The Opp-Guide to Community Service, Inc. http://www.opp-guide.com Community Service Ideas & Organization Reviews for Teens by Teens | Opp-Guide of Fort Lauderdale Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:51:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Teen filmmaker Lance Oppenheim debuts 9/11 short-film ‘Reconciliation’, tells stories of resiliency amongst chaos http://www.opp-guide.com/2012/01/teen-filmmaker-lance-oppenheim-debuts-911-short-film-%e2%80%98reconciliation%e2%80%99-tells-stories-resiliency-chaos/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2012/01/teen-filmmaker-lance-oppenheim-debuts-911-short-film-%e2%80%98reconciliation%e2%80%99-tells-stories-resiliency-chaos/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:30:26 +0000 opp-guide http://www.opp-guide.com/?p=393 Continue reading →]]> Oppenheim shares a poignant retelling of the events of September 11th through the eyes of 3 people associated with the Pinecrest School in Ft. Lauderdale.
   
                                    

 

1/13/2012 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. —  Opp-Guide president Lance Oppenheim announces the release of his first commissioned short film Reconciliation. Oppenheim, a student at the Pinecrest School in Fort Lauderdale, directed and co-produced this 9/11 documentary, which is based on the stories of three Pinecrest connections with direct ties back to September 11th. The film made it’s online debut this month, just four months after the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The Hands On Network, one of the largest volunteer networks in the country provided Oppenheim with a grant to make the film.  It was also supported by GenerationOn, a global youth service organization.  

Michael Testa, a Pinecrest teacher and actor who worked at the New York City Opera on 9/11/2001

Along with his film class, he spent hours interviewing three people with ties to the school, each whom have different, yet interwoven, perspectives of 9/11. Michael Testa, now a teacher, was a performer at the New York City Opera, which was about to open its season. Pinecrest parent Janet Roy’s brother was a celebrated captain in the FDNY who was called to duty that morning. Charlie Cobb, an alumnus, lived and worked close to Ground Zero and found himself thrust into the center of the chaos.

Many stories of 9/11 have emerged from across the country in the years since the attacks, however Lance’s film presents more than a simple retelling of the events of that day. A positive, heartfelt tone emerges, one of reconciliation, and of resiliency.

 

The performers of the New York City Opera sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during their 1st performance after 9/11.

 

For Testa, there is pride, as the New York City Opera was one of the first New York theaters to reopen, mere days after the attacks. Roy cherishes the leadership and bravery displayed by her brother Billy, who saved the lives of the rest of his crew when the towers collapsed. And Cobb is committed to preserving the memory of 9/11 for future generations.

For Lance, the film was a way to present 9/11 to his peers, a way to transform what was for most of his generation merely a historical event and turn in into a living, breathing memory.

While Oppenheim was visiting Terezin, a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp, he found a small apartment building filled with inviting holiday lights, despite the memories of death that were still ever-present.  That example inspired Lance to craft his tale, and the film was finished after an all-night editing session.

“The haunting images of what had occurred there somehow sparked a wave of adrenaline within me,” Oppenheim explains, “The emotional shock of a life-changing place enabled me to complete the film.”

And it’s clear that Oppenheim’s vision has resonated with his audience in just a short time after its online debut on Vimeo. In just a week Reconciliation has already garnered over 1,000 views and the interest of a National Film Festival.

Oppenheim has already been approached by a 2nd charity to produce another short-film, and Pinecrest has committed to showing Reconciliation to the entire school on the next anniversary of 9/11. 

For more information or to arrange an interview with Lance, please call Chad Cookler, PR Manager for the Opp-Guide, at 954-384-6114 or email chad@oplaw.net      

 

About The Opp-Guide

Founded in South Florida in 2004, the Opp-Guide helps youth locate service opportunities that they find interesting so that they can  continue to serve their community.  In 2011 it debuted a app on the iTunes store that allows users to search a nationwide directory of nearly 300,000 nearby community service opportunities by zip code, category, keyword and map with personalized results.

 

 

Lance Oppenheim

 

About Lance Oppenheim

Oppenheim, 15, is a sophomore at the Pinecrest School and a budding filmmaker.  He serves as the president for the Opp-Guide, and is a member of the national youth advisory board for GenerationOn. In addition he is currently the president of his class at Pinecrest.

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2012/01/teen-filmmaker-lance-oppenheim-debuts-911-short-film-%e2%80%98reconciliation%e2%80%99-tells-stories-resiliency-chaos/feed/ 0 Opp-Guide Launches First Community Service App For Teens http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/10/opp-guide-launches-first-community-service-app-for-teens/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/10/opp-guide-launches-first-community-service-app-for-teens/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:11:41 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=336 Continue reading →]]> New app helps high school students find community service in their neighborhood

Final – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – DATE – Teens searching for volunteer opportunities can now turn to an iPhone or iPad app launched by the Opp-Guide, the first-of-its-kind national database directory of youth-oriented service opportunities. Available today as a free download from the Apple App Store, the Opp-Guide to Community Service App gives users the power to search a nationwide directory of nearly 300,000 nearby community service opportunities by zip code, category, keyword and map with personalized results by specific interests such as health, pets or technology.

