HALB student finds his own way to give

Ask Yaakov Hawk, a sophomore at the Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, about problems and he’ll give you some: local students are unable to fill their required school chesed hours, bar mitzvah boys and bat mitzvah girls aren’t giving masser and people simply aren’t doing enough chesed in general.

To solve these problems, Hawk and several of his friends created Philanthropy for the Future, an organization that works with local teenagers to get them involved in charities and chesed opportunities around New York. The organization began last year around this time when they raised $300 for Chanuka gifts for a family who lost their father. Since then, the organization has grown to include a mailing list of 2,000 people. They’ve run several events including a fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness that brought in over $1,500 by selling T-shirts and bracelets. Most recently, Hawk and 25 others traveled to the Masbia Soup Kitchen in Brooklyn and spent most of Thanksgiving Day peeling 1,600 pounds of vegetables that were given out to poor people in the Jewish community.

“It’s a holiday when you’re supposed to give thanks and the ultimate way of giving back is a soup kitchen,” Hawk explained.

As for the unwieldy name, Hawk says he and some friends decided on it after a long brainstorming session.

“It took a lot of time — three weeks — to come up with it…” Hawk admitted, “It’s not the catchiest name but it portrays what we’re doing.”

He says it does go well with the organization’s slogan: “Changing the way we give.”

Hawk said that the schools around the area have been very supportive and the NCSY Jump program, a program sponsored by the Orthodox Union that sends a leadership mentor into high schools, was instrumental in helping him develop Philanthropy for the Future. Hawk also credits his parents who are involved in multiple chesed projects. His mother, Lisa Hawk, is the co-director of the Levi Yitzchak Memorial Library (featured on page 11).

Hawk recruits volunteers throughout the schools in the area, Facebook and through word-of-mouth.

“Everything we do, more people get involved and call me up,” Hawk said.

The organization plans on starting “Chesed Fairs” in schools, where organizations can come and talk to students about available volunteering goals.

The organization is in the process of being incorporated.

“We want to make it something that will ultimately last when we’re done with high school and continue improving,” Hawk said.