Advisor Appreciation Month

THANK YOU, ADVISORS!

It's the best month of the year: Advisor Appreciation Month! March is an opportunity for our teens, families, community members, and staff to celebrate our amazing advisors! And while we love to celebrate this special time every year, this year in particular, we are so grateful for the support and strength our advisors given our teens through these challenging times. Stay tuned this month for moments of appreciation, gratitude, and community building among our advisor network.

ADVISOR WINS

ADVISOR APPRECIATION

DAVID BITTKER UNSUNG HERO AWARD

ADVISOR CONNECT

ADVISOR HUB

#ADVISORWINS

Check out the praises, shout-outs and thank yous our teens, families and extended community are sharing with us about their awesome advisors.

Want to celebrate your advisor? Submit an #AdvisorWin to be featured!

"CSR has been going through many changes over the months and Rhonda was always there to pick up the pieces. She goes above and beyond for BBYO in Memphis. She has been such a huge asset to my success now new to the region. She has advised for over 15 years and is always willing to help our teens. She helps our advisors and is their go to person. She is truly an amazing person and always puts other before herself. I don't know what I would do without her!"

Rhonda Feiler, advisor of River City BBG #2054, Delta Region

"Harrison is always there when you need him. He is very supportive and gives valuable insight and knowledge to the teens."

Shared about Harrison Krat, advisor of Marika Winheld BBYO #5224, Central Region West

"Lauren became an advisor 3 years ago to help a chapter that was really struggling. The teens loved BBYO but lacked organization and leadership. She did an amazing job of helping to turn the chapter around so that they are now flourishing. She is such a hard worker and she is super organized."

Shared about Lauren Hackney, advisor of Lester Sherman Okeon AZA #1204, Delta Region

"Stephanie came in the middle of the term to a chapter full of people that were new to BBYO. She started helping our chapter immediately and has done so much for us. She helped teach us how to run our chapter and hire to successfully communicate with each other. She had been all around the best and has helped our chapter so much!"

Shared about Stephanie Aaronson, advisor of Halom BBG #1240, Evergreen Region

"Julia is amazing!!! She is not only the best advisor because she always supports us and is there whenever we need her, but she is our friend! During every convention, Yachad members and Julia have a talking circle where we just share everything with each other! Honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of conventions:) I (and other members of our chapter) always have more fun when we're with Julia because she makes us feel at home wherever and always makes sure we are okay. Even though she has been our advisor for just a year, Julia has made the biggest and best impact on me and our chapter and we all treasure our bond with her."

Shared about Julia Finn, advisor of Yachad BBG #159, Northern Region East: DC

"Lauren is always there for me and my chapter. She can tell if something is wrong. She always makes sure we are having a good time at events and if not, makes sure it can be altered so we can all have the max amount of fun. Lauren makes an effort to talk to everyone and meets them. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met!"

Shared about Lauren Koenig, advisor of Aviva BBG #2509, Great Midwest Region

"He's the single most chill, down to earth, respectful guy who does what he does for our chapter simply because he loves doing it. He never asks for appreciation and is always there to ensure we have the best time possible."

Shared about Josh Hoppenstein, advisor of Henry Monsky AZA #791, North Texas Oklahoma Region

"Zach is Gesherim's best friend! He singlehandedly helped our chapter get out of debt and actually have a decent amount of money in our funds. He also truly cares about each and every one of us in Gesherim, and he's super easy to talk to. Zach knows when to joke around and when to be serious. We love him with our whole hearts!"

Shared about Zach Schwartz, advisor of Gesherim BBYO #5015, Keystone Mountain Region

"Craig has taught me the importance of learning from your mistakes and analyzing previous situations to improve the future. Craig has constantly been there for me and my chapter during my 6 terms on chapter board and without him, my chapter would not be nearly as successful as it is now."

Shared about Craig Berman, advisor of New Frontier AZA #1512, Nassau Suffolk Region

"She comes to every event and is sooooo on top of things!! She always works so hard and is so into BBYO that it motivates others to be more active. We love her!!"

