600 YOUNG LEADERS HELPING REBUILD NEW ORLEANS

Inspired by a new era of volunteerism, more than 600 young Jewish professionals from across North America will help New Orleans continue to recover from Hurricane Katrina by helping build a community center in one of the city's hardest-hit areas.

The project will be the hands-on centerpiece of the 2009 UJC/Jewish Federations of North America Young Leadership Conference, running March 15-17 in New Orleans. These young leaders, inspired by a sense of tikkun olam (repairing the world), will turn their Jewish ideals into action and give shape to their Jewish ideals.

"We're so thrilled that 600 young leaders have decided to dedicate themselves to service -- our goal is to learn about the wonderful work being done in New Orleans and to return to our communities inspired to continue the spirit of tikkun olam at home," said Steven Scheck of Miami, who is co-chairing the conference along with Katie Applefeld of Baltimore. The conference's local chair is Serena Pollack. while National Young Leadership chairs also participating are Cindy Nimhauser of South Palm Beach and Hugh Bassewitz of Las Vegas.

Participants from 60 Jewish Federations will be working at the abandoned Archbishop Hannan High School in St. Bernard Parish. Once the only Catholic high school in the area, it was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The volunteers, mostly under age 35 and most participating in such an event for the first time, will paint murals, plant trees, build a fence, picnic tables and more.

Before and after the hands-on project, the conference will also include tours of flood-damaged areas, and conference sessions such as "Bricks, Mortar and Spirit" about the physical and spiritual rebuilding in New Orleans and other disaster areas; "What's Next for Jewish Service?" about the next wave of volunteerism, and "Social Entrepreneurship: Dreaming Big and Doing Good" about how to create social-service projects.

The conference will also include such speakers as Scott Cowen, president of Tulane University; Arnie Fielkow, a New Orleans City Council member; Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans; Julie Wise-Oreck, president-elect of the Federation; and others.