Today we traveled 7 hours from Phoenix, Arizona to L.A.! Although it was a long drive, it was a great opportunity to bond and hang out with our friends. We also made a quick stop at Walmart on the way to buy things before we arrived in L.A. Once we got to L.A., we went straight to the American Jewish University, where we will be staying while we are here. We davened Mincha, ate a yummy dinner, and headed onto the bus to go to Santa Monica Pier. When we got to the Santa Monica Pier, we had the opportunity to go on the rides, play games, and take great pictures! Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Talia Horn, Teaneck NJ
Zoe Nussbaum, Chicago IL

This morning we went to St. Mary’s Food Bank, which packages food for thousands of families in need in Arizona. We learned that it was the world’s first food bank! We formed an assembly line and we each had a specific job. Some girls built the boxes, some packed them with food such cereal, bottles of juice, and tuna cans, and some closed the boxes and loaded them onto the cart. Overall, we packaged 540 of them!

In the afternoon we went to Slide Rock State Park, where we swam in the water and enjoyed a break from the heat! It was extra fun to slide down the natural water slide there that was created by the smooth rocks in the river. As we boarded the bus and headed to downtown Sedona, we were detoured by the rain, enjoyed a scenic ride home, and came back to camp for a delicious BBQ dinner. Afterward, we had so much fun at our night activity, Human Game Night! We played life-sized Guess Who, Apples to Apples, and Bananagrams. It was so fun to play some of our favorite games with all our new friends! Overall we had such a great day!!

Daphna Lent, New Rochelle, NY
Anni Laufer, Lawrence, NY

Today we were privileged to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World! People from all over dream of visiting the Grand Canyon, and travel far and wide to make this dream come true. We were fortunate enough to have the tremendous opportunity of living this dream with our amazing GIVE West family. We hiked around the canyon in five groups, each led by a different tour guide and then were able to descend into the canyon itself. The views were breathtaking! We also had the rare privilege of saying “mah rabbu;” and the blessing over Hashem’s most beautiful creations. During the hike, girls took in the spirituality of the location and were astounded by the masterpiece that Hashem created. Despite the heat and the long bus rides, each of us was presented with a once in a lifetime experience that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!

Simone Miller, Skokie, IL
Naomi Silow, Huntington Woods, MI