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In This Issue: • #strscrapbook • Follow NFTY-STR! • Upcoming events • The Service Spotlight • Fun games/facts • Surviving NFTY,

Surviving Life, by Michelle Tomlinson

• How Five Summers Changed My Life, by Andrew Levine

• Letter from the NFTY-STR President, Hannah Schafer

• Meet the BITTY & TaSTY boards!

• Summer opportunities for teens

Upcoming Events:

• NFTY-STR LLTI April 8-10, 2016 Temple B’nai Israel (Clearwater) Hosted by BIFTY

• Camp Jenny 2016 May 26-30, 2016 URJ Camp Coleman

The Service Spotlight

Camp Jenny By: Spencer Blum (PARTY)

This year, I applied to be C.I.T. at Camp Jenny. On January 6th, 2016, I had

gotten an e-mail from Camp Jenny. The e-mail said that I was accepted to be a C.I.T. When I saw this, I almost started crying in joy, happiness, and pride. I wanted to volunteer for Camp Jenny ever since I first learned about it three or four years ago. I was finally able to apply this past October. I was so excited to apply, I filled out the application the day It came out. The one thing I look forward to the most is working

with kids. Working with kids is one of my favorite things to do. I have been a counselor for toddlers during the summer at my temple for the past two summers. I am a

madrich at my temple Tuesdays and Sundays, tutoring elementary through middle school kids in Hebrew. Being able to go to Camp Jenny is a dream of its own, not to mention that it is held at Camp Coleman! From the entire Camp Jenny experience, I hope to help give kids who could never dream of camp, the best weekend of their

life. I hope that I learn many new things and experience Camp Jenny to the fullest to come back and be a counselor. I also hope to gain new leadership qualities and, all

in all, have a great time.

Social Action Projects By: Sophie Moss (SchZFTY)

SchZFTY has been hard at work throughout the year to make a big splash in social

action. Between our Mitzvah Day carnival for children at Metropolitan Ministries, High Holy Days hunger drive, and Give Kids the World volunteer camping trip, SchZFTY-ites

have been very active volunteers in our community and passionate advocates of social action. All three of these projects were very successful, especially since it was

our first year participating in the Give Kids the World trip. Together with BITTY and BIFTY, we spend three days in Orlando where we helped children with life threatening

illnesses enjoy a carefree weekend with their families. In addition to these projects, SchZFTY-ites have taken part in various programs, ranging from child abuse to the

gender gap. These interactive programs are a way for teens to gain a better understanding of these issues on a personal level. SchZFTY has also worked to stay

connected with NFTY’s initiatives in a variety of ways. We followed up the SNAP challenge with our own SNAP dinner, and we’ve done a lot of work to promote

Camp Jenny. SchZFTY is proud to announce that we will be sending 22 teens to serve as Camp Jenny staff members this memorial day weekend. Our current projects

include a five-week Camp Jenny donation and clothing collection, which we have promoted by giving Camp Jenny presentations to every class in our religious school,

as well as putting together a Relay for Life team. We can’t wait to continue social action projects within our community.

How To Count In Hebrew

Surviving NFTY, Surviving Life By: Michelle Tomlinson (BITTY)

Last Spring I was totally unaware that my NFTY journey would end with my youth group hosting my last event. When our Youth Director approached BITTY about taking on the responsibility of

co-hosting Spring I knew that as President I had a difficult journey ahead of me. How could I convey my unique interpretation of NFTY and its values to the entire region? When I presented

the theme of Survivor to BITTY and TaSTY, I saw a lot of potential in what I could give to my fellow STRites this weekend. The concept of “survival” can be taken in so many different directions. While planning and leading BITTY and TaSTY, I kept in mind how NFTY has taught me how to

survive. Surviving four years in NFTY can be a bit of a task in itself. In every NFTYites career there will be a time where you may feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe you find being surrounded by

