With palpable sorrow, respect and admiration, the Boys Town Jerusalem High School student body rose to their feet to give fellow student Ariel Levy, 15, his father and grandparents a standing ovation. The occasion: the announcement of Ariel as one of the semester’s Most Outstanding Volunteers.
Ariel recently lost his uncle
In the background: the recent tragic, heroic death of Ariel’s uncle IDF Col. Roie Yosef Levy in the ongoing war. In deep mourning for their brother and son, Ariel’s father and grandparents were received warmly by his classmates as they saluted Ariel’s prizewinning volunteering efforts.
The student body chose the winners
“This year’s Top Volunteer winners were determined by the High School student body vote,” notes Avichai Charizi, director of the school’s burgeoning volunteer program. “We secretly informed the winners’ parents so they could attend the awards ceremony. All were moved to tears by the Levy family coming to salute Ariel amidst their grief and pain.”
Ariel began volunteering at the Shalva Center
Beginning BTJ’s Community Service program this year, 10th grader Ariel chose to volunteer with handicapped young adults at the Shalva Center for Persons with Disabilities. He soon eagerly increased his hours and efforts to brighten the lives of his new friends. “I’d never been involved with the handicapped, so the first weeks were difficult,” Ariel admitted. “But I quickly discovered an incredible new world.”
Ariel plans to keep volunteering for life
From playing basketball to swimming to bringing his Shalva friends to Boys Town Jerusalem for special occasions, Ariel enthusiastically initiates new activities to share. When one youngster was recently hospitalized in Intensive Care, Ariel was at his bedside to cheer him. “My friendship with these ‘disabled’ people is extraordinary. When you leave your world to enter theirs, everything gains new meaning,” Ariel declares. “All my BTJ classmates volunteer far more hours than the school arranges. We put our hearts into our work, and we’ll keep volunteering for life.”