Dear NFTY­TOR, As I write this letter of intent and officially announce ​
my candidacy for Membership Vice President for the 2016­2017 NFTY­TOR Regional Board​
, I sit in my bed with fuzzy socks firmly on feet and the Jonas Brothers playing at a volume that’s probably unhealthy for someone of my age. I’m a sophomore in high school, on my school’s swim team, a singer in choir, and president of BIFTY. I also firmly hold the belief that High School Musical is the best trilogy to ever exist, so you know where I’m at lifewise. But enough about my personal life! Let’s talk TOR. Being a part of NFTY­TOR has changed my life. It’s given me a Jewish identity outside of my local temple and the chance to express and expand my views. I’ve grown as a leader, a Jew, and a person. Simply put, the reason I’m running for Membership Vice President is because I’d like others to experience what I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. The TOR community is like no other, and I’d like to take on the job of enlarging it, teen by teen, event by event. Our family, and it truly is a family, has grown in the past few years, thanks to the MVPs of the past. I’d like to expand on that work and push us farther. And I’d like to do it together, as a ​
kehillah, ​
a community. As MVP, I want to expand the importance and usage of the subregions. I believe the subregions are an excellent idea, and as MVP I want to work closely with the subregional chairs to figure out more subregional programming, that go beyond the annual events like Metroplex, Cen­Tex, and HAL. I’d also like to work more on JYG programming and the eighth grade transition into NFTY­TOR. My sister, a current eighth grader, was hesitant on coming to Spring Kallah because she and her friends felt they didn’t know enough about TOR. I think that’s something we need to work on. I’d like to provide every new member to NFTY­TOR with a welcome package. Each one would hold a map of camp, lyrics to our signature songs and cheers, and advice from past members. Eighth grade recruitment is vital to TOR, as it provides us with new and impassioned members who might stand before you one day as leaders in their own right. As a region­wide portion of my plan to help transition 8th and 9th graders, I’d like to introduce a TORate, TORite program. Every junior and senior (TORate) would get assigned one sophomore or freshman (TORite), similar to a Big Brother, Big Sister program. I myself had what felt like TORates who helped fully make me a part of the TOR fam. By adding this program, I think that the divide between upper and lower classmen will be bridged. To add new members, I want to introduce training to TYG Boards. When I was an MVP, I needed help growing our ranks because I didn’t know what I was doing. If elected MVP, I’d like to host training sessions for the MVPs of the region, as well as any other TYG board members who’d like to attend. These training sessions would include how to create phone trees, how to plan an event to appeal to the masses, and how to reach out to new people and keep older members coming back for more. Finally, I want to introduce a weekly TOR email blast, in conjunction with the CVP, that shares thoughts from the regional board, links to cool Jewish­related things on the internet, and good news from around the region, just to keep everyone updated and coming back for more. We want to know if someone gets into their dream school or wins class president or makes the team. I believe it would help us be involved in each other’s lives, outside NFTY events. To summarize, I enjoy including everyone, eating donuts, and watching “Parks & Recreation.” Thanks for listening, TOR fam. Love to you all, Sam Goldenberg