Kansas City-area families will soon have more support for the important work of raising Jewish children, and it’ll come from the most unsurprising of characters: bubbies and zaydes.
Kansas City’s PJ Library and Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City have received $3,500 in funding to launch the PJ Grandparent Project. The seed money was awarded through the Innovative Programs and Engagement Grants from PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
“The PJ Grandparent Project honors the unique potential of grandparents to shape our kids’ identities,” said Bridey Stangler, Jewish Federation Engagement Specialist and PJ Library coordinator. “Over the coming year, we’ll be coordinating monthly gatherings to provide resources, activities and space to explore ideas about Jewish grandparenting. We’ll also host events designed specifically for children and their grandparents – or grand-friends.”
According to the Jewish Grandparent Network, more than 70% of Jewish adults living within an hour of their grandchildren help with the daily logistics of family life — carpooling, attending activities and babysitting on a regular basis. According to Stangler, PJ Library is well-equipped to help grandparents make the most of that time.
The PJ Grandparent Project will begin on Sunday, Aug. 11, at the PJ Grandparents Town Hall at the Jewish Community Campus (5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, KS 66211) from 1 to 2:30 p.m..
“We met with people in our community to determine the need before we ever applied for the grant, but the Town Hall will bring together voices from across the community,” Stangler said. “It’s a listening session, so we can find out how we, PJ Library, can be most supportive.”
Kansas City is among 29 communities to submit winning grant proposals, which were chosen through a competitive process open to organizations implementing PJ Library across the United States and Canada. A survey of participants in previous grant-funded projects showed that 87% of participating families connected socially during the programs, building friendships that allowed them to be more comfortable participating in Jewish life.
“These dollars have a profound impact on Jewish communal life in our partner communities,” said Tracy Newman, director of community engagement for PJ Library International. “The grants showcase PJ Library’s best practices for engaging a wide range of diverse families, enriching micro-communities and fostering a vibrant, dynamic Jewish community.”
“Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City is honored to receive this grant and thrilled to be part of the global PJ Library community, which distributes books in seven languages to more than 650,000 children in over 40 countries every month,” said Jay Lewis, president and CEO of Jewish Federation. “Seven hundred of those families are right here in Kansas City, and we’re excited to supplement the PJ Library books with high-quality opportunities to further engage in the Jewish community.”
