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The Chai Center Dix Hills

Sarah Strent with her CTeen Female Leader of the Year award. Photo from The Chai Center

Sarah Strent, 17, a senior at Commack High School and a resident of Commack, was recently named CTeen Female Leader of the Year at the CTeen International Shabbaton, an annual event where thousands of Jewish teens gather in New York City. She was chosen by her peers from among 3,000 leaders worldwide.

CTeen, comprised of teens from 37 countries with 625 chapters around the world, is the fastest growing Jewish teen network. Its mission is to inspire and facilitate teens who want to give back to their community and environment, with an emphasis on positive character development. 

Strent is a leader with the West Suffolk Chapter of CTeen, which is based at The Chai Center in Dix Hills. “We are so immensely proud of Sarah,” Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, Youth Director at The Chai Center said. “Sarah has helped us on a local level create programs like cooking for needy families, packing gifts for children in hospitals and creating a bowl-a-thon for special needs kids and children with cancer. She became a regional leader helping to create programs for over 50 chapters in the New York and New Jersey area. In the last 18 months, Strent was named an international leader serving on the board of CTeen.”

The CTeen Network provides a nurturing environment fusing fun, friendship, humanitarian outreach, mitzvah observance, and engaging Torah study. The CTeen Network believes in the power of youth and transforming the teen years into a time of purpose and self-discovery. The goal is to turn youth into leaders.

Front row, from left, Leg. Susan Berland, Mikayla Shapiro, Beth Goldberg, Noah Rosenzweig, Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon and Carol Nuzzi; back row, from left, Elijah Morrison, Justin Winawer, Sarah Strent and Justin Mintz. Photo by Shahron Sharifian

Last week seven Long Island teens were honored at the Annual CTeen West Suffolk Dinner at The Chai Center in Dix Hills, for their work and dedication to this vital youth community service organization.

Sarah Strent of Commack received the Leadership Award, Mikayla Shapiro of Commack and Justin Mintz of Plainview received the Rookies of the Year Awards, Noah Rosenzweig of East Northport and Justin Winawer of Plainview received the Chesed (Kindness) Awards, Beth Goldberg of West Babylon received the Dedication Award and Elijah Morrison of Melville was named Teen of the Year. The hosts for the evening were CTeen West Suffolk teen leaders, Carly Tamer and Hannah Sharifian, both of East Northport.

Beth Goldberg and Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon. Photo by Photo by Shahron Sharifian

Town of Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci, Suffolk County Legislator Susan Berland, Carol Nuzzi representing Sen. John Flanagan and Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon of the Town of Babylon all attended to personally congratulate the teens. Warm greetings and certificates were also sent from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Among this year’s activities, CTeen West Suffolk teens cooked for needy families, held a toy drive, packed holiday gifts for ill children, enjoyed a paint night with seniors at an assisted living facility, listened to the life stories of Holocaust survivors and attended three major conventions — a regional, national and international Shabbaton, where they represented Long Island.

“It was an inspiring and moving night,” commented Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, the director of CTeen West Suffolk, which is based at The Chai Center. However, he explained, this is just the beginning. “We need to reach every Jewish teen and let them know they have a home at CTeen West Suffolk.”

 Sarah Strent, who was named the Leader of the Year, told the crowd, “One very significant message I took away from this year of CTeen is that everyone is a leader. You don’t need a title or a sweatshirt to prove that. I firmly believe every single one of you is capable of achieving anything you set out to do.” 

 With over 200 chapters globally and tens of thousands of members, CTeen, the fastest growing Jewish teen network in the world, inspires and facilitates teens who want to give back to their community and environment, with an emphasis on positive character development. The CTeen Network believes in the power of youth and transforming the teen years into a time of purpose and self-discovery. The goal is to turn youth into leaders. Under the direction of Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum of The Chai Center, the CTeen West Suffolk chapter has tripled in size to more than 60 members since its launch just four years ago. 

Members of CTeen of West Suffolk pose for a photo with Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum before donating toys. Photo from The Chai Center

GIVING BACK: Teens from The Chai Center’s CTeen chapter in Dix Hills (CTeen West Suffolk County) recently shopped for and purchased more than 50 new toys that were donated to families living in the United Veterans Beacon House facilities in Nassau and Suffolk counties. United Veterans Beacon House Inc. is a not-for-profit charitable organization with a mission to provide transitional and permanent housing to U.S. military veterans and men, women and women with children. The teens also baked cookies to be delivered with the toys.

With over 200 chapters globally and tens of thousands of members, CTeen, the fastest growing Jewish teen network in the world, inspires and facilitates teens who want to give back to their community and environment, with an emphasis on positive character development. The CTeen Dix Hills chapter has more than 40 members and is based at The Chai Center (501 Vanderbilt Parkway) and run by Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum.

“The Talmud says that each person is a whole world and therefore by helping one person you’re helping the whole world. We are immensely proud of the teens in our chapter who continually embrace this idea and have made it a priority to think beyond themselves and give back to their community and those in need,” said Rabbi Weinbaum. For more information, visit www.thechaicenter.com.

Do your kids love to cook? The Chai Center, 501 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills will hold a cooking class, Kids in the Kitchen, for children ages 8 to 12 on Tuesdays, March 7, 14 and 21 from 5 to 6 p.m. Learn how to make some great kid-approved dishes such as personal pizzas, waffles and cookies in a large state-of-the-art kitchen. Fee is $20 per class, $55 for all three classes. Advance registration is required. Register online at www.thechaicenter.com or call 631-351-8672.