Shared about Melissa Gordon, advisor of Achot BBG #2383, Northern Region East: Baltimore

"My advisor and I had calls that were just about my future with BBYO and what we both thought would be a good plan for me to reach the goals I want. I want to celebrate him taking the extra step with me and the guys about not only caring about the chapter but helping us individually."

Shared about Sam Perlen, advisor of Israel H Peres AZA #71, Delta Region

"Jess is the kindest, sweetest, and most lovable person you will ever meet. She comes to every event with a smile and makes sure every girl there is happy and feeling included. At my first chapter convention I didn't know many people so Jess sat and talked with me until I felt comfortable and happy to be there. She works conventions as the wellness specialist because she is always trying to help others. She is everyone's best friend and we all trust her and know we could come to her with anything. Jess Attas is without a doubt in my mind, the best advisor out there."

Shared about Jess Attas, advisor of Or Chadash BBG #2528, Northern Region East: Northern Virginia

"Racheli has been there for our chapter through everything, all the ups and downs. She has been so helpful and reassuring during everything, and really brought such a positive light to the chapter. She is so down to earth, and just makes every meeting or event so much better the second she walks in. As well, she is strong as hell, and so humble when she really doesn't have to be."

Shared about Racheli Alkobey, advisor of Kochavim BBG #2513, Pacific Western Region

"Carly is always there for our chapter for WHATEVER we need. She's been the best mentor and friend our entire chapter & city could ever have asked for. We look up to and admire her sooo much."

Shared about Carly Sokoloff, advisor of Portland BBG #313, Evergreen Region

"Jason has taught me the importance thinking outside the box and is always there for me to reignite passion for my chapter and my region. Liberty is incredibly lucky to have him."

Shared about Jason Cohen, advisor of Harrisburg AZA - Larry Urie AZA #128, Liberty Region

"Jess has helped our chapter grow so much through the year! She was a founding member of our chapter and goes above and beyond to make sure our chapter succeeds! Jess is so kind and has added such a special touch to our chapter! We love her so so much and don’t know where our chapter would be without her!!"

Shared about Jess Kennedy, advisor of Ohavim BBG #418, Eastern Region: North Carolina

"Adrea has helped our chapter so much in the time that she joiner us since August. Gal Chadash started out the year with only five members, but grew to 40+ during the pandemic, all from Adrea’s guidance. She makes each and every one of our members feel welcome and always knows the right thing to do with our board. We wouldn’t still be here today without her. Adrea is San Diego’s very own super advisor!"

Shared about Adrea Miller-Vesely-Philp, advisor of Gal Chadash BBYO #2350, Pacific Western Region

ADVISOR APPRECIATION

Our advisors give so much to BBYO—and though there aren’t enough “thank yous” in the world to fully recognize and appreciate all that they do, small acts have a big way of adding up.

Check out these 31 Ideas for 31 Days of Advisor Appreciation graphic we created. We've compiled a calendar of different acts of kindness, one for each day of March. Each one is easy and low-to-no cost. If you have other unique ways of recognizing your advisor, let us know at [email protected].

DAVID BITTKER UNSUNG HERO AWARD

The Movement is blessed with hundreds of outstanding advisors who are making an indelible impact on Alephs and BBGs – without them, the future of the Jewish people would be a little less bright. Each year, BBYO honors exceptional advisors who demonstrate integrity, humility, dedication, and hard work – qualities embodied by the award’s namesake, David Bittker z”l.

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ADVISOR CONNECT

We gathered the international advisor community together from Friday, March 12 – Sunday, March 14.

Through the conference, advisors grew their networks, collaborated and problem-solved, and gained new skills and tools to take back to chapters and other advisors in their communities. This virtual conference was free of charge and open to all BBYO Advisors.

ADVISOR HUB

Don't forget about BBYO’s Advisor Hub, a one-stop shop for resources, development opportunities, and advisor networking. We've compiled valuable resources and tools around Safety, Health, and Policy, Chapter Operations, Chapter Excellence, and Coaching, Mentorship, and Teen Growth. We’re also excited to offer professional development and training opportunities that are designed to help our advisors succeed in their roles.