04/16/2025
275 Volunteers, 15 Locations Make It a Good Deeds Day
Andy Neidus and his granddaughter, Zoe Neidus, 5, partake in a family-friendly, multi-generational tea party with Rose Myeroff, a resident of King David Senior Living Facility in Beachwood, for Good Deeds Day on April 6. CJN Photos / Abigail Preiszig
ABIGAIL PREISZIG
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
The sixth annual local Good Deeds Day grew exponentially in 2025 with 275 volunteers at 15 locations with 14 partner agencies across Greater Cleveland.
“Compared to last year, we had about 110 volunteers at seven different sites,” Aviva Roland, managing director of the Jewish Volunteer Network at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “… We’re overall very pleased with how smoothly things went.”
Good Deeds Day brought community volunteers together on April 6 and was part of a global effort involving more than 100 counties. The annual day of service opportunities to benefit people and the planet kicked off in 2007 with 7,000 volunteers in Israel, according to the Good Deeds Day website.
Local volunteer opportunities included maintenance projects, spending time with others, cleaning, writing and decorating letters and sorting and organizing donated goods with organizations including the Cleveland Chesed Center in Cleveland Heights, Rescue Village – Geauga Humane Society in Novelty and Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, Medworks-Medwish and Good Banks NEO in Cleveland. Participating organizations included PJ Library, National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland, BBYO and the Federation’s Young Leadership Division and Women IN Philanthropy.
“It’s an event where the Jewish community gets together – Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, we all work together,” Amy Nadler, chair of the Jewish Volunteer Network, told the CJN. “I think it makes us feel like one people with a common goal.”
Good Deeds Day not only connected Jewish Clevelanders to an international community, but it provided volunteers – ages 2 to 82 – with a lens into the Federation’s community organizations, she said.
“It gives us an opportunity to let them know what’s next on our agenda and get them excited in participating in more things (and) lets them see how they can get involved in the community,” Nadler said. “… It’s our responsibility as Jews that we do tikkun olam, repair the world, and it’s our responsibility to continue God’s work and help. That’s what we’re here for.”
