Pathways to Jewish Experiences with PJ Library and Camp Laurelwood

New Haven-area families raising Jewish children will now have more opportunities to participate in Jewish life, thanks to a grant recently awarded by PJ Library®, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that provides free books to families raising Jewish children all over the world.

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven received $15,000 to launch PJ Library Presents: Pathways to Jewish Experiences, which, together with Camp Laurelwood, will offer monthly programs with opportunities for families to "do Jewish" together, culminating with a family weekend retreat at Camp Laurelwood, June 10-12, 2022.

Tracy Newman, Director of Community Engagement for PJ Library, says, “These grants reflect incredible creativity and flexibility in how our implementing partners are approaching our work during this unprecedented time. All funded grants showcase PJ Library’s best practices on engaging families in Jewish life while adapting to the current realities of virtual and social-distancing modalities.” 

 “The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven is honored to receive this grant and thrilled to be part of the global PJ Library community reaching more than 667,000 children and their families across 32 countries” said CEO, Judy Alperin. 

The 13 winning grant proposals were chosen through a competitive process open to organizations implementing PJ Library across the United States and Canada.

A SURVEY OF 800 PARTICIPANTS IN PREVIOUS GRANT-FUNDED PROJECTS SHOWED:

85% of families connected socially during the programs

64% of families followed up with the social connections afterward

76% of families sought out or attended other Jewish programs

99% would recommend the programs to friends

“PJ Library’s impact goes well beyond the more than 251,000 books we send out each month across the United States and Canada,” said Debbi Cooper, Director of Engagement for PJ Library. “We have worked closely with our local partners for over a decade to help advance Jewish family engagement, and we are grateful to be able to add financial support to help ensure the success of great initiatives.”

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR PJ LIBRARY ALLIANCE PARTNERS WHO HAVE JOINED THE HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION IN FUNDING THESE ENGAGEMENT GRANTS: 

William Davidson Foundation; The Marcus Foundation, Inc.; The Azreili Foundation; Genesis Philanthropy Group; Jim Joseph Foundation; The Micah Foundation; Sam Berman Charitable Foundation; Carl & Joann Bianco; The Crown Family; Marilyn Einstein & Steven Sim Charitable Fund; Dr. Steven Grinspoon; Klaff Family Foundation; One8 Foundation; Howard & Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; Stephen and Bebe Saks Family Foundation; Sherrie R. Savett Family Foundation; Mike & Sofia Segal Family Foundation; Susser Family Trust Walter, Arnee, Sarah, & Aaron Winshall; Zucker Family Foundation and three anonymous partners. 

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