Giving back

If Orly Berke learned only one thing at Philanthropy Camp this week at the Jewish Cultural Center and First Church of the Nazarene, it was probably the best thing.

She learned, she said, "how to make the world a better place."

That, in essence, is why officials from the two organizations put the weeklong camp together.

The idea, according to Alison Lebovitz, board president of the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Chattanooga, was to "inspire and educate in a way" that will allow participants to "go through life in a way that makes a difference."

An alternative to the likes of sports, technology or theater camps, it focused on giving back to the world.

It fulfilled the idea of "building community" that First Nazarene associate/Hispanic pastor Robert Rodriguez said he and senior pastor Eric Johnson had discussed in considering partnering with the Jewish Federation.

The camp had 25 participants from kindergarten through fifth grade -- broken into two age-appropriate subgroups for activities -- of various faiths and races.

Michael Dzik, executive director of the Jewish Cultural Center, said in his research he could not find a similar camp in the country.

However, "philanthropy is not a Jewish topic, it's a community topic," he said.

Each day of the week featured a specific theme -- environment, elders, community, world and faith -- with hands-on activities, field trips and even lunch guests geared toward that theme.

One day, for instance, participants made bird feeders and greeted guests from Chattanooga Zoo and Tennessee Aquarium. On another, they had chats with two groups of senior citizens and tested how it might feel to have a disability. On a third, they created tzedakah (charity) boxes, assembled bags of toiletries for homeless people and visiting recycling facilities.

An entire city called Care Town, created out of craft materials in the Jewish Cultural Center's conference room, tied the entire week together, officials said.

"We wanted to teach as much as we can while being fun," Mr. Dzik said.

Organizers said the camps was more than six months in the making.

Amy Boulware, social service director, said the Jewish federation hadn't hosted a dedicated weeklong camp in 15 to do years.

"They're excited," she said of the participants. They get it. They're so into it."

Trends show that Generation X and Generation Y parents don't contribute to charitable causes -- with either money or time -- as previous generations did at the same age, Mr. Dzik said.

If the children of those generations learn to give back, the generosity may rub off on their parents, he said.

"They understand (philanthropy) is more than giving money away," said Ann Treadwell, programs/development director for the federation.

Participants talked about the animals they saw and held, the songs they sang, the fun they had.

"It's fun to go to," said Micah Hodes, 7. "We do a lot of awesome things, we make stuff, we meet other people. We learn about good things."

With the success of the camp, organizers want to repeat it and perhaps allow it to be replicated elsewhere.

A Birmingham synagogue, in fact, already has asked for a blueprint, Mr. Dzik said.