Dixie Council AIT/MIT
“Come as guests, leave as
family”
BBG Separates
2007
My sister B’nai B’rith Girls,
Welcome.
Welcome to a wonderful place; a place to be yourself.
Welcome to a world that becomes, quite quickly, a second
home.
More than chapters, conventions, and programs.
This organization is about sisterhood, friendship, and our
common bond of Judaism.
It is a place to learn and love freely.
It is these three things that make the B’nai B’rith Girls so
incredibly unique,
so amazingly comfortable, and so much like home.
Class of 2011;
Welcome to the international order of the B’nai B’rith Girls.
It is our honor, pleasure, and privilege to welcome you on
this journey. Play “Save Tonight”
Gabbi: To you just entering B’nai B’rith Girls we extend a warm
welcome. You are now a member of the largest organization of
young Jewish women in the world. B’nai B’rith Girls has given to
thousands the wonderful opportunity of developing leadership
among girls and young women. At the same time you are enabled
to relate to the young men of the Aleph Zadik Aleph and work
together with them towards a better society and a stronger Jewish
community under the banner of the B’nai B’rith Youth
Organization. The unique B’nai B’rith Girls way of life helps you
find and express your Jewish identity while expanding your circle
of friends. There is no one path to Jewish commitment. BBG
offers you the chance to acquire knowledge and to make choices.
Your first choice was your decision to become a part of BBG. You
now have choices of activities and also the choice of how much of
yourself you will invest in this great cause. The more of yourself
that you will give to BBG, the more you will receive.
Shalom, Anita M. Perlman
Marie: I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a
reason, bringing something we must learn. We are led to those
who help us most to grow. If we let them and we help them in
return we will change for the better. During your four years in BBG
you will make friends who truly change who you are. Each of the
older girls here have been changed forever because of BBG.
Don't be afraid to let go, don't be afraid to make new friends, and
don't be afraid to let BBG become apart of you. When I think of
the past three years I can only think of times spent laughing,
cheering, planning and having an amazing time. If you let it, BBG
will shape you into a girl with true morals. If you let it, BBG will
change you into a girl with upstanding values. If you let if, BBG
will change you into a girl comfortable with responsibilities. And
finally, if you let it, BBG will change you for good.
Elyse: Welcome. Welcome to the most amazing thing I have ever
been apart of. Welcome to the next four years of your life. Over
the past three years the B’nai B’rith Girls have become my home
away from home. Without this organization I would be a
completely different person today. I have found myself here. I
remember sitting where you are just a few short years ago and
wondering if this was for me. I promise that BBYO is for everyone
as long as you give it a chance. I am truly jealous of each one of
you. You have the next four years to allow yourself to be apart of
BBYO. As a senior, I only have one year left and I would do
anything to experience the past three years again. Just remember
to have fun, because in 30 years you won’t remember if you felt
stupid screaming cheers or if you felt uncomfortable when you
were pushed to be a leader.
Grace: I was a freshman just like you, sitting here in the dark not
knowing what was going on and not even half-way paying
attention to the girls reading me the importance of BBG and how
BBG shaped their lives. I was quite skeptical and couldn’t help but
let my mind wander to my school friends. I was jealous that they
were partying while I was in a dark room with a bunch of Hebrew
school kids. I was getting used to a high school of 2,500 kids,
making new friends, and, although not very gracefully, learning to
make the right decision in a difficult situation. Now I am half way
through high school and, let me tell you, BBG is worth missing
that party. Why have I chosen BBYO over school friends, partying
and football players? It is because joining BBYO was the first time
I was surrounded by people who believed in me, and wanted to
see me grow into a better person. Give it a chance, go to a
program, make friends, and you will fall in love with BBG just like I
did 3 short years ago. Now my time is almost up and I would do
anything to be in your place.
Gabby: My sister B’nai B’rith girls, inspire! It’s not just the pin and
the way you wear it, but the love you receive and the way you
share it. (Start beat).
Erica: Dream! It’s not just the screams and the cheers, but the
memories of much laughter and tears. (Start beat).
Rachel: Love! It’s not just the feeling you get when someone says
"hi," but the heaviness in your heart when you have to say
goodbye.
