IAC B’not Mitzvah group. Credit: Ofir Hagay Nevel

By Ofir Hagay Nevel

Three years ago, the IAC B’not Mitzvah program girls began volunteering at Service Dogs, Inc. The first year, Service Dogs hosted what they lovingly called a “Doggie Spa Day,” bathing and caring for the dogs. The second year, they invited the girls to decorate food buckets for the dogs. This year, the girls are crafting personalized nameplates for each dog in training.

Small gestures, perhaps. But deeply meaningful ones.

Each visit includes reflection. The girls sit together and talk about what they learned about responsibility, about patience, about the quiet power of helping without expecting anything in return.

For Sheri Soltes, owner of Service Dogs, Inc., the partnership feels personal. “Being Jewish,” she says, “I feel connected to the girls and the moms in this program. Watching them here, learning through action. It’s beautiful.”

On one side of the room, a rescued dog is learning purpose, focus, and trust. On the other side of the room, a young girl is learning who she is, what she stands for, and how she can contribute to the world. Both are in transition. Both are becoming.

The partnership between Service Dogs, Inc. and the IAC Austin B’not Mitzvah program is not just about volunteering. It is about witnessing transformation. A shelter dog becomes a source of independence. A young girl becomes a responsible member of her community. A simple act of painting a nameplate becomes an act of dignity and belonging. This is Tikkun Olam – not as a concept, but as a lived experience.

And in those shared moments, between paws and paintbrushes, between stories and service, something larger is taking shape. A community. A future. A repaired world, one small act at a time.

To learn more about IAC B’not Mitzvah program and/or Service Dogs, Inc. contact [email protected].