BBYO Naples and Fort Myers

By Cayla Schreier, BBYO Southwest Coordinator

February may be the shortest month of the year, but our Naples BBYO teens made the most of its 29 days by hosting three events. The cookie decorating activity along with the orientation took place in the BBYO Lounge. Our N’Siah (president), Bella Schaab, presented information about Naples BBYO to new members, prospects and current members. She explained BBYO’s mission, core values, learning and leadership opportunities, and provided more details about upcoming events. After learning more about BBYO, the teens created their own icing colors and decorated their sugar cookies.

Later in the month, the Mishpacha B’nai B’rith girls hosted a Galentine’s Day party and the Negev AZA boys held a Pre-Superbowl Game party. The girls painted candles, ate chocolate desserts, wrote Valentine’s Day notes and watched a romantic comedy in the BBYO Lounge. The boys played spike ball, football, corn hole, played Superbowl Squares and ate snacks out of the snackadium in the outside recreation area of the Federation building. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for their victory in the 58th Superbowl!

Three of our teens attended BBYO’s International Convention, which was held February 15-19 in Orlando, FL. Some of our Naples BBYO board members also attended. The teens had a great time hanging out with their BBYO friends from throughout Florida, attending events, listening to different influential figures and meeting new friends.

March has also been a busy month for Naples BBYO. Our teens were excited to return to Cone06 Pottery in Naples on Sunday, March 3. The pricing to participate varied, depending on which pottery item was chosen. Our teens also volunteered with the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte County to distribute Purim Shalach Manos to Jewish residents at different assisted living facilities in Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers. The teens were excited to make others feel special on such a joyous holiday.

Our second event will be a challah bake in conjunction with the Chabad of Florida Gulf Coast University on Sunday, March 31 at 1:30 p.m. The teens will get to see the FGCU campus, get to know some Jewish FGCU students, learn about opportunities to continue their involvement in Jewish clubs and organizations post-high school and, most importantly, make a challah.

In addition to attending the North Florida Region’s Spring Regional Convention in Orlando, FL between April 19-21, the teens are planning another event for April. Details to follow.

We hope you all have a nice and easy Passover holiday with your friends and family.

What is BBYO?

BBYO is a diverse and inclusive Jewish youth group to encourage Jewish teens to become more immersed and interested in meaningful Jewish activities and programs. This organization accepts Jewish teens attending 8th through 12th grades of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender, race, denominational affiliation, or socioeconomic status. BBYO currently reaches over 70,000 teens worldwide, with participants in over 60 countries and hundreds of chapters across the United States.

Supporting our Teenage Jewish community

It is crucial to engage teens post-B’nai Mitzvah age in Jewish activities. Having teens get involved in BBYO and be eager to create and confidently continue their own Jewish community within their greater Jewish communities is critical to our future.

The BBYO chapter of Naples has entered its 11th year of partnership with Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, Temple Shalom, Chabad of Naples and Beth Tikvah. Each organization provides financial support, volunteers and community involvement opportunities for the BBYO teens. We thank each and every one of our BBYO alums, friends and other supporters for making this a safe and positive environment for the teens of BBYO Naples and Fort Myers.

If you know of someone who has a teen who might like to join BBYO Naples or Fort Myers or know of someone who may want to be an advisor to our chapters, please email me at cschreier@bbyo.org. You can also follow us on Instagram at Mishpacha_BBG and Negevaza.

Scholarships to attend BBYO conventions and summer programs are available through both Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and the Temple Shalom Men’s Club. Please contact me for more information on scholarships. If you are a BBYO alum and would like to be included in our Friends and Alumni of BBYO mailing list, please email us at mjs0821@aol.com.