They say that one good deed deserves another … or 300 more. That’s how many people turned out for last year’s “Good Deeds Day,” and this year’s event looks to be another winner.
Organizers of the April 2 gathering at Jewish Volunteer Connection say they are expecting a strong turnout for the day of volunteerism, an international effort that took root locally in 2013.
JVC is the volunteer branch of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.
“We believe that everyone wants to help make the world a better place,” said JVC Executive Director Ashley Pressman. “This is one of the ways we make that possible for each individual person, while always focusing on meeting real community needs.”
“Good Deeds Day” will be held at various locations and venues around the city. Jmore is a co-sponsor of the event along with Brown Advisory, an independent investment management firm.
Organizers have a range of events planned for suitable participants of all ages and abilities. Volunteers will clean up a city park and serve meals to the elderly and people living in homeless shelters in the city. There also will be activities at the Park Heights Jewish Community Center and Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and religious schools in the area will participate as well.
JVC also will team up with local nonprofits like ShareBaby, which provides diapers and other baby essentials to individuals who cannot afford them. Volunteers will lend a hand at the group’s warehouse, where they will help sort and package items for distribution.
“We here in Baltimore are looking to make this our best and biggest ‘Good Deeds Day’ ever,” said Dori Chait, a co-chair. “Our hope is for people to find a project that they connect to, find it meaningful and come back to volunteer throughout the entire year.”
For those who cannot attend on the day of the event, organizers are putting together “Good Deeds Day To Go.” This take-home option will offer ideas and inspiration for people who want to do community service within their own time frame.
“We know that April 2 might not be the right day for everyone to do service, so we will have some suggested projects that families can do in their own time and their own space,” Pressman said.
At last year’s event, Pressman said she participated in a cleanup at Druid Hill Park and saw firsthand the impact that volunteers can have on a site. She said her team did not go after newspapers, bottles and cigarette butts, but waded into the park’s woods, tearing down bushels full of invasive species that were choking the trees.
“At the end of the day, the pile of weeds was incredible,” Pressman said. “Suddenly, you could walk through areas of the park that had been blocked.”
More than just a visual improvement, she said, this made a difference to the fundamental usability of the space.
“The fewer invasive species you have, the safer people feel in using that park,” Pressman said. “When people see it is well cared for and well maintained, they are more comfortable going there.”
“Good Deeds Day” got its start in Israel in 2007 under the auspices of the Ruach Tova organization. In addition to launching the day of volunteerism, Ruach Tova (which means “good spirit” in Hebrew) maintains a nationwide database of more than 5,000 organizations and 9,000 volunteer projects in Israel, enabling service organizations to access potential volunteers according to their preferences, skills and geographic locations.
Globally, “Good Deeds Day” drew 1.5 million volunteers in 75 countries last year.
“I believe that if people will think good, speak good and do good, the circles of goodness will grow in the world,” founder Shari Arison said on the organization’s website (shariarison.com).
Locally, the day is one of four major volunteerism events organized by JVC each year. The others are “Mitzvah Day” in December, September’s “Day to Unite” and an event timed to coincide with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
For information, visit jvcbaltimore.org.
Adam Stone is an Annapolis-based freelance writer.
Photo: A scene from last year’s “Good Deeds Day” in Baltimore. Courtesy photo
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