My name is Orit, I'm married to Ram and together we're raising 5 wonderful children.

I was born and raised in Jerusalem in a large family that put into practice "Kol Israel Haverim", and one of my first memories is helping my grandmother distribute food and clothes to Olim from Yemen. These experiences showed me the way to a lifetime of helping others – my fellow soldiers as a social services NCO, volunteering with the elderly and Olim in my city, and – after moving to Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek – adopting young families in the new kibbutz of Natur in the Golan Heights.

My next stop was St. Louis, Missouri, where I taught Hebrew and tried to convey the Israeli experience to the warm community there.

I fell in love with education, and returned to my kibbutz as manager of "Neurim" company – informal education given by a staff of 30 to 250 high school teenagers – while studying for an M.A. in Behavioral Science and Criminology.

After hearing of the Youth Futures program, I knew that I found the way to giving children of all kinds the opportunity to learn how to live better and be stronger. I believe that in order to achieve our goals, we need to give these children support and the means to improve their individual skills. I know that they will do the rest.

We are now in the painstaking process of recruiting devoted and committed Trustees to the program, who will view their "job" as we do – a shlichut. I will do everything in my power to make sure that my Trustees will have all the help and every possible chance they need to show their children the door to a better future – their success is our success.