By Laura Lane
While a student at Calhoun High School, he was a member of the Key Club, and he also started the magazine "Drunk with Freedom." It included articles about the local music scene, public interest stories and poetry.
Not having a budget, Edelman and two Calhoun friends, Ian Arlin and Jon Dab, produced the magazine at a local print shop themselves, walking the heavy boxes back to Edelman's home in Merrick. The trio would give the magazine away, and sometimes they'd get donations from people at local rock shows, where the magazine was also available.
Edelman was unconcerned about making a profit. What he loved was spreading the word about what was happening in the local music scene to the community.
When Edelman attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he wrote album and concert reviews for the college's newspaper. He was trying to reach out to the community again -- this time to fellow students.
"I was playing intramural sports, and was a rep for Atlantic Records on campus, helping with promotion and advertising," said Edelman. "Then I took a community-service class, and we were supposed to either become involved in a community-service organization or start our own. I decided to start my own."
Edelman's physical fitness community service organization, "Second Wind," didn't turn out like he'd hoped. "It was a racing and track organization that I tried to create to benefit Detroit kids," said Edelman. "But it took an entire semester to locate the kids, arrange the meetings and do all of the paperwork, but by that time I lost the support of the class."
You have to press Edelman to get him to discuss "Second Wind" further because he's a diehard optimist. Not reaching all of the kids he'd planned to help still bothers him.
"I did end up sponsoring two different events that were a success," said Edelman. "But my dream of establishing a community-service organization never happened."
In May 2003, Edelman met members of the Peace Corps when they set up a table at an event on campus. He was intrigued, and said he kept the idea in the back of his mind for the future as something he might want to do.
His interest increased when he came home during a school break. Edelman spoke to a family friend, who couldn't stop talking about his daughter's travels around Europe with the Peace Corps. Edelman listened intently, but he thought, "This is great, but I'd want to do something in my own country."
Returning to the University of Michigan, he worked hard to complete his studies, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. Then Edelman did what he thought was the next logical step -- he got a job working at a marketing research company in Manhattan.
Yet, for Edelman, something was missing. "I had no passion for the job, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do," said Edelman. "I began to crave what my friend's daughter was doing. Then I heard about AmeriCorps."
AmeriCorps is a full-time, residential, national service program for people ages 18 to 24. Members commit to a 10-month term and work on teams with eight to 12 other members on projects that serve the community. The projects usually last six to eight weeks each and can run the gamut, from helping to improve the environment, enhancing education to assisting with disaster relief.
Edelman quit his Manhattan job and joined AmeriCorps with his parents' support. "My parents would have rather seen me stay at the job, but they supported me," said Edelman. "My dad said to me recently, 'I got to hand it to you. You've done more amazing things in your short life than people have done in a lifetime.'"
Edelman said he'd always wanted to do hands-on community service work, and with AmeriCorps, he finally found an outlet. His participation in various community-service organizations in high school and college were always disappointing, centered on fund-raising. "When I went to AmeriCorps, that's when the light bulb went off -- yes, this is what I want to do."
Living in different communities for two to three months, Edelman learned what the people in the communities needed. He said he felt a part of the community, was touched by community members' challenges. He experienced a feeling of purpose that he'd never felt before.
Edelman helped construct eight houses with Habitat for the Humanity in Miami, organized summer activities for people with special needs at Easter Seals' Camp in Des Moines, taught educational youth programs in public housing sites in Minneapolis, and without any acting experience, performed in a social studies theater troupe in school districts across Colorado.
"In AmeriCorps, I got to do hands-on work that directly helped people in need," said Edelman. "The people in Minneapolis were immigrants from Africa, people seeking political asylum in the United States. These people had some of the most horrific stories I've ever heard."
Sometimes the work was surprising, like when the team was asked to pick weeds out of the flowerbeds to restore the Easter Seals' camp.
"Dave was the guy that kept things light and found creative ways to make the work fun," said Nate Kabot, a member of the AmeriCorps team. "He'd do something, and we'd all be laughing, even while picking those weeds. He was always good at bringing people together."
The experience of being in AmeriCorps changed Edelman's life. "Being a part of it definitely has had a lasting effect on how I look at money and the world, and how I want to spend money," said Edelman. "When I got out, the first thing I wanted to do was find a charity that I could have a long and lasting relationship with; I sponsor a child in the Philippines for Children International."
The experiences in AmeriCorps also helped Edelman discover what he wanted to do with his life. Edelman has decided to become a high school social studies teacher and is currently enrolled at Hofstra, pursuing a master's in education. He's already done student teaching at Oceanside Middle School and Kennedy High School in Plainview, which he said he loved. The career choice doesn't surprise anyone who knows Edelman.
"Kids really love David," said Leah Joffe, one of David's AmeriCorps teammates. "And he always came up with creative ways to engage students. I think his passion will wear off on them; they'll be passionate too."
Joffe said Edelman stayed connected to the people he was helping. "He always wanted to get to know everyone, like the people we were building houses for in Florida," said Joffe. "I think he had a more personal touch with these people than the rest of us did. And he's always willing to help people. He helped me by driving me out to Colorado to help me move."
Edelman was chosen to testify before the Congressional Committee on Education and Labor at the Healthy Families and Communities hearing this past February. U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat from Mineola, had heard of all he'd done and asked him to speak to help maintain funding for volunteerism.
"The funding is up in the air for this program," said Edelman. "A lot of what I spoke about was my personal experience, what I learned, how it affected me, and what I'll do with my life."
Edelman said he wasn't nervous speaking, but was in awe of Washington, D.C. Before the hearing, he received a tour of the Capitol and congressional buildings.
He plans to share his Washington experience with his students in the future, as well as what he learned in AmeriCorps. "I think social studies allows you to use certain examples to discuss right and wrong, and issues of morality," explained Edelman. "I hope to use the platform of history to discuss issues that are relevant to today, and I want to be involved in starting a community-service organization or be a part of one in the school where I teach."
Michael Fox has known Edelman since kindergarten. He described him as trustworthy, someone always willing to help others. "I think I knew before David did that he'd be a great teacher," said Fox. "He has always been someone who took the initiative to do things right and do them well. And he always had an interest in politics; it's always been about right and wrong with David."
If you know of any Merrick or North Merrick graduates who have gone on to make a difference or are pursuing unusual careers, contact Laura Lane at Llane@liherald.com.
Comments about this story? Llane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
