JCC camps, PJ Library form partnership

JCC MetroWest’s Early Childhood Camp and Camp Deeny Riback in Flanders will receive 25 books from PJ Library for the summer of 2015. More than 50 camps around the country are receiving these books for use by campers ages four through eight to enhance Jewish literacy in JCC day camps in a partnership between the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and JCC Association. 

Through this partnership, JCC day camps throughout North America will enhance their programs by using PJ Library books, which include stories of Jewish values and assorted holidays, in their daily programming. 

This partnership and program is part of JCC Association’s Day Camp Initiative — a continental effort to raise the programming and profile of Jewish day camp. 

“JCC day camps are the entry point into Jewish life for over 65,000 children each summer. We believe by providing valuable tools to enhance summer learning and programs, we connect campers to a life of Jewish engagement,” said Shara Perlman, assistant director of camping and youth engagement at JCC Association. 

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Currently, more than 3,000 children from over 2,000 households throughout Greater MetroWest receive PJ Library books monthly through a program that has been in place since 2008.

“We are thrilled to be receiving these books from PJ Library. We will use these books to further reinforce the Jewish values that are infused throughout our camps on a daily and weekly basis,” said Alan Feldman, CEO of JCC MetroWest.

HGF currently provides fund-raising incentives and consulting mentors to 24 JCC day camps and 24 JCC residential camps throughout the United States. PJ Library delivers more than 144,000 Jewish books per month to children throughout North America, and more than 14 million PJ Library books have been delivered globally in four languages since the program’s inception.