Something new has overtaken Baltimore. Organizations are putting a new kind of ‘fun’ into fundraising. Once upon a time, a typical fundraiser was a charity tea, a banquet, a Chinese auction, or a heart-rending letter in our mailbox. Today, we are seeing organizations turning to the internet to host “24-hour” all-or-nothing super-fundraisers, as well as using social media of every stripe to spread awareness of the cause. But nothing can beat the “fun” of sports-related events which marry athletic competition with serious dollars.

Two local groups that have successfully taken this route are the Jewish Caring Network (JCN) and Bikur Cholim. The former has been holding 5K races for men and women for the past five years, while the latter jumped in a year later with an annual men’s bike-a-thon. Both draw large enthusiastic crowds of all ages and have opened the world of fundraising to a whole new audience.

Walking into Goldberg’s Bagels on that first Monday, about 10 weeks ago, I was all nerves. I took a seat at one of the packed tables and, ignoring everyone, stared at my phone until the program started. Walking into the Senator Ben Cardin Junior Leadership Program (SBCJLP) with low expectations proved to be an okay move. Because as soon as I started learning with my mentor and heard the first speaker, I knew I was going to gain much from it.

As indicated in the program description posted on the NCSY website, SBCJLP is “an elite program opened to the Jewish community and public school teens designed to create the next generation of Jewish leaders through individual training and exposure to current world influencers.” As to the “influencers,” they had to be “individuals at the top of their industries and…carefully chosen to illustrate the wide ranging effects one can have on the community while maintaining a proud Jewish identity.”