Emily: Passion! It’s not just how many calls and letters you read,
but the friend who sent them, which we all need. (Start beat)
Caroline: Dedication! It’s not just an organization that is a home
to me but so much more, just you wait and see. (Start beat).
Molly: Believe! No, it’s not just an interesting little pin. But the
heart behind it, and the body within. (Start beat).
Erin: For love and laughter (start beat)
Hannah: Friends that last (start beat)
Sheeri: Times so good (start beat)
Marie: They go so fast (start beat)
Continue for four more beats and then everyone stops.
Grace: This weekend has been all about you, but tonight is about
all of us.
Gabbi: Tonight is about us passing so some wisdom to you as we
extend our arms and invite you into our sisterhood.
Elyse: Because your stories are still unwritten, we ask you to
learn from ours and take them with you always.
Molly: In front of you is a glass, a wick, and several sheets of
paper with names of your fellow BBGs. Throughout the night, you
will add different color sand to your glass, with all of the different
colors representing various aspects of YOU as a B'nai B'rith Girl.
When it is time for you to add a color, feel free to add as much or
as little as you feel necessary. Remember, these candles
represent YOU.
Gabby: For some of you, this is your first BBYO convention. For
others of you, you've been to one or two. Maybe you've met a lot
of people and you know you will keep in touch with them
throughout the year, no matter how far away they live from you.
Maybe you feel like you didn't meet as many people as you
thought you would. Maybe you feel like your leaving with the
same number of friends as you came with.
Elyse: But let me tell you a secret. These girls sitting around you,
whether you've talked to them this weekend or not, they aren't
your friends. They are so much more. They are your SISTERS.
Sheeri: On the sheets of paper, you will be writing messages to
each of the girls. Other girls will be writing to you. But you won't
get these messages tonight. You'll see them pop in your mailbox
throughout the year to remind you that no matter where you live,
you have sisters all around.
Caroline: Your messages can be anonymous or signed as you
wish. They can be long or short, funny or serious. At the end of
the night you will be asked to turn the pieces of paper. If you get a
piece of paper with your name on top, write to yourself.
Erica: To start off, write your name on the glass. Then write "I am
a BBG"
Erin: Any questions?
Hannah: Welcome to the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization.
Rachel: An organization where YOU, a Jewish Teen, are
expected and challenged to make a difference.
Erica: Give BBYO a chance and I promise you, it will change you
into a person that you are really proud of being. How often in your
life will you be presented with an offer like that?
Gabbi: BBYO will create sisters out of strangers, and make
leaders out of followers.
Molly: It will take a shy girl, and create a strong and inspirational
BBG.
Gabbi: Keeping this in mind, in order for this organization to make
an impact on your life, you must allow BBYO to take you by the
hand and lead you to places where you have only dreamed of
going.
Marie: Introduce yourself to the BBG that intimidates you. Make
an effort to get to know the BBG that doesn’t seem like your type.
Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't.
Caroline: Run for leadership positions and rise to every challenge
your counterparts set for you.
Rachel: My sisters of Dixie Council BBYO. I challenge you to take
a chance.
Grace: Give BBG a chance.
Gabby: Strive to become an active member.
Sheeri: Support your chapter.
Elyse: Discover your place in this organization
All MIT moms: Dream of where your BBG heart beat can take
you.
Allow girls to get red sand and fill a part of their glass. (Heart
beat) Have them pull out the red sheet of paper and write a letter
to the girl.
Emily: Come beneath my wing and make my vision of BBG a
reality. Although my time is running short, I trust that you will
complete the dreams I am not able fulfill. Before your eyes, your
visions of this organization will change. You will see that there is
so much more to this order than meets the eye.
Rachel: We’re not suggesting that you need to be extremely
active and attend every possible event, we just encourage you
make your vision of BBG your reality. This organization is only
what you make it to be.
Erica: BBG is so much more than a bunch of girls. Look beyond
the drama over AZAs, see past the empty politics. Get excited to
be moved to tears during a program. Anticipate sleepovers where
sleep is only part of the title.
