LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JUNE 2015 | Page 54

Local June_FinalEDITED.qxp_002houston 5/21/15 7:24 PM Page 54 UNDIES FOR EVERYONE RABBI AMY WEISS | FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE When we reach into our dresser drawer to snag a pair of perhaps our favorite undies to put on, it would suffice to say that we more often than not take for granted the luxury of having clean, fresh underwear. It’s rare that one thinks about the multitude of children who, due to lack of resources, simply don’t have clean underwear. Consequently, many come to school either in soiled undies or, worse-case scenario, with no undies on at all. As a result, kids are left with shame, low self-esteem, humiliation, not to mention health-related risks to infringe on their dignity and academic success. YET, EVERYONE DESERVES THE BASIC DIGNITY OF CLEAN, FRESH UNDERWEAR – ESPECIALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN. Rabbi Amy Weiss, a 14-year resident of Houston and true philanthropist, is founder and executive director of UNDIES FOR EvERYONE, a 501(c)(3) that solely provides new underwear to underprivileged public students in Houston either directly or via distribution through nurses at area schools. What started off as a Houston Chronicle blog in 2008 birthed an underwear rabbinate for Weiss in 2012. Serving eight of the largest Houston area school districts (that includes more than 340,000 economically disadvantaged students), UNDIES FOR EvERYONE has distributed more than 140,000 pairs of underwear to in-need students. Ordained at Hebrew Union College in NYC in ’95, Rabbi Weiss fuses liberal Judaism and Jewish ethics and values into her daily efforts of making lives better. Per Rabbi Weiss, “In Judaism, we talk about repairing the world and effectuating social justice; it’s a big part of how we live in the Jewish community. UNDIES FOR EvERYONE is a form of social justice and movement towards repairing the world. Dedicating my rabbinate to it is undoubtedly unique; however, in terms of a rabbi providing social services to boost kids’ confidence and self-esteem, this is pretty common.” For more info and to volunteer, visit www.undiesforeveryone.org. CONTACT INFO: UNDIES FOR EvERYONE 1700 Bissonnet Street |Houston, TX 77005 713.338.9676 | [email protected] By Susan M. Bynam | Photography by Max Burkhalter 54 L O C A L | june 15