Adam Enbar

After being invited to a UJA-Federation Young Real Estate Executives (REX) luncheon about a year and a half ago, Adam Enbar, a 24-year-old real estate developer, became an active member of REX’s fundraising campaign. Adam found his relationship with UJA-Federation to be so meaningful, he was inspired to broaden his experience and attend a volunteer orientation. As a result, the Volunteer and Leadership Development Division (VLDD) referred him to a program called Genesis, offered through the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency.

Genesis provides a whole range of services to single-parent families. Most of these families are run by women who have to deal with the responsibilities of raising children alone. Members of the Genesis Parent Activities Committee (G-PAC) attend weekly support groups at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. While the parents meet with the counselors, their children are provided with a variety of recreational and art activities.

Adam volunteered to work with these children, thereby providing them with a mentor and male role model, an experience absent from most of the kids’ lives. He also encouraged his roommate to join him.

The weekly visits were so positive that Adam and his friend, who inherited the title of “G-Men,” decided to strengthen their growing bonds with the children by forming the Time Out With G-Men program.

The program allows the children to meet with the G-Men on Sunday mornings, outside of the G-PAC setting, and partake in sports and other bonding activities. Adam quickly learned that simply spending time with these kids is serving an important purpose in their lives. “You really see how difficult it is growing up in that kind of environment,” Adam notes. “Playing with the kids is a blast. They have formed really strong connections with us very quickly.”

Adam has discovered a passion for volunteer work and for reaching out to children who need help. “In the beginning, I was just looking for a solid extracurricular activity, some way to volunteer,” says Adam. “But once I got involved, I found that everything about this organization is incredible.”

Continuing his volunteer work with children, Adam recently completed a project at Sunrise Day Camp, operated by the Barry and Florence Friedberg Jewish Community Center on Long Island, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency. Sunrise Day Camp is the only camp on the East Coast dedicated to children with cancer. Along with several UJA-Federation volunteers, Adam built a much-needed fence to help ensure the safety of those who attend the camp.