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Last spring, Miami Palmetto High School senior hosted a Mother’s Day collection drive for her community service project, Change for Chapman. She put together an Amazon Wish List and created more than 60 bags of goodies to take to the homeless shelter.
“They want to empower their residents,” she says. “They don’t want travel size things. I got full sized bottles of shampoo.”
The collection drive lasted about a month. To accomplish her goals, she partnered with the community service club, Interact, and the Spanish Honor Society. Students who donated were given community service points.
“We put them into plastic party looking bags and we put in tissue paper to make it look like a gift,” she says. “I’m just planning on doing seasonal drives. Getting something extra for seasonal occasions seems to make them happy.”
When COVID eases and the Chapman Partnership is accepting visitors, she plans to go in with her mom to read to the children.
At Palmetto, Blacher has a leadership position as copy editor of the yearbook. She started out her sophomore year as a staffer, working on stories and captions. Last year she was the Clubs editor, in charge of all the clubs and picking the club photos. As copy editor she’s in charge of overseeing all the stories and captions of the yearbook, as well as overseeing the staffers and photographers.
She’s a member of the National Honor Society, a member of Interact, historian of the Spanish National Honor Society and treasurer of the Jewish Student Union, which does fun activities around the Jewish holidays.
“This year hopefully we can do more meaningful things,” she says.
Blacher has been on the class cabinet since sophomore year.
“It’s a collaborative thing,” she says. “We put together events that happen at school.”
Outside of school she’s a part of Leaders for Tomorrow, a Jewish advocacy program.
“We talk about active anti-Semitism and hate crimes against minorities,” she says.
Unfortunately, COVID protocols forced a switch from in person sessions to on-line events.
“This year we haven’t gotten to do things with it, we just talked about it,” she says.
“Hopefully next year we can advocate and go to events.”
The events include leadership training, how to stand out and talk about these issues. There was a convention in Washington D.C. that was cancelled.
She’s a board member of Temple Judea youth.
“I’ve been in for so many years, I went to Israel with them,” she says.
Through the Better Together program the teens in the youth group go to the Palace and talk to the seniors and do activities. Again, COVID changed the program from an in-person to online visits.
She’s been on the BBYO chapter board for five terms and is now the regional treasurer.
Blacher is a part of Friendship Circle, participating in the Tween Scene.
She’s also one of the counselors at Camp Jenny, the camp for underprivileged kids from Atlanta.
“For my bat mitzvah project, I raised money for Camp Jenny. When I would leave camp, I’d donate my camp clothes to Camp Jenny.”
Blacher says, “Since first grade I’d go help at a soup kitchen at a church. Usually, I was in charge of the drinks. My mom and family friend would go.”
And with Temple Judea, she’d pack meals for Jewish Adoption and Family Care (JAFCO).
Blacher plans to take marketing as her college major. She’s considering the University of Florida, Tulane and Florida State, but also has Syracuse on her list.
Linda Bernfeld Rodriguez
