This summer, I asked my son Jonah, 10, what kind of volunteering he would like to do. He said it was his “lifelong dream to read books to little kids.” (He is a little dramatic.)
So, off we went to the JCC, where Jonah spent a couple of hours surrounded by two-year-olds, helping out in a classroom at the Shalom Children’s Center. When I came to pick him up, one of the little boys was sitting on his lap and both he and Jonah were smiling widely. Jonah asked if he could come back the rest of the week.
In the car, on the way home, he said, “Something about those kids makes my heart want to go back.”
That is one of our family’s JCC stories. Another one is my daughter, who has had the privilege for two summers to work as an assistant camp counselor at Camp Ruach. This experience has filled her with pride, benefitting her in a myriad of other ways.
We are grateful for these opportunities and more, as we enjoy being a part of the family at the J.
– Pam J. Hecht