Rachel: At first glance BBG is just an organization. But, once you
take the time to look deeper, you will be able to find what your
own dream of what BBYO truly is. Each person’s dream is
different; just make sure your dream eventually becomes a reality.
Allow girls to add blue and white sand to their glass (for dream).
Have girls take the blue sheet of paper and write to the girl.
Erin: OMG, yesterday it was like really rainy outside, like so rainy
you couldn't see. And I had my brand new Rainbows on. You
know what happens to Rainbows when they get wet...And I
couldn't tell where these totally huge puddles were.
Hannah: OMG, what’d you do?!
Erin: I made my little sister’s friends walk in front of me and if she
stepped in a puddle, she would yell "PUDDLE!" and she would
find another path for me to take. You know how expensive
Rainbows are...
Rachel: Ok, we know you’re probably thinking, “What does that
have to do with this program?”
Erin and Hannah: We swear we have a point.
Gabbi: “Understand that the right to choose your own path is a
sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” -Oprah Winfrey
Elyse: “I don’t want be the next anybody. I want to be the first
me.”- Vanessa Carlton
Gabby: “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be
different.” -Coco Chanel
Grace: Entering BBG, everyone has a choice.
Molly: what programs to attend, who the top 10 hottest AZAs
really are, and how active you want to be
Sheeri: Your four years in BBG are determined by which path you
choose.
Marie: When you enter BBG, you are following the footprints that
someone else has left for you.
Erica: However, you still have the ability to do things differently, in
your own way. The choices you make in BBG will remain long
after you graduate.
Emily: Your journey in BBG is about developing a legacy, a
character, and a footprint that is worth leaving behind. Something
you can look back on and be proud of. Something that other
people will want to follow.
Caroline: Give BBYO a chance and when your four years are
over, people will think of you and how you inspired them, how you
changed their life, or made them a better person.
Gabbi: You are a role model. Everyone in this room is. You may
think of yourself as just a member, but you are so much more
than that. You are a B’nai B’rith Girl.
Rachel: our organization can only succeed,
Molly: with our influence,
Grace: our passion,
Elyse: and our drive.
Gabby: It might take some time for you to find the path that fits
you best. However, make sure you find it on your own. I assure
you that you belong here. Eventually you will find your niche and
then you will leave behind footprints that will help others find their
way.
Caroline: What you get out of BBG depends on what you put into
it. Going back to Erin’s story in the beginning, we want you to
create your own journey. The footprints on the rainy path are left
behind for you as a guide, but in order to venture through the rain
to a different location, sometimes you have to risk getting your
shoes a little wet.
All council board: Let us assure you, it’s worth it.
Allow girls to get more sand of the color of their choice. (Picking
their own path) Have girls pick the girl who they know the least of
their remaining names on the paper and have them write a note to
the girl.
Erin: Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the
troublemakers.
Marie: The round pegs in the square holes; the one who sees
things differently; the ones sometimes known as freaks.
Hannah: They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for
the status quo.
Gabby: You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify
them, about the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Grace: Because they change things. They push the human race
forward.
Rachel: And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we
see genius, because people who are crazy enough to think they
can change the world are the only ones who do.
Elyse: My Sister B’nai B’rith Girls, this year I challenge you to be
crazy. I challenge you to think differently. I challenge you to stop
caring about what other people think and to embrace the person
that you are.
Emily: I challenge you to scream out ideas that you have even
when you think that others will shut them down. I challenge you to
never give up - through lost elections, broken hearts, and
struggling chapters. I challenge you to be as crazy as you want to
be, because being crazy means that you’re nothing like anyone
else.
Sheeri: My Sisters, we are the crazy ones because we will
believe, deep down, that we can change the world. We will
believe that we can change our order, that we can change our
regions, and that we can change our chapters.
Gabbi: Respectfully Submitted With Undying Love for Every
B’nai B’rith Girl, for our Order, for Being Crazy,
I remain,
Shauna Ann Ruda, the 61st girl to serve as International N’Siah of
BBYO
Allow girls to get orange sand in their glass. (crazy) Then have
the girls write to the girl who they think is the craziest of the girls
left in their pile.
Erica: When your heart is in BBYO, doing the right thing can be
difficult.