400 strangers to be intimidating at first. Perhaps a controversial program will make you feel awkward. But the beauty of NFTY is that it can put you in uncomfortable situations and equips you

with the tools to deal with them. And with each challenge NFTY throws at you, you develop as a person and as a leader. For the past four years this region has molded me into a more mature,

well-educated, and open-minded leader who is capable of spearheading a team to design STR’s first Camp Kallah. As I transition into my college years, I can take the lessons I’ve learned through NFTY to overcome any obstacle with a strong will and a load of confidence. With the year coming

to its conclusion, I hope every individual is able to walk away being able to recognize the “survival” skills that they have gained through NFTY- or at the very least take another step

towards discovering and developing those skills. As the ever-changing world revolves around us, NFTY can only give us the strength to overcome every transition, every scary and unexpected

turn of events. Through NFTY you don’t just learn how to survive, you learn how to live.

FIND YOUR WAY TO THE GROGGER

How Five Summers Changed My Life By: Andrew Levine (STARY)

To be completely honest, my relationship with sleepaway camp started as a hateful one. I still remember the day that my parents told me I would be attending URJ Camp Coleman for the

summer of 7th grade. I lost my voice that day as I had screamed and cried begging my parents not to make me attend a camp in the middle of no-where for three-and-a-half weeks. Fast forward to

the first mandatory letter writing day, where the opening line to my parents was “Mom and Dad, I was stupid, I love this place.”

Without being forced to go to Coleman my first year, there’s a very good chance that I would not even belong to my Temple, since I had always planned to drop out of Hebrew school after

becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Coleman provided a place for me to grow into an active Jewish teen, giving me opportunities to meet rabbis and other adults involved with the Reform movement. One

of the benefits of having all of these faculty members at camp was that they all had their own opinions and interpretations on various parts of the Torah and on the Reform movement, making

for interesting discussions throughout the summer. If I had to look back through my five years at Coleman and select one moment which truly

changed who I was and helped make me who I am, it would definitely have to be the first Shabbat evening of my first summer. At home, my Friday night tradition was to always go out to a

restaurant and have a family dinner instead of staying home and celebrating Shabbat or even going to temple for services. At camp, Shabbat was a huge deal and seeing the entire camp come

together dressed in white was truly magical. From then on, I knew that leaving my temple would be the worst decision I could ever make.

Sitting here today, writing this article and reflecting on all of the experiences I’ve had at Coleman, at TYG events, and at NFTY Regional events proves that I made the right choice.

NFTY-STR,

It is with a heavy, bitter-sweet heart that I address you for the last time as your president. At my installation, a year ago from this event, I couldn’t have imagined how far this region has taken me.

Formally and in writing, I want to thank you, my region, for allowing me to grow as a leader and as a person. I am forever indebted to this community for providing me with strong, inspiring relationships, a

platform to share my voice, and something to look forward to and work towards every single day. I am stepping onto Geneva property as an installed officer of your regional board, but I will

leave it with a successor who is ready to assume the position that I have to thankfully been able to fill this past year. However, despite my destallation, I promise you, NFTY-STR, that I will continue my work

as your president until my very last second on June 1st, a commitment I made 12 months ago. My journey has been challenging, rewarding, yet so painfully short, and I couldn’t have gone a

day without the love and support of my board. Maya, Shelby, David, Cara, Nicole, and Julie, thank you so much for accompanying me on this wild ride. NFTY-STR, please find time to reach out to one of

these leaders who have worked tirelessly all year to add to our wonderful community. And while you’re thanking a regional board member, please also thank BITTY and TASTY members for coming

together to lead us in this brand new experience.

NFTY-STR, I cannot thank you enough.

With all of my love, Hannah Schafer

Meet the BITTY Board!

