Max Einhorn

Founder of “Disaster Aware” and La Jolla High School’s Entrepreneurs Club

"I have always had a passion for business, but with a deep commitment to community service. The 2007 wildfires that devastated San Diego and southern California gave me the perfect opportunity to combine the two. I volunteered at 2-1-1 San Diego, my city's disaster hotline, and saw how unprepared people were for a natural disaster, despite the fact that there had been enormous wildfires just two years earlier. When I got home from my volunteer work, I looked into getting a disaster preparedness kit and training for my family and that is when it hit me; no one had a disaster kit, no one knew what to do during a natural disaster, and no one was doing anything about it. It was at that moment that I decided to start Disaster Aware, a social business that educates people about disaster preparedness and makes purchasing a survival kit as convenient as possible while donating all of the profits to charity. After featuring on Channel 8 news, appearing in several magazines and local papers, and winning the Red Cross Real Hero Award, I have raised over $10,000 for the Red Cross and 2-1-1 San Diego and educated over 8,000 people in disaster preparedness. What began at La Jolla High School has now expanded to several other high schools as is continuing to grow.

"I am so grateful to be a Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipient. It's great to be acknowledged for my community service, but it's even better that this award will give me the resources and the credibility I need to expand Disaster Aware and to start any future ventures. Winning the Diller Award has given me the confidence to put any idea I have into action and I certainly will continue my effort to repair the world. Thank you, Mrs. Diller and thank you JCF."

Eric Feldman

"Just One Night Fundraising Concerts for Orphaned Children in Kenya

"By holding musical fundraisers, assemblies, and pursuing corporate sponsorship, I've rallied my community to raise nearly $40,000 to sponsor the education of seven orphaned children in Kenya. Over the past three years, I've organized and spoken at several assemblies within my school district, ranging from grade school to high school, and conducted several musical fundraisers, where I performed classical and jazz pieces along with my peers. Each musical fundraiser involved over 200 community members and collaboration with over 20 peer musicians. I conducted assemblies at a local elementary school, organized a Read-a-Thon program with 450 elementary students, and arranged for a Maasai chief to come speak to the student body on issues of sustainability and education in Africa. In addition to speaking at assemblies at my high school, I arranged for the Kenya Boys' Choir to perform for my entire student body. My project has also involved mentorship of students from a piano conservatory in Orange County, which has expanded and duplicated my fundraising endeavors.

"It is an unbelievable honor to be selected as a Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipient, as I know how incredible the past recipients' projects were. I hope to carry on the tradition of Tikkun Olam. I will step forward in doing my part with confidence, knowing that this honor bestowed upon me is not only a privilege, but also a sign of duty to help those less fortunate."

Aaron Feuer

President, California Association of Student Councils

"When I first stepped foot on my high school campus, I was one of 1,652 freshman. This year, only 700 seniors graduated. Drop-outs aren't numbers for me--they’re my classmates. In ninth grade, I became inspired to take action after attending a statewide education summit. There, I had the opportunity to present recommendations for improving our schools to the State Board of Education and Legislature. I felt empowered and decided to take action so that students all over the state could have a similar chance to have their voices heard and make a difference. I became involved with the California Association of Student Councils (CASC), the nonprofit organization led by youth that held the summit and runs other programs to empower students as leaders. As a sophomore, I became a peer teacher and speaker for CASC and led the organization’s Los Angeles region. I developed a one-day program at the Museum of Tolerance for youth leaders to combat bullying and racism and convened an education forum bringing together students from twenty-five schools with district and city officials.

"I went on to serve as CASC’s State President my senior year. Under my leadership, we launched twenty new programs to reach thousands more students, empowering them to effect change at their schools on issues ranging from racial tensions to student-teacher relations. Recently, I spearheaded a campaign to place a student on the Los Angeles school board. We’ve collected nearly 5000 signatures from ten high schools, and I’m working with the district now to establish this permanent student voice. But by far the most meaningful aspect of my tikkun olam work has been traveling across California to train thousands of students to be the next generation of leaders."

Erin Schrode

“Teens Turning Green” and “Teens for Safe Cosmetics”

“I am sure you know why I am calling.” Barbara Rosenberg spoke those words in a way that made me feel as if my life’s work was perfectly in line with the mission of the Diller Family Foundation, and what an honor that is in it of itself. Being selected as a recipient of the 2009 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award is one of the single greatest honors I can imagine.

My life is, and has always been, tikkun olam; I live it and I feel such a profound connection to the world around me. I honestly believe there is no cause more vital, more worthy, than caring for our planet. I want to ensure that my children and future generations have a healthy and thriving world in which to live, so I have made the conscious choice to protect this one planet we call home – and hope to inspire others to join me on this quest. In my mind, preserving our world begins with sustainability; I seek to raise awareness about simple, tangible actions that individuals can take to lessen the burden on both the environment and their own bodies.

Being given this incredible award means that others are watching and recognize the importance of such work – and that inspires me to forge ahead. One person speaking out can make a difference, but joint forces are unstoppable in bringing about rapid and necessary change. Because of this award, I can continue to reach others with my voice and further my mission in the larger global community. With this grant, I will have the opportunity to attend college; nothing rivals the power of education in my opinion. And now, I get to spend the next four years absorbing new information about the world, experiencing the intricacies of different cultures, and discovering innovative ways to bring people together around causes of social and environmental justice.

Moreover, recognition by the Helen Diller Family Foundation and Jewish Community Endowment Fund affirms the support of a community behind me – the Jewish community, which I believe is among the most powerful forces for change. I will never lose that tie and seek only to strengthen the connection between my own actions and those of like-minded Jewish organizations such as these.

All of my studies, all of my actions, all of my beliefs have one common goal: to fulfill my responsibility of giving back to the planet that has given me so much. And that is precisely why I am so proud to be a part of this group, for each one of these Tikkun Olam winners is working toward making the world a better place in his or her own way. We are a generation of change-makers; we are embodying the change we wish to see in the world.