The national Mechira L’Kehilla organization approached us to run a volunteer-appreciation event. Their aim was to connect the volunteers from all across the country by bringing them together and showing them how much their hard work is appreciated. We arranged a Shabbaton in a beautiful hotel in Tivera for the volunteers and their families. The theme of the Shabbaton was WAZE - just like Waze redirects a person and navigates them in the right direction, the Mechira L’Kehilla volunteers were continuously dealing with problems and needing to come up with solutions that they didn’t necessarily have. We wanted this event to not only instill in them pride in what they did for Mechira L’Kehilla, but also to provide them with tools to solve the inevitable problems that crop up. Each family was given a lavish ‘welcome pack’ which included beautifully packaged nuts and chocolates, an exquisite washing cup and a game of ‘Rush Hour’ to tie in with the Waze theme.

We arranged a clicker question game which was not only entertaining, but also had underlying messages to encourage the volunteers to think about problems and come up with their own solutions. We built all of the Shabbaton materials and programs around this concept.

The volunteer families left the Shabbos with new energy and enthusiasm, full of motivation to continue their crucial work.