We at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation are excited to announce that 22 Implementing Partner and New York Metro Engagement Grants have been renewed for a second year.
As part of the renewal process we sent out a survey to all the families who participated in the Engagement Grant projects last year. Six hundred participants responded and enabled us to assess how well we were addressing the goals of “building community and social connections over time among families” and “connecting families to multiple opportunities to engage in Jewish life and learning.”
The participant survey results showed that:
- 78 percent of families connected socially during the programs
- 50 percent of families followed up with the social connections afterward
- 68 percent of families sought out or attended other Jewish programs
- 98 percent would recommend the programs to friends
Here is a quote from each of the renewed grants to give a taste of the impact on individual families:
On-Going Neighborhood Programming
PJ Family Fun Shabbat, Congregation Children of Israel,
Athens, GA
“I enjoyed bonding with other families. I grew up Catholic, and my husband is Jewish. I was proud of us for hosting our first-ever Shabbat, thanks to the PJ Library.”
PJ Library Power Hour, Shalom Austin,
Austin, TX
“I love going to Mom's Night Out events to meet new moms every month. It creates a great sense of community and have met some lifelong friends.”
PJ Library WOW, Columbia Jewish Federation,
Columbia, SC
“Bonding with other Jewish families was invaluable. There are so few in our community. It is vital she [my daughter] know that there are others like us!”
PJ Connect, Jewish Federation of Lane County,
Eugene, OR
“We are so appreciative of your program!! Thank you for stimulating my son's interest in his heritage.”
PJ Library Sunday Funday TOTS, UJA Federation of Greenwich,
Greenwich, CT
“I think the programming has been wonderful - very age appropriate. We love the Jewish elements which we practice at school and at home and then hear again at PJ Library events. The social aspect for new parents has been terrific - meeting new people with a common interest.”
Neighborhood Story and Song, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland,
Portland, OR
“The program sparked our kids conversations and interest about Shabbat and Jewish holidays and we are very happy about that.”
PJ Library Outreach Adventures, Havurah Shir Hadash,
Southern OR
“It was a wonderful gathering, my son loved the song, music, dance, food, and other children. Everyone was incredibly nice and inclusive.”
Collaborative Partner Initiatives
Plug Into PJ, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto,
Toronto, ON
“Your books and services continue to draw us into Jewish experiences that are fun and entertaining. Without them my daughter would have had dozens of fewer moments to learn and engage those very same experiences that seemed to come much easier when I was a child. Living in downtown today is more difficult to access those opportunities.”
Community Connectors
Ahava Baby, Center for Jewish Education, Inc.,
Baltimore, MD
“I really appreciated the mom's night out. It was great to connect with other moms without kids around.”
PJ Connect! Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston,
Boston, MA
“This program is fabulous -- please keep it up! We never had Shabbat in our home, and since we did our event we now do a mini version every week. Thanks so much!”
PJ Library Engagement Ambassadors, Jewish Federation of Cleveland,
Cleveland, OH
“We love meeting new families with children our ages. We are recent transplants and have enjoyed connecting.”
Community Connector Pilot Program, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles,
Los Angeles, CA
“Since our connector Jennifer invited us to an event my son asked me if his friends (from non-Jewish preschool) would be there, this provided an opportunity to talk about being Jewish. I explained to my child that the event / activity was only for Jewish kids and he said "like me"!“
PJ Library Connect, Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester,
Rochester, NY
“This was one of the best group planned experiences I (and we) have ever had the pleasure and honor to be involved in. It was amazing how bonded our group felt and how close we became over celebrating Shabbat and the holidays.”
New York Metro
PJ Play! 14th Street Y, East Village, Manhattan
“We enjoyed the performance of Play Me A Story and we would definitely come back for more!”
PJ Challah for Hunger, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Upper West Side, Manhattan
“Activities that we get to do with our kids like braiding the challah are really special and have a lasting impact. There are so few opportunities to do that kind of activity together. It was real bonding around Jewish values and traditions.”
Bringing Jewish Home, JWOW, Suffolk County, Long Island
“I am so happy to be able to join in a casual atmosphere with other Jewish families in our community.”
Cooking with PJ Library!, YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood, Washington Heights
“It was a wonderful program that my kids and I really enjoyed and brought members of the community closer.”
Kane Street Sundays, Kane Street Synagogue, Brooklyn
“The Kane Street Sundays program was wonderful. The easier it is for parents to get together in a positive Jewish community with their kids on the week-ends, the better, and Kane Street Sundays made it really easy and fun.”
It’s Time for Shabbat, Park Slope Jewish Center, Brooklyn
“The Friday morning Shabbat song sessions are one of the highlights of my week with our one and a half year old daughter, Yona. She gets very excited as we approach the synagogue.”
It’s Time for Shabbat, Union Temple, Brooklyn
“Wonderful program! I was looking for something for my 4-year-old after he 'graduated' from the temple's Tot Shabbat. This was the perfect program for him. We loved that it combined singing, conversation, learning, games, crafts and projects. It held our son's attention for the entire hour. We used all of the crafts made during this program in our home and continue to do so.”
Sammy Spider Project, 92nd Street Y, Upper East Side, Manhattan
“The show was so entertaining for both adults and children. It was so clever and funny! My son was so eager to read more Sammy spider books after the show and asked me to go to a play many time after. It was a full on family experience of enjoyment!”
Museum of Jewish Heritage, Battery Park City, Manhattan
“The programs we attended were well-organized and entertaining for the kids and adults (we came to the Purim Festival as well as an original play about coming to America). It's a great opportunity for my children to spend time with their grandmother who is a member of the museum and enjoys taking the kids to these shows.”
July 5, 2016