Ariane Schaffer, an incoming senior for Lusher Charter School, says “It is important to be involved in your community in order to help solve problems faster.”
Schaffer is highly involved in her community, including serving as her local chapter’s president of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) and Vice President of Judaic programming for the Southeast Region. Last summer, Schaffer went on a service trip with BBYO to Washington, D.C., where she volunteered at the Bright Beginnings Child Development Center for Homeless Children for two weeks. During those two weeks, the group read, played and helped young children up to the age of 5.
“Before I started working with the children, I was nervous that since they come from difficult backgrounds they would have irrational behavior and not act as normal children do, but let me tell you, boy, was I wrong!” says Schaffer. The children ate regularly, played on the playground, napped, and loved listening to stories from the volunteers.
The kids enjoyed their time with the volunteers. Schaffer says, “I was able to go home every day knowing that I helped put a smile on someone’s face while simultaneously helping to fight child neglect due to homelessness.”
Schaffer was also highly involved in World Peace Day last October, hosted in Baton Rouge. She participated with the Louisiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council and was able to work with fellow members to make the day a success. The group promoted the event and world peace through fliers, pamphlets and word of mouth. This year’s World Peace Day will be in Baton Rouge on September 30.
Schaffer is also involved with her school community as the Student Body President for Lusher’s Student Government Association, a member for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and a member of the Culinary Club. Being a part of all of these organizations allows her to see the world through multiple lenses and approach tough situations from different angles.
Schaffer enjoys doing many different activities that help the community. In college, she wants to study anthropology and continue to travel around the world soaking up all the knowledge she can. Schaffer is spending her summer combining her love of travel and dance by attending the Gaga Dance Intensive Camp in Israel this summer. She is also traveling to Bulgaria and Israel for community service, backpacking and educational adventures.
As she grows up, Schaffer wants to explore ways to understand the issues within communities in need and develop ways for them to succeed in the future. She spends most of her time working with people her age finding alternate ways to positively affect the daily lives and future of people all over the world through conferences, community service days and awareness campaigns.
