Compiled by Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharon@tjpnews.com
Get ready for P4P
Now that Tiferet’s very successful Chili Cook-off is a wrap, it’s time to look forward to the next big community event.
Students Against Terrorism will host its 15th annual Points for Peace 3-on-3 basketball tournament from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at the Aaron Family JCC. SAT is a student-run organization associated with Yavneh Academy of Dallas. Its goal is to demonstrate solidarity with Israel and provide support for victims of terror in Israel. The organization is committed to raising awareness in Dallas about the devastating effects of terrorism on Israeli citizens.
SAT began in March 2002, when six Yavneh Academy of Dallas high school students attended a Yeshiva University-sponsored leadership conference in Connecticut. It focused on active leadership and various ways to help combat terror in Israel. After the insightful and motivational conference, the students returned to Dallas to share their thoughts with other students. The result was the formation of Students Against Terrorism.
In 14 years the organization has raised $544,000 for victims of terror in Israel. This year, the goal is to raise $50,000 for Operation Embrace, which provides assistance to injured survivors of terror in Israel. With the guidance from social workers throughout Israel and Bituach Leumi (Israel’s National Insurance Agency), Operation Embrace helps all people who have been violated by random acts of terror and does not discriminate by race or religion.
The goal is to facilitate a brighter future and to help individuals who suffer with physical and emotional trauma to rebuild their lives. The $50,000 will allow Operation Embrace to provide victims of terror with therapeutic Shabbat retreats, therapeutic horse riding camp, social business-café, a rehabilitation training program for PTSD survivors in Sderot and individual assistance.
The 12 divisions of this year’s tournament are: grade 1-2, boys grade 3-4, girls grade 3-4, boys grade 5-6, girls grade 5-6, boys grade 7-8, girls grade 7-8, high school boys, high school girls, adult men, special needs and adult women. There will also be a 3-point shooting contest.
Registration is $30 per team and must be paid online and completed no later than Wednesday, March 26, 2017. Each team must raise a minimum of $200 in sponsorships that will all be donated to Operation Embrace. Teams will not be allowed to play without the minimum amount of sponsorships. All checks and money, excluding the registration fee, can be mailed in before Points for Peace or turned in on the day of the tournament.
All checks should be made payable to Students Against Terrorism, 12324 Merit Drive, Dallas, TX 75251. To sign up or donate, please visit us at points4peace.org, or email contact@points4peace.org.
Grant Halliburton Foundation holds Beacon of Hope luncheon
Popular lifestyle blogger and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Glennon Doyle Melton spoke at Grant Halliburton Foundation’s eighth annual A Beacon of Hope Community Luncheon at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel on Thursday, Feb. 23.
Steve Noviello of Fox 4 News emceed the event, and Co-chairs Heidi Perry and Kate Anderson kicked off the ceremony with words from the foundation.
The Grant Halliburton Foundation works to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness through a variety of avenues including education, conferences, collaboration and encouragement. The luncheon aims to bring focus to the vital work needed to educate the North Texas community on adolescent mental health and suicide prevention.
