing resources and volunteer opportunities that are just waiting for you to take advantage of. My volunteer time did not only affect the populations I served, it also had a profound impact on my personal growth. Through volunteering, I was able to learn about my leadership strengths, understand my areas of improvement, and develop a clearer vision of where my service work will be heading in the future. The benefits of tracking hours is two-­‐fold. First, tracking hours can help the populations that you care about the most. When we have records of all of the service being done, we are able to successfully apply for grants, which in turn provides our target communities with more resources. Additionally, the volunteer benefits greatly from having a written record of their hours. This record can be used for future job or grad school applications or it can be used as a tangible measure of all that you have done as a volunteer. Sometimes it can be difficult to see the impact that you are making on a day-­‐
to-­‐day basis, and tracking hours ultimately allows you to see the big picture of the incredible work you have done! Name: Madelyn Katz Award won: Bronze Medal Hometown: Cresskill, NJ Primary Service Sites: x Waltham Boys and Girls Club ͞Through my volunteer work at the Boys & Girls Club, I was able to see how much young adults can motivate and impact children even by joining them for a short amount of time each week. At the Quirkles science program, we succeeded in engaging kids in science activities. At first, many of the children did not want to participate, but by the end of the year they were so enthusiastic about the experiments. It was very rewarding to witness this transformation in the kids and helped me to realize the importance of giving back to my community. It's really exciting to be able to look back at the end of your Brandeis career and know exactly how many hours you committed to helping others. Having your community service hours documented can also be very useful in future school and job applications. The medal that you receive at graduation can be kept forever and will continue to serve as a reminder of all the time you committed to improving your community as a Brandeis student.͟ Name: Ashley Lau Award won: Bronze Medal Hometown: Singapore Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Junior Brandeis Achievers (JBA) ͞As a coordinator for Junior Brandeis Achievers throughout the majority of my time at Brandeis, I have learned a significant amount about both the community we serve, myself, and the importance of teamwork. In JBA, every coordinator holds equal responsibility over every aspect of their program and must work as a team in order to be successful. I have seen how great of an impact this direct service has ŽŶƚŚĞĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶĂŶĚƚŚĞŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐǁĞŐŝǀĞƚŚĞŵƚŽĚŽĐĞƌƚĂŝŶĂĐƚŝǀŝƚŝĞƐƚŚĞLJǁŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚďĞĂďůĞƚŽĚŽ
otherwise. I also hope that these lessons we teach the kids will motivate them to want to continue their education and to view their Brandeis volunteers as role models that they strive be like one day. The Commitment to Service program is an excellent way to track and organize the number of hours that you give back to the community. In addition to helping Brandeis quantify and calculate the difference we make, the Commitment to Service program also gives students the opportunity to recognize and reflect on their accomplishments while at Brandeis. Having your hours recorded will strengthen your resume and credentials on graduate school and job applications. More importantly, by tracking your hours, it is easy to observe and see firsthand how your own actions have impacted both the Brandeis community and the local Waltham community.͟ Name: Sadye Sagov Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Brookline, MA Primary Service Sites: x
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Volunteer Vacations-­‐ 'ĂLJDĞŶ͛Ɛ,ĞĂůƚŚƌŝƐŝƐĞŶƚĞƌ House of Charity VINE Animal Sanctuary Spells Writing Lab Village of Arts and Humanities ͞I have been involved with service since I was very young, and I was raised to value helping others and to take nothing for granted. However, it was only once I got involved in the community service department at Brandeis that I began to feel that service was a core piece of my identity and a source of personal growth. I cannot imagine what my life at Brandeis would have been if I was not involved in service. I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone as a public leader rather than a silent one, and as a trip leader I have also learned to balance being a leader and a friend. All of my experiences leave me feeling capable ŝŶĚĞĨŝŶŝŶŐĂŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ͕ƐĞƚƚŝŶŐŐŽĂůƐ͕ĂŶĚƵƐŝŶŐŵLJŽǁŶĂŶĚŽƚŚĞƌƐ͛ƌĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐĂŶĚƐŬŝůůƐƚŽĂĐĐŽŵƉůŝƐŚ