The Opp-Guide to Community Service, Inc. (www.opp-guide.com), a nonprofit organization founded by youths for youths, makes locating community service opportunities for high school students easy with its new app.

“The problem is most teens enjoy doing community service but simply don’t know where to go and how to find it,” said Lance Oppenheim, Opp-Guide App producer. “The Opp-Guide to Community Service App now makes it easier than ever for teens to find volunteer service work. We’re thrilled that youth users around the United States can download the Opp-Guide App today. Our motto is search it, and service it.”

Lance Oppenheim, a high school sophomore at Pine Crest School and president of The Opp-Guide to Community Service, Inc., is responsible for spearheading this national service app. His sisters, Wendi and Melissa, originally started the Opp-Guide in 2004 as a south Florida community service directory. Now a senior at Harvard University, Melissa’s first version of the Opp-Guide was a printed brochure. Three years later, Wendi, currently a freshman at Duke University, took the concept online and turned the Opp-Guide into a website directory in a Zagat-like format. Today the youngest Oppenheim is carrying the community service torch to the mobile market and going national.

“The original Opp-Guide concept proved itself on a local level in south Florida with a six-year successful track record. I wanted to take it to the next level with a national scope for the mobile teen market,” said Oppenheim.

Considering mobile browsing has more than doubled in the last year accounting for more than 6 percent of all online activity and Apple’s Safari — the default browser on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch — represents 53 percent of the mobile browsing market – a mobile app version of the Opp-Guide was a natural next step.

In order to take the Opp-Guide from local to national, Lance brokered a relationship with All for Good, a search engine that brings volunteer opportunities to people around the U.S. and is part of Points of Light Institute. Thanks to its partnership with All For Good, the Opp-Guide is today’s “go to” mobile resource that gives America’s youth the opportunity to discover all the different ways that they can serve and strengthen their communities.

“Whether it’s organizing a beach clean up or volunteering at the local animal shelter, the Opp-Guide makes this opportunity available via mobile technology that is part of our daily routine. The iPhone or the iPad makes it easy for teens to match community service interests that they like best and stay in their neighborhood,” said All For Good Director of Product Management Dan Stryker, who helped facilitate the partnership.

About The Opp-Guide

Founded in 2004, the Opp-Guide’s mission has always been to help youth locate service opportunities that they may find interesting so that they would continue serving their community. Originally designed as a pamphlet, the Opp-Guide was distributed to guidance counselors, libraries, schools, synagogues and churches in the south Florida tri-county area.

As the Guide became a 501(c )(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, its board sought and received grants from various philanthropic organizations which eased its transition from print to an online website featuring information in both English and Spanish.

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/10/opp-guide-launches-first-community-service-app-for-teens/feed/ 0 Children’s Home Society http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/children%e2%80%99s-home-society/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/children%e2%80%99s-home-society/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:35:56 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=234 Continue reading →]]> Mission: “Embracing Children. Inspiring Lives. Established in 1902, Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS) is one of Florida’s oldest private not-for-profit organizations providing services to children and families. CHS delivers a unique spectrum of social services designed to protect children at risk of abuse, neglect or abandonment; to strengthen and stabilize families; to help young people break the cycle of abuse and neglect; and to find safe, loving homes for children. Every year, CHS helps to improve the lives of about 100,000 children and family members.”

Volunteer: Volunteers play a critical role in the success of the Children’s Home Society. “Opportunities vary throughout the state but include such rewarding activities as mentoring, rocking babies, help kids with their homework, organizing and supporting fundraising events, advisory board leadership, advocacy and more.” Visit the CHS Volunteer site: http://www.chsfl.org/volunteer.php

Contact: www.chsfl.org

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/children%e2%80%99s-home-society/feed/ 0 Daily Bread Food Bank http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/daily-bread-food-bank/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/daily-bread-food-bank/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:33:01 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=230 Continue reading →]]> Mission: The Daily Bread Food Bank “empowers other South Florida Not-for-profit organizations to feed needy people and improve their lives.” The Daily Break Food Bank does this by providing food and other grocery products while educating and engaging the South Florida community to fight hunger and poverty.

Volunteer:
The Daily Bread Food Bank (DBFB) has tons of volunteer opportunities for teens! The DBFB needs volunteer help in its warehouse to help sort donated food from supermarkets, food companies, and local food drives. There is also a need for volunteers in the DBFB’s office. The organization could really use teens who have computer and typing skils.
Volunteer Site: http://www.dailybread.org/index.cfm/category/2/page/13/lang/en.html

Contact: www.dailybread.org
For more information about volunteering at Daily Bread Food Bank, contact the DBFB’s Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Wescott at 305-474-8805

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/daily-bread-food-bank/feed/ 0 Miami Lighthouse http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/miami-lighthouse/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/miami-lighthouse/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:30:43 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=227 Continue reading →]]> Mission: “To provide vision rehabilitation and eye health services that promote independence, to educate professionals, and to conduct research in related fields.”

