Your Opportunities to Take Action

Tutors Needed at Ashland Elementary School

Tutors are needed in various subjects for students at Ashland Elementary School, our adopted school. You can help a child reach his/her potential by volunteering for just a few hours a week. Contact Anne Graff (agraff8@aol.com) or Austin Cantor (ahcantor@insightbb.com) for more information and to volunteer.

You Can Help Ashland Elementary School Provide Food for Needy Children

There are children at Ashland Elementary where lunch on Friday is the last meal until they return to school hungry for breakfast on Monday morning. Ashland Elementary has a backpack program where children in need are provided with a backpack of food for the weekend. If you would like to help the school nurse with this program, you can help sponsor a child to receive a backpack of food each weekend for the school year. The cost per student is $80.00 per year. Any contribution for this important need will be greatly appreciated. Please send your check payable to Ashland Elementary and send it to the TAI Office.

The Social Action Committee functions as the Temple’s gateway for congregants to participate in projects that repair our world (tikun olam). Volunteers are always needed for working on ongoing and new projects and for serving on the committee. Get involved today. Tell us your ideas about how we can help our community.

You have the opportunity to get involved in a number of our social action projects, including the following:

1. Habitat for Humanity: TAI will be one of several congregations sponsoring an interfaith build for Habitat for Humanity this fall. We need you to help for volunteer recruitment, food preparation, publicity, fund raising, and, of course, to help with the actual construction. Let us know how you wish to help.

2. Ashland Elementary School: TAI has adopted Ashland Elementary in the “Adopt a School” program. TAI members and friends are involved with tutoring, assisting teachers, judging the school’s science fair, donating school supplies and books, and making financial contributions for science fair boards and class trips. We would love more individuals to come forward and participate in this wonderful program.

3. Kentucky Harvest: TAI participates in “Kentucky Harvest”, which involves collection of donated food from grocery stores for distribution at homeless shelters. We have two weekly routes and need more individuals to step forward for once a month deliveries or fill-ins.

4. Hope Center: Members from TAI prepare and serve several dinners at the Hope Center shelters for homeless men and women. Funds raised by the Social Action Committee are used to purchase food. In addition, donations of food are gratefully accepted for use in these dinners. We would love more participation from Temple members in this fun and important endeavor.

5. God’s Pantry: Please join representatives from the entire Jewish community at God's Pantry on the third Tuesday of each month, from 6 to 7:30 PM. We will sort food to be distributed to the homeless and assist God's Pantry in fulfilling the needs of the hungry in Kentucky. Contact the office (269-2979) for more infomation. We also sponsor the annual High Holiday Food Drive as well as food collection throughout the year for God’s Pantry. Remember to bring your food donations to Temple and sign up to help us sort food.

Other projects sponsored by the Social Action Committee include the Hanukkah carnival, the Books and Bagels book sale, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march, and the Temple’s blood drive.

Get involved in Tikun Olam today!

Contact David Morris: heartywhiteshow@yahoo.com or Nancy Schoenberg: nesch@uky.edu or 323-8175

TAI “In-reach”

We’re seeking volunteers interested in providing rides to Shabbat services for some of our congregants who no longer drive or who have reduced mobility. This would also be a great way to check in with congregants who may occasionally need help with household chores, errands, or would just like to chat with someone new.

Central Kentucky Radio Eye

CKRE is currently recruiting for volunteer readers, control board operators, and office help. Persons interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities with CKRE may contact Amy Hatter, CKRE studio manager, by phone at 422-6390 or by email at amyckre@live.com to request a volunteer application form and sign up to attend orientation. CKRE is a 24 hour a day radio reading service with studios located within the Northside branch of Lexington Public Library. With the help of volunteers CKRE broadcasts the reading of newspapers, magazines and other printed news and information for blind and print-disabled individuals who tune into the service on special (free) CKRE radios.

Central Kentucky Radio Eye (CKRE), a non-profit radio reading service for individuals who are blind and disabled, is currently recruiting for a Development and Expansion Coordinator. This is a full-time, 12 month position, starting August 21. This paid position, through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, will help CKRE in volunteer retention and recruitment, expand services, and develop fundraising. The successful applicant must have a bachelor’s degree, and have good communication and organizational skills. For more information, email Amy Hatter or Margaret Chase at CKREweb@lsv.uky.edu or 422-6390.

Do you have Social Action or Volunteer Ideas?

Recycle and the Temple Earns Cash

Please do not throw away your old printer cartridges!!

Temple Adath Israel will become a part of the recycling program for printer cartridges.

We will be collecting your old inkjet and laser cartridges. There will be a drop off box in the Temple office as well as in the main hallway at the Temple. Save them up and bring them to Temple to deposit in the collection box. The Temple will receive a percentage for all cartridges that will be picked up by Printagain Inkjets, a local company A great new way to earn money for the Temple. There is no cost to the Temple and it helps the environment. Most cartridges are accepted. If you are not sure if your cartridge is accepted, call the Temple office to get a list of cartridges that can be recycled.

Send mail to Amy Messer with
questions or comments about this web site.

Member of the
Union for
Reform Judaism