Kisharon and charity GIFT celebrated at the Wohl JVN Volunteering Awards 2016 when Eliezer Gilbert, 25, picked up the Young Adult Leadership in Volunteering prize.

Eliezer is the founder of the Shabbos Walking Project which inspires up to 200 youngsters each week to volunteer in at least 20 charities across the community. He was nominated by Kisharon where adults in supported living homes are visited by young men and women from the Shabbos Walking Project every Saturday afternoon.

He has also invited adults supported by Kisharon for meals with his family on Shabbos and yomtov, and this has swept away barriers that prevented some people in the community extending invitations to people with learning difficulties in the past.

Kisharon Volunteer Coordinator Lara Domjan said: “Eliezer Gilbert is an inspirational leader and project manager and his Shabbos Walking Project has filled a huge gap for us – he thoroughly deserves recognition.”

Eliezer, who received his accolade on Tuesday 1 November at the Arts Depot in Finchley said: “It is amazing, a massive honour, and I am very proud.  I would be nowhere without GIFT as they got me started in volunteering and then I took it to another level with the Shabbos Walking Project. I am thankful to Kisharon for nominating me, and I hope that we can continue to inspire young people to get involved with volunteering.”

The awards were organised by the Jewish Volunteering Network and compèred by journalist and politician Lord Daniel Finkelstein. Eliezer, a teacher at Pardes House School, also volunteers for the GIFT food distribution operation.