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TSTI Preschool Alumnus Sam Bodack Uses Thank-You Gift Card to Bring More Fun to Young Campers 
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., August 22, 2018 – Sam Bodack, age 12 of Millburn, attended preschool at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) as a young child and volunteered this summer in the preschool’s camp program. When he was given an Amazon gift card as a thank-you gift, he immediately thought of giving back to the preschool in some meaningful way.
“I was always planning to volunteer and did not expect anything in return, so while I appreciated the gift, I’m glad I could do something nice for the kids,” explained Bodack. Knowing that the children enjoyed the water activities, he surprised the camp staff by using the gift card to purchase a new sprinkler and water table to enhance the campers’ water fun time.
TSTI offers members of all ages a range of volunteer opportunities at the Reform synagogue as well as in the wider community. Bodack, who is entering the 7th grade at Morristown-Beard school in September, also participates in TSTI’s Wednesday program at the Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges and the Saturday soup kitchen there; the South Orange synagogue is one of four area houses of worship that support the food pantry and its clients. When he’s not helping out at TSTI, he enjoys baseball, reading, and spending time with friends and his younger brother.
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) is a dynamic, inclusive Reform congregation that offers numerous ways for members to connect with and celebrate being part of the Jewish community and the world. Welcoming Jews by birth or by choice, interfaith, traditional and non-traditional families, and children of all abilities, TSTI provides lifelong learning and enriching programs for all members through a full complement of religious services, early childhood and religious school education, cultural programs, and activities that foster connection, engagement and community outreach in a joyful, judgment-free environment. TSTI is located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange, drawing members from Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Livingston and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.tsti.org.
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