TORONTO — More than 500 Toronto-area teens, along with 10,000 Jewish teens from across North America, Europe and Israel, will participate in a day of community service on April 10.

Seen here are some of the more than two dozen J-Serve Ambassadors who are leading J-Serve recruitment efforts among their peers and within their schools and youth groups.

Volunteers for J-Serve Toronto: the Global Day of Jewish Youth Service will meet at Adath Israel Congregation at 11:30 a.m. on April 10. At 12:30 p.m., they will depart to service sites, with transportation provided by chartered buses, and at 4:30 p.m., they return to Adath Israel for a wrap-up.

 This year marks the second year in which Toronto-area teens will participate in the international initiative, thanks to funding by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and the PANIM Institute of BBYO.

“Teens are directed to register at Jserve.ca, where they will be asked to choose a project from among several service opportunities,” said Kevin Goodman, program director at BBYO.

 J-Serve Toronto’s service options include cleaning for Passover at Ansei Minsk Synagogue; visiting with patients at Baycrest; taking part in youth-led environmental workshops hosted by Bayview Corridor Synagogues; selling pins for the Canadian Cancer Society’s annual Daffodil Month; assisting residents of Habayit Shelanu with gardening through Circle of Care; spearheading a transformative cleanup of Earl Bales Park; hosting a party for residents at long-term care home Cummer Lodge; joining DANI (which helps young adults with physical and/or cognitive challenges) participants for fun and treats; taking part in a series of workshops with Free the Children; canvassing to promote UJA Federation’s annual Walk with Israel; assembling education kits with Ve’ahavta, the Canadian Jewish Humanitarian & Relief Committee, to be sent to Israeli families in need, and working the phones at the Zareinu Educational Centre telethon to promote its 14th annual Moveathon.

J-Serve Toronto coincides with the kickoff of Volunteer Canada’s National Volunteer  Week, our country’s largest celebration of volunteers, volunteerism and civic participation.

J-Serve Toronto 2011 is presented by BBYO, in partnership with B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy, an initiative of UJA Federation’s Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto; Bnei Akiva, the religious Zionist youth movement; Canadian Young Judaea; Chabad Youth Network; GROW; Habonim Dror; Hashomer Hatzair; Jewish Student Union; NCSY; Tzofim, the Israeli scouts movement, and United Synagogue Youth. Additional support for J-Serve Toronto 2011 is provided by Adath Israel Congregation, Bayview Corridor Synagogues, Jewish National Fund of Canada, Magen Boys Entertainment, Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, Prosserman JCC, the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto and Torah High.

 For more information about J-Serve Toronto, visit www.jserve.ca or contact Kerry Bernknopf, project co-ordinator, at 416-398-2004, ext. 223, or [email protected].