Throughout the year, you may have questions or concerns about Towson Hillel or the fellowship. Even though I'm not on your staff, I can and will continue to serve as a valuable resource for you, when needed. You know where I am, so please don't hesitate to contact me.

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I planned and implemented many programs during my two years at Towson, but here are a few of my favorites:

Inner Harbor Scavenger Hunt: This program is a new, creative way to bring Jewish students from Towson together to explore a fun part of their new area (Baltimore) while working together to complete a task. This was a successful program because not only was it freshmen student-led, but it attracted new students, created team building, and fostered student connections. Everyone had a great time and we made it an annual event by doing it again the second year.  Attendance was low for such a big budget, so if you continue on the annual tradition I suggest carpooling rather than getting a bus and/or doing a BYOLunch in the Harbor.  The first year, this event was supported by a Hillel of Greater Baltimore Encouragement Grant.

Shabbat REFORMatted: My first year, Towson Hillel offered Shabbat services only a few times. There was a nice-sized Conservative group of students attending Shabbatot, but I felt the need to reach out to the Reform students on campus. This program was originally supposed to be city-wide, but ended up being about half Towson and half Goucher students (about 25 total). Many students contributed to leading services and song leading, and aside from a some uncooked food (thank you Towson kosher dining), everyone had a fabulous time and I received rave reviews the week after. This event was supported by a Hillel of Greater Baltimore Spontaneity Grant.

Leadership Development Series: This series, done in the Spring of 2004, was designed for the FYSH (First Year Students of Hillel) board and other potential leaders in the freshmen class. Guest speakers from Towson University and the Hillel of Greater Baltimore facilitated the sessions which focused on developing quality programming, goal-setting, delegation and motivation of a team, and recruitment and retention.  This series helped give emerging young leaders the tools they needed to be stronger program-planners and to understand the vision of a pluralistic, welcoming Hillel.  A strong indicator that this program was a success was that the following academic year, the student board was composed almost completely by that year's FYSH board members.

L'Chaim at Lucille's featuring the Kosher Dating Game: Engagement students from Towson and UMBC served as the planning committee to produce a Dating Game show followed by a dance party and social hangout. It was a citywide gathering, as our students are constantly requesting programs with other schools in the Baltimore area. Thursday nights are normally avoided when planning Hillel events in Baltimore because it's the night of the week when downtown bars, in a very popular area known as the Power Plant, open their doors to the under-21 crowd, emptying the campuses. Rather than let this night be crossed off our potential programming calendars, we have decided to make Thursday College Nights work for us instead of against us. The Kosher Dating Game was hosted by an area comedian. Buses brought students from the campuses to Lucille's. Students paid a $5 cover, and could enter a free raffle to win various gift certificates, t-shirts, and DVDs. Over 530 people came...it was awesome. This program was sponsored by a Kolker-Saxon-Hallock (KSH) Engagement Grant and a Hillel of Greater Baltimore Encouragement Grant. See the Hillel Program exchange or hard drive for detailed information.

Freshmen Women's Retreat: This was an 18-hour lock-in held in JAC (Jewish Activities Center, aka Hillel) with nine freshmen and the sophomore FYSH adviser.  There were many elements to this event that made it so successful, including student empowerment in coming up with creative activities, personal invitations, and the variety of activities that we did.  From making sushi together, to crushing a pinata, to deep discussions about our parents and the terrifying concept of change, to creating a Jewish-Identity puzzle, this event had it all and then some.  I would definitely recommend doing this event with the new freshmen class.  For all the details, check out the program exchange, hard drive, or talk to your sophomore FYSH adviser.

NY Trip: A largely FYSH event, this was a student-implemented program to take a day trip to NY.  We rented a University bus to schlep the four hours to Manhatten.  There, we visited the Jewish Museum of NY, walked around the city and had some time to shop or eat on our own, caught a Broadway show (Fiddler on the Roof), and ate dinner at Kosher Deluxe, a kosher deli.  During dinner, we had an informal conversation about traditions and what we'd like to pass down to our future children.  This program was sponsored by a Hillel of Greater Baltimore Encouragement Grant.  For all the details, check out the program exchange, hard drive, or talk to the new Hillel student president (as she oversaw much of the program).