Tammy Sacks, middle, and Carli Wittgrove, right, during their time at the San Diego Rescue Mission.

On April 22, 2007, 500 wheelchairs rolled across the San Diego Jewish Academy’s campus. That day, 300 Jewish teens from across San Diego got down on their hands and knees, wrestling with wrenches and screws to build 500 wheelchairs made of lawn chairs and bike tires, which were then shipped to disabled citizens in Tijuana, Mexico, and surrounding communities. Through our hard work, the priceless gift of mobility was given to people who had been living on the ground with rats or stuck in a bed, having the joys of life robbed from them.

As Jewish teenagers, we have learned the paramount position of tikkun olam in our culture. Our efforts at “repairing the world” were more successful than ever during this national day of Jewish youth service. Sitting in countless meetings and soliciting stores for donations, we never imagined such success; we never imagined that the small steering committee of J-Serve 2007 could have such an impact on so many people at our school and in Mexico.

Our experience was so powerful that we felt compelled to return to the planning council for the 2008 event. With big shoes to fill, we began brainstorming in October 2007. The committee came to a consensus that our focus would be youth homelessness in San Diego. In January, we attended a training program in New Orleans, interacting with teens from other cities, exchanging ideas for projects and learning how to organize the big day.

When we came home, it was time to hit the ground running; April 13 was approaching quickly. As a group led by Rachel Selk, we made a press release, contacted media connections, solicited stores for donations and finalized plans with the many shelters we would serve that day. As the 13th grew closer, we had more frequent meetings to complete logistical details, such as assigning teens to specific locations, creating nametags and preparing and mailing liability forms to each volunteer.

The big day started at 9 a.m. We met at a synagogue downtown for an introduction and then branched off to the shelters close by. After a few hours of service, the day culminated at Ohr Shalom synagogue, where the volunteers returned for a pizza party with live music, followed by a brief reflection on our experiences.

The project we participated in was at the San Diego Rescue Mission’s women and children’s section. After an icebreaker, our group was divided among children ages four to 10. We created masterpieces out of colorful paper, stickers, markers and glitter. These children were more traumatized in their short lives than many are in a lifetime, but surprisingly, they were not negative or bitter. They are innocent children, victims of misfortune, who just want to have a carefree childhood and a chance at life. On April 13, we brought them a glimpse of the cheer, fun, art and lightheartedness that most children take for granted.

Our work with J-Serve has increased our awareness of community needs. Over the past two years, we have touched many lives and brought about positive change on our annual focus day. For information on how you can get involved, visit JServe.org. J-Serve 2009 will take place on April 26, 2009. We wish your J-Serve projects the best of luck and huge success.

Tammy Sacks is 18 and lives in San Diego, Calif. She is attending Pitzer College in September. She likes to hang out with friends, listen to music, travel, play softball, watch One Tree Hill and go to the beach.

Carli Wittgrove is 17 and will be a freshman at Vanderbilt University this fall. She loves traveling, going to the beach, playing softball, reading magazines and eating frozen yogurt.