New Community Engagement Ambassador Program honors alumna who helped establish the Waltham Group

A new program established in honor of one of the original leaders of the Waltham Group will allow current Brandeis students to engage with community service at the university in a unique way – and receive a stipend for doing so.

The Community Engagement Ambassador Program (CEAP) is now accepting applications for its launch in the fall of 2018. The initiative will be housed within Brandeis’ Department of Community Service (DCS), which oversees several programs, of which the Waltham Group is the largest.

Through CEAP, four students will be selected from a pool of applicants to fill newly created leadership roles within DCS. These ambassadors, each of whom will receive a $2,000 stipend, will be challenged to think creatively about ways to engage Brandeis students from all backgrounds in community service initiatives, to take part in strategic planning that supports community engagement, and to learn new leadership skills, including project management systems and tools that increase group effectiveness.

CEAP was created in memory of Lori Levinson Luft ’69 by her husband, Hal Luft, and their daughters Shira and Jana. Lori was one of the earliest chairs of the Waltham Group. She passed away in 2016, the year it celebrated its 50th anniversary. In her lifetime, she saw the Waltham Group grow from a 30-member organization to a program through which more than 1,000 Brandeis volunteers provide more than 40,000 hours of service annually through 40 community partnerships.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this innovative new program in memory of Lori, who was so instrumental in building the Waltham Group,” says Lucas Malo, director of DCS. “CEAP will allow students to engage with their community at a higher level, and give them leadership training that will benefit them in any career path they choose.”

Lori, Hal and their daughters always sought to leverage volunteerism and philanthropy to both have an immediate impact and encourage others to contribute in various ways. Therefore, CEAP is designed to provide students with tools and experience they can carry with them well after graduation.

“We wanted to come up with something to leverage future generations of young people to make the world a better place,” says Hal.

Students interested in applying to CEAP may learn more here. The application deadline is March 20, 2018.