them. As I began searching for jobs earlier this year, I knew that I wanted a career that would allow me to evolve as a person through my relationship with serviceͶa job that made a difference in the world, but also made a difference in me. I really enjoyed tracking my hours because it helped me to visualize the impact that I, but more importantly the sum of all of our work, had in the community. It was incredible to realize that my 900 hours were multiplied by many others. It was a way to "see" our commitment.͟ Name: Rebecca Sanders Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: River Edge, NJ Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Afternoon Enrichment French Cultural Center of Boston English Language Learning Initiative ͞My time at Brandeis would not have been the same without my volunteer experiences. Volunteering has allowed me to be engaged in the community, to interact with many different people, and to think about the world in new ways. My community service efforts have been primarily concentrated in education, and my experiences have led me to pursue a career working in the field of education. I am confident that my community service experiences at Brandeis have helped define my career path. This program is a great way to realize how much service you actually do. The hours often add up without you even realizing it. Counting the hours helps you see that making time for service among all your other obligations is worth it, and can actually have a significant impact. Additionally, it is great to have a tangible number of hours to tell potential employers or to put on a resume.͟ Name: Ruairi Smith-­‐Dewey Award won: Gold Medal Hometown: Lakeville, MN Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Hospital Helpers Waltham Elementary Schools Clubs in Service Family Dinner Project ͞Volunteering not only enabled me to learn more about the community around me, but also about myself. Through tutoring I helped a young girl gain confidence in her abilities and learned how to look at material differently myself. By volunteering in the hospital I witnessed how even small gestures, like smiling at a person, can have a significant impact on the patient's overall experience. As a volunteer I have not only been able to actively help others around me, but I have also been able to put my own life in perspective in order to determine my own values. It is very rewarding to actively keep track of the amount of service you do and to see how something as simple as tutoring for one hour per week can add up to a significant amount of your time. It was also very helpful to have a log of my service while filling out my medical school applications because they ask for it anLJǁĂLJ͘͟ Name: Amanda Reuillard Award won: Bronze Medal Hometown: Biddeford, ME Primary Service Sites: x
Waltham Group: Language and Cultural Enrichment (LaCE) ͞I cannot fully explain the impact that volunteering has had on my life. I worked with amazing kids that I was able to watch grow and learn every week. I learned something new from every program we had. I really think the kids loved the work that the other coordinators and I did, so that means a lot and makes everything worth it! Everyone should track their hours! It is a great program because we can know the total number of volunteer hours at Brandeis if everyone does it, but also you can look at all the work you have done. The Commitment to Service Award is a wonderful idea!͟ Name: Alexander Shapiro Award won: Silver Medal Hometown: Mount Sinai, NY Primary Service Sites: x
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Waltham Group Brandeis Buddies Elliot House ͞Volunteering has taught me how to be an independent thinker. It has taught me how to take initiative and how to fight for what I believe in. As a volunteer in this community I have learned the value of patience, understanding and respect for others. Furthermore, my role as a Waltham Group coordinator has taught me time and time again the importance of professionalism, organization, reflection and communication. Through the commitment to service program we are able to keep track of all of the amazing work that our community is doing. By doing this we are able to provide quantitative data as to what we are accomplishing as a group and how we can make an even bigger difference. Tracking hours helps the Waltham Group and other community service initiatives receive grants and publicity that enable us to widen our impact and strengthen our community. Service is a humbling and enlightening experience and engaging in this kind of work has been an invaluable aspect of my time at Brandeis. By keeping track of the time I have spent committed to this aspect of our community, I now have the record to prove it.͟ Name: Steven Patrick Wong Award won: Bronze Medal Hometown: Boston, MA Primary Service Sites: x
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Afternoon Enrichment Big Sibling Companions to Elder Spectrum Hunger and Homelessness Volunteer Vacations ͞As a first year at Brandeis, I was not active on campus. I was having a very hard time adjusting from high school to college. By my sophomore year, I wanted to change that, which made me discover Waltham Group during recruitment night. I began with four Waltham Groups and I instantly loved to volunteer because I became a mentor, an older sibling, a friend and I created great relationships with each and every student or person that I encountered during my time with each Waltham Group that I did. As the year went on, I added more Waltham Groups and I realized I love to volunteer because it takes me out of my busy schedule and allows me to focus on others. I love making a difference and changing the world. Many schools have certain volunteer programs, but I personally feel nothing compares to Brandeis University and the department of community service which has Waltham Group. Waltham Group allows students to choose different programs that they want to volunteer for, whether with children or with the elderly or building a home. There are many options to choose from! Students should track their hours because it will allow students to know how many hours they have volunteered, which can be put on their resumes.͟