In just two days this past June, teens fixed up the garden at an agency for victims of domestic violence, sorted school supplies for needy kids, and bundled boxes of donated books.

These teens participated in JUF’s Mini Camp TOV, a two-day mini-version of the weeklong Camp TOV. These programs take Jewish teens around Chicagoland to several agencies so they can participate in a variety of hands-on volunteering projects.

“TOV” stands for “Tikkun Olam Volunteers”; “tov” is also the Hebrew word for “good.” And that’s what it’s all about: good teens doing good deeds for their community.

In Mini Camp TOV, the teens started each day with ice-breaker activities and discussed the Jewish ideal of tikkun olam- repairing the world through acts of kindness.

The teens went to Sarah’s Inn, an agency that provides services for victims of domestic violence. The teens planted, weeded, and painted the fences in their backyard area. “I really liked going to Sarah’s Inn and getting to paint the fence,” said Eve, a Camp TOV participant, “and getting to do something that we normally wouldn’t learn about or do in school.”

The following day, the campers went to The ARK, to sort school donations, and then to Bernie’s Book Bank, where they sorted book donations for at-risk youth in preschool through sixth grade.

Jared, another particapant, found this to be very gratifying work. “My favorite part about Camp TOV was helping people who are less fortunate than me,” he said. “It was really nice to pack up school supplies or books for kids. I would like to continue volunteering at Camp TOV by going to the ARK and Bernie’s Book Bank to keep packaging books and keep helping kids.”

Eve agreed, “Even what you might think to be a small thing that you are doing can really impact someone in a big way.”

Each day ended with campers talking about their projects and their significance, and how they reacted to it. And all day, every day, they interacted with each other, building new friendships while making the world a little brighter.

To learn more about Mini Camp TOV, visit juf.org/teens/TOV_MiniCamp.aspx .