For someone who grew up poor in Western Massachusetts, there’s nothing like watching a preschooler grin as an adult hands them a new book. For Harold Grinspoon, that poor boy who became an entrepreneur and real estate developer, “if you pride yourself on getting a return on your business, you also want a return on your investment in philanthropy.”
Grinspoon visited Kansas City last week to meet with the Jewish Community Foundation and to celebrate the success of PJ Library, a project he founded in 2005. It has expanded from Springfield, Mass., Grinspoon’s hometown, to more than 145 communities across North America. With matching dollars from the Jewish community, every month PJ Library sends Jewish books and music CDs to families of young children, ages 6 months to 8 years old.
The only requirement — a parent or grandparent needs to request the books! And there’s no charge to the family. More than 70,000 children are now part of this innovative project, with an additional 44,000 receiving books through their preschools in Israel’s Sifriyat Pijama program.
The Grinspoon Foundation provides 60 percent of the cost to send a package containing a book or CD each month to participating families. Local donors and foundations provide another $40 per family. Greater Kansas City’s PJ Library project has more than 65 percent of the eligible families on board. Rosalie Eisen, PJ Library’s national community development director, who accompanied Grinspoon here, attributes that high percentage to successful community cooperation and generous donors.
“This younger generation wants to see community organizations cooperating,” she explained, noting that here local synagogues and organizations, the Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation submit names so families can be “invited to participate.” And local donors have been extremely responsive; unlike other Jewish communities, there’s no waiting list for families who want to participate in PJ Library.
The invitational approach is obviously working. According to Grinspoon, “this is not just about books — it’s about building community.” With an intermarriage rate of more than 50 percent, Grinspoon and other Jewish philanthropists look to creative ways to engage young Jews who are detached from the organized Jewish community. “Only 28 percent of interfaith families raise their children Jewishly,” he added. But PJ Library is not just aimed at them.
Karen Gerson, local coordinator of PJ Library, related a story about a young observant family who rejected the offer to join — until she heard her friends talking about the books they were reading to their toddlers. “She was amazed,” Gerson added, “because she thought she had all the books her kids needed. She signed up immediately.”
One local parent has been raving about the program since its inception here four years ago. “My husband’s great aunt and uncle signed our son up for the program when he was born,” said Tracy Shafton.
“Our daughter just turned 3 and we signed her up as soon as she was born.”
The Shafton kids are not the only ones who get excited every month when they get their books or CDs in the mail. Another PJ Library parent, Todd Schemel added, “These enriching books … are a wonderful way to snuggle up and end a day together in a meaningful way, exploring a Jewish perspective on how to live life. These books create so much excitement when they arrive and always inspire good conversation for us, too.
Eisen said they’ve collected more than 44,000 thank you letters from kids and their families. “A military family in Italy wrote to say as the only Jewish family in his small town, PJ Library has made a difference in helping them maintain their Judaism,” she said. But they’ve also received e-mails from Jews in large cities who, for one reason or another, weren’t involved with their local Jewish community. “PJ Library turns bedtime moments into Jewish moments,” Eisen added, no matter where the family lives.
“My husband and I think the program is extremely important,” added Shafton. “I think the biggest challenge my generation will face within the Jewish community is probably how to maintain and cultivate our Jewish identity. In my opinion, the PJ Library program directly addresses that challenge. We feel very fortunate to have the program here in our community.”
“Our donors are very supportive,” Gerson added. The local brochure boasts a long list of donors, both part of the Jewish Community Foundation and from the Jewish community at large. She sees it as a win-win for everyone. “It’s an easy sell to donors and it’s collaborative.” The initial letter from the PJ Library states that it’s “a gift” and Gerson, as well as Eisen and Grinspoon agree that: “you never know when this gift will open doors for recipients.”
Gerson also gave credit to her group of “12 amazing volunteers who plan PJ Library programs throughout the year.” In fact, there’s one coming up next month: “PJ in the Park”, scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Austin Harmon Park, 7727 Delmar in Prairie Village.
So what’s next for Harold Grinspoon? His foundation has already given away more than $72 million, and not just for PJ Library. Taking inspