-By Sam Canales, pictured above (second from the left) with his immediate family- brother Aaron, mother Stacy, and father Art Canales. Photos by Barry Markowitz
Sam Canales read an abridged version of this speech at Jewish Community Partner’s Pillars of the Community event this week, honoring the families, organizations, and individuals that have each cumulatively given $250,000 or more in unrestricted funds over their years of philanthropy.
It is an honor to be here. My name is Sam Canales. I’m a senior at White Station High School and an active four year member in BBYO. Currently I am serving as the Regional Vice President of Cotton States Region which covers five states and accounts for nearly 600 Jewish teens. My involvement with BBYO is deep and longstanding; I am a third generation member and I can proudly say that m
y heart and home are with this organization. Memphis BBYO is a very special community, and its current members are defining the future.
I recall many times in the last four years where I felt the strength and unity that Memphis BBYO has forged. In my chapter, Israel H. Peres AZA #71, which has been home to young Jewish men in Memphis since 1928 including a number of people in this room, we have raised tens of thousands of dollars since my freshmen year through our annual Harvest Hop Fundraiser for charities and program enhancement.
This year, with the funds raised, we are sending a Jewish girl named Mia, who visits St. Jude from her home in South Africa every few months for her malignant brain tumors, to Disney World with her parents. That’s a life changing wish that is being granted, and the BBYO teens in our community are happy to provide it.
At BBYO conventions and events, we are given the chance to exhibit skills and techniques that advance high level leadership. Learning how to properly lead meetings and conduct effective professional communication are valuable skills that set a foundation for long term success, and BBYO provides every teen this exceptional chance to grow and develop.
Along with the unique leadership opportunities, BBYO in this city allows a safe environment for people to respectfully speak their minds and connect with fellow Jewish teens on a deeper level. From Israel to politics to just friends making jokes, this BBYO community is always comfortable and forward thinking.
I am so appreciative of the role BBYO has played in this chapter of my life, and I know that it doesn’t end when I graduate high school. The skills I’ve learned, the friends I’ve made, and the Jewish identity I have formed will follow me wherever I go and I couldn’t be happier about it. BBYO is much more than a bunch of teenagers hanging out who happen to all be Jewish. It is a youth organization, a Jewish movement, and a cultural change agent. Through Memphis BBYO, the leaders of tomorrow are getting started today. Thank you and enjoy your evening.