Volunteer: The Miami Lighthouse organization offers volunteer opportunities that deal with children’s programs, publications and publicity, fundraising, health fairs, arts and crafts, field trips, recordings for the blind, administrative support, and more.  If you are looking for a meaningful way to spend some time giving back to the community, check out the numerous volunteer positions available at Miami Lighthouse.  For more information, contact Mabel Lopez (mlopez@miamilighthouse.org) or visit http://www.miamilighthouse.com/VolunteerOpportunities.asp

Contact: www.miamilighthouse.com
Phone: 305-856-2288 
Fax: 305-285-6967
Address: 601 SW 8th Avenue, Miami, FL 33130  
Email: info@miamilighthouse.org

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/miami-lighthouse/feed/ 0 Help Me Hear http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/help-me-hear/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/help-me-hear/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:25:41 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=223 Continue reading →]]> Mission: “To give the gift of hearing to impoverished deaf children across the globe by providing them with the most advanced hearing devices available.”

Volunteer: Help Me Hear always needs enthusiastic and passionate volunteers! Call 1-877-GIV-Hear for more information.

Contact:  http://www.helpmehearfoundation.org/  or 1-877-GIV-Hear

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/help-me-hear/feed/ 0 I Care I Cure Foundation http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/i-care-i-cure-foundation/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/i-care-i-cure-foundation/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:13:06 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=215 Continue reading →]]> Mission: The I Care I Cure Foundation supports the development of, and raises public awareness about, cutting-edge, targeted therapies for childhood cancer, so that the treatment of childhood cancer will be gentler and more tolerable.

Volunteer: The I Care I Cure Foundation is in the process of developing many opportunities for teenagers to get into the action. Teenagers can earn community service hours by conducting unique “fun”-draisers for I Care I Cure, developing High School Service Club Chapters, volunteering for the I Care I Cure home office in South Florida, and volunteering for local I Care I Cure chapters and events in their communities.  For more information contact kiml@icareicure.org.

Contact:  www.info@icareicure.org
Address: 10433 S. Lake Vista Cir., Davie, FL 33328

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/i-care-i-cure-foundation/feed/ 0 WOPPTAIL IV http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/wopptail-iv/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/wopptail-iv/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:31:41 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=196 Continue reading →]]> Winterfest – Opp-Guide – Cocktail – Party.


Nick Greiner, Public Relations Manager, and sophomores Andrew Ettinger, Alex Dnn, and Ryan Luck pose for the picture.
 

Seniors Leon Legot and Dylan Goldberg dance the night away!
 

Juniors Andrew Quinlan and Grant Mombach are having fun!
 

Carl Case, Stephen Benson, Ali Ismailoglu, Jake Toffler, Hayden Grove, and Valentina Rodriguez take a break from dancing.
 

Ben Arkin and Gerry Schwartz can’t wait until next year’s WOPPTAIL!
 

Board members Nick Greiner, Wendi Oppenheim, Allison Findeiss, and Ben Arkin welcome guests to the FUNraiser!
]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/wopptail-iv/feed/ 0 GoodSearch.com http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/goodsearch-com/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/goodsearch-com/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:30:11 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=193 Continue reading →]]> We all have a cause we care about. So, what if we could raise money by doing something we do every day — shopping on the Internet? Opp-guide.com is now a member of goodsearch.com. Type in the ‘Opp-Guide’ before you shop to receive coupons while supporting the Guide!

]]> http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/09/goodsearch-com/feed/ 0 T-SHIRT BLANKETS http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/07/t-shirt-blankets/ http://www.opp-guide.com/2011/07/t-shirt-blankets/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:02:29 +0000 admin http://opp-guide.com/wp/?p=179 Continue reading →]]> Do you have extra t-shirts lying around that you don’t really wear anymore? Or are you going to college, camp, or away from home soon? Want to give a GREAT gift? Send us 25 of your own t-shirts and we’ll make you a extra twin long blanket for just $100.00. Ship us your shirts and we’ll ship you back a blanket! (For out of state residents, please tack on an extra $15.99 for shipping charges.)

Please Donate

We need your help to keep the Opp-Guide alive!! Please donate to The Opp-Guide Fund! With our new tax exempt status, all contributions will be tax deductible. Thank you.

T-Shirt Blankets

Do you have extra t-shirts lying around that you don’t really wear anymore? Or are you going to college, camp, or away from home soon? Want to give a GREAT gift? Send us 25 of your own t-shirts and we’ll make you a extra twin long blanket for just $100.00. Ship us your shirts and we’ll ship you back a blanket!
Send a cashier’s check or money order for $100.00 to:
Opp-Guide of Greater Fort Lauderdale
2500 Weston Rd Suite 404
Weston, Florida 33331 		Use PayPal
For out of state residents, please tack on an extra $15.99 for shipping charges.
“If you are interested in starting an Opp-Guide in your community contact us!”
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