Repair the World: Baltimore hosted its annual Day to Unite at the Baltimore Community ToolBank on Sept. 16. Community members worked together on various environmental projects.
According to their website, Repair the World inspires American Jews to give time and effort to serve those in need, aiming to make service a defining part of American-Jewish life.
Repair the World: Baltimore organized the event on Sunday. Day to Unite is one of the Jewish Volunteer Connection’s (JVC) four annual days of service. JVC oversees all operations of Repair the World: Baltimore.
Diana Goldsmith, program associate at JVC, hopes that this event will be an opportunity to spread volunteerism in the city.
“Together, JVC and Repair the World: Baltimore, partnered up to provide volunteer opportunities for young professionals in the Baltimore community and give them a chance to learn about social justice issues,” she said.
Repair the World works closely with local nonprofits to create service and educational projects to empower the Baltimore community and volunteers who work with them.
Partnering with IMPACT Baltimore, Charm City Tribe, Moishe House Baltimore and Jewish Tigers Alumni Alliance, 30 volunteers met on Sunday to clean, sharpen and organize tools and do gardening work from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event’s operations were not impacted by Hurricane Florence.
Day to Unite volunteers were made up of new and regular volunteers. Many participants voiced their interest in making a difference in the Baltimore community.
This was the first Day to Unite that was partnered with working with Baltimore ToolBank.
Josh Sherman, Repair the World associate at JVC, expressed his excitement that the two organizations were collaborating.
“We’re really excited we have a strong partnership with the ToolBank and [to] get our volunteers out into the city today,” Sherman said.
According to Sherman, there is currently more pressure on Repair the World: Baltimore with the surge in scientific research pointing toward the negative effects climate change has on the environment.
“It’s important that we take care of the environment we live in,” he said.
Dov Hoffman, a volunteer at Sunday’s event, has been volunteering for Repair the World: Baltimore for over two years.
“I want to help Baltimore through sustainability and cleaning the environment,” he said. “As a Baltimore resident, I feel that volunteering for Repair the World, I’m giving back to the community.”
JVC and Repair the World both believe volunteering is important because service is a key pillar of life. As part of the organization, volunteers are encouraged to connect with the Jewish young adult community in Baltimore.
Goldsmith urges interaction with service work to better their communities.
“You’re never going to wake up one day and wish you volunteered less. This is a great way to come meet people who are like-minded and really want to give back and to see different parts of the Baltimore community that you’re not familiar with,” she said.