Grace: Oftentimes you will not see your potential,
Caroline: but you sisters will show you.
Gabby: Oftentimes you will feel like you do not belong,
Elyse: but your sisters will give you a home.
Hannah: Oftentimes you will find it hard to love this organization,
Molly: but you will find it even harder to shut your sisters out of
your life.
Marie: I am a true B’nai B’rith Girl because I have questioned my
love, been doubted and felt like I didn’t belong. Yet, I continued in
this organization.
Gabbi: It is my wish that each of you develops a deep respect for
your chapter, this council and the entire International Order.
Elyse: I cannot tell you to love BBG, but if you do, I hope that you
remember it is the journey, not the destination that really matters.
Rachel: It is a scary and frustrating journey. You will at times
wonder why this is worth it.
Erin: Often, the most frustrating times are the times of growth.
There are no rules that say a younger member cannot change the
face of this organization.
Gabby: Put a little too much trust into what others have to say
and take their advice. Idolize your role models, tell them thank
you for changing your life.
Rachel: Give others credit for how you feel. Treasure every
moment, but more importantly treasure every girl.
Marie: Never take anything for granted, but more importantly
never settle for the way things are. Believe in yourself, but more
importantly believe in the power of community.
Grace: “The greatest risk you will take is not taking one at all.” –
Abraham Lincoln
Allow girls to get green sand (for growing). Have the girls write a
message to the one of the girls remaining in their stack that they
have seen grow the most this weekend.
Erica: Ask any girl about her most memorable experience in
BBG. While all will highlight various programs and components,
there will always be one common factor: the people.
Molly: There’s an uncertain variable in joining a chapter or
approaching new people.
Emily: Yet somehow this never manages to be an issue in BBG;
the risk is masked by the fact that in the end, we are all sisters.
Elyse: Right now you may feel like you are in a room of
acquaintances, but before long, you will find it hard to picture your
life without these girls as they will shape not only the person you
are, but also the person you are destined to become.
Gabbi: I am sure you are skeptical because right now you can’t
possibly imagine being able to relate to every one of the girls in
this room.
Sheeri: At conventions, meetings, programs, fundraisers or
services you will glance over and see a spark in each one of
these girls. The spark is the spark of BBG that you are either
searching for or have been holding onto.
Gabbi: It is the appreciation you have for your sisters’ dedication
that creates the most unlikely but also the deepest, strongest and
most beneficial friendships.
Allow the girls to put yellow sand in their glass (for happiness and
friendship). Have the girls write a message to the one remaining
girl in their stack of letters.
Erin: Discover an identity.
Elyse: The B’nai B’rith youth organization is the largest youth led
organization in the world. Because of her accomplishments, Anita
Perelman was able to make a name for herself and is now
recognized by thousands of girls across the world. Like Anita, you
as a B’nai B’rith Girl, have the ability to find yourself and
accomplish the unimaginable.
Rachel: Don’t be afraid to look inside and discover the true you.
Elyse: Take off the layers of paint you may brush on every
morning in order to hide your so-called weaknesses and allow
your true colors to shine. This organization will never judge you. It
will give you the opportunity to find yourself and who you want to
become.
Hannah: Develop your own philosophies.
Elyse: Not only does this organization make an everlasting and
memorable impact on your four years of high school, but BBYO is
also a representation of the real world. This microcosm will
unconsciously give you the lessons to succeed in life after high
school. Allow yourself to take advantage of every opportunity you
can to speak your mind. Your voice is valued more than you will
ever comprehend.
Walk around and help girls put wax cover over their sand.
Elyse: A toast!
Marie: To the good times!
Gabbi: To the hard times!
Grace: To sisterhood!
Gabby: To you and your ability to change the color or this
organization!
Elyse: Now its time to light your flame as a BBG. (Light wicks)
Remember what the colors represent throughout your time in
BBYO. Remember that your flame would not be lit with the colors
supporting the wick. Remember that you are a BBG and you have
the power to light up the world.
Elyse: Now its time to bond with your sisters. If you want to write
a message to a girl who was not in your stack of names, please
feel free to get some paper and write a message to her.