In its fourth year, the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards has recognized five Jewish teens in California for showing leadership and vision in comprehensive community service projects. Among the group are Megan Kilroy from Santa Monica and David Weingarten from Woodland Hills, both 18. The two will each receive $36,000 for their involvement and dedication to their respective projects.
Kilroy worked with the environmental organization Team Marine at Santa Monica High School, where she just graduated. As captain of Team Marine this past year, Kilroy worked to raise awareness of the harmful effects on the environment and oceans caused by the excessive use of plastic.
Weingarten, who graduated this year from New Jewish Community High School, used his involvement in United Synagogue Youth (USY) to develop a cohesive partnership with the Abayudaya Jewish tribe of Uganda. With this partnership, Weingarten’s USY region raised money to bring three Ugandan teens to a USY convention in 2009. The following year, the region raised money to fund the first Abayudaya Youth Association Convention. Weingarten, along with two other USY members, traveled to Uganda to help facilitate leadership programs.
Created by the Helen Diller Foundation in 2007, the award is based on the Jewish concept of tikkun olam (repair the world) and Diller’s vision for giving young leaders a foundation to make changes and pursue their own visions of making the world a better place.
“What’s interesting is how it varies,” said Phyllis Cook, philanthropic consultant with the Helen Diller Family Foundation. “Some projects will affect many people, some will affect a few. The impact issue isn’t always numbers but the significance of the project.”
This year, the foundation received over 175 nominations for the award, which is decided through extensive evaluation by a diverse panel of community members throughout the state. Recipients will be honored at a lunch on Aug. 23 in San Francisco. For more information on the program, or to find out about applying for the 2011 awards, go to the Diller Teen awards website here.
