(JTA) — Five California teenagers won Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards for their innovative social action projects.
Each will receive an honorarium of $36,000 toward the project or the recipient’s future education.
The winners are Zak Kukoff , 17, for his Autism Ambassadors, a national non-profit that empowers teens to teach and better understand their special-needs classmates; Joseph Langerman, 19, for his Voices Against Cruelty, Hatred and Intolerance, a student-run program that promotes awareness and prevention of bullying in schools; Daniel Rosenthal, 15, for his Magic Is Medicine, a magic performance initiative to bring joy to the sick, disabled, elderly and others in need; Adam Weinstein, 18, for his Archimedes Learning, a math and science enrichment program for underprivileged fifth-graders in Los Angeles; and Celine Yousefzadeh, 19, for her Fashion with Compassion, a student-run fashion show that raises funds for Israeli charities.
It is the sixth year for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards; more than $1 million has been given out to 30 California teens. The award is the vision of Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller and The Helen Diller Family Foundation.