Lisa Cohen, Youth Director: I am the Youth Director at Congregation Beth Am in Tampa going into my 10th year. My son is the reason why I started working with Youth. I work full time as a Product Manager for a large insurance company. I love reading Science Fiction/Fantasy books in my “spare” time. The last book I read is The Rain Waters Chronicles and the last movie I saw was Deadpool. Michelle Tomlinson, President: Shalom everyone! Whenever I'm not getting involved in my youth group, I'm either playing the French horn for my school's band or keeping up with long distance NFTY friends! I'm so excited to see everyone this weekend as NFTY-STR takes over Camp Geneva for Spring Kallah 2016! Lexy Frenchko, Programming Vice President: Hello everyone! I am 17 years old and a junior this year, I am very excited to be at STR Spring 2016. I am a Horseback rider and a Golfer. I am probably one of the shortest people in NFTY-STR by being only 4''10' and 3/4 tall. Hannah Oberbroeckling, Social Action Vice President: Hi everyone! Here are some things about me! I love cheeseburgers and tangerines. I want to be an acrobat but I can’t even do a split, and I stink at sports but I enjoy theater! I love making new friends, so if you don't know me come up and talk to me! Hannah Himmelgreen, Religious & Cultural Vice President: Hey NFTY STR! I'm a Sophomore at Brooks DeBartolo High School and my passions are reading, music and photography. Judaism is a huge part of my life and I am so excited to spend Spring Kallah weekend with everyone. I hope we can have an absolutely amazing time together! Scott Buksbaum, Communications Vice President: I am sophomore and I am a very fun guy. I love meeting new people and making new memories. I love NFTY because it feels like home and as though I am amongst family. My goal for this Spring Kallah is that I hope to spread the same feeling that I have at NFTY to all the other teens as well as making this the most memorable one to come, giving our seniors the best farewell friendship could offer.

Kelly Hess, Membership Vice President: Hi, I'm Kelly! I'm BiTTY's Membership Vice President! I've been to six NFTY events, and I'm happy to have helped plan the mixers for spring 2016! I love to travel and I hope to make it all over the world! Hanna Rinner, Fundraising Vice President: Shalom NFTY-STR! I am a senior in high school and next year I plan to study business and hospitality at the University of Central Florida. My passions include song leading, stage managing, musical theater, and directing. It has been an honor to help plan the class of 2016's last event! Amy Tomlinson, Member-at-Large: Hello my fellow NFTYites and thanks for coming to Spring Kallah 2016! I am 15 and a Sophomore. I enjoy art and music and I am interested in photography. I hope you enjoyed Spring Kallah! Andrew Jasper, Member-at-Large: Hello NFTY STR! I am in 11th grade and I go to Sunlake High School. My favorite thing to do with BITTY is our hangout nights and at home I really love delving into computer programming. This Spring Kallah was definitely the best yet!

Meet the TaSTY Board!

David Cotton, Advisor: Hi I'm Dave Cotton TaSTY's Youth advisor. Aside from being Delaney's father (which is no easy task), I am also the Vice President of our Religious School. I find the spiritual and cultural aspect of Judaism to be very important in regards to what we instill in the next generation. Thank you for coming to Spring Kallah! Delaney Cotton, President: Hey chaverim! A fun fact about me, I'm really into debate and will be keeping it up in college. Also I love to meet new people, if you ever want to strike up a conversation on foreign policy I'm your gal. Thank you for a great weekend! Zoe Terner, Social Action Vice President: Hi, I'm Zoe! When I'm not trying to save the world, I'm the co-president of my school's National Honor Society, an avid fangirl of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and big sister to three little hooligans. Kyle Dunton, Religious & Cultural Vice President: Hi, I’m Kyle! In my spare time, I absolutely love to toy with puzzles, such as Rubik’s Cubes, Cryptograms, and the works of Lewis Carrol. However, with puzzles, I’m also kind of a math and science nerd in pretty much everything. If you need any advice or knowledge on Judaism, Science, or anything geeky, feel free to ask me. Nicole Wasserman, Membership Vice President: My name is Nicole Wasserman and I'm from Temple Sinai. I am the Membership Vice President for TaSTY. I am in ninth grade at Atlantic High School. Thanks for making my first kallah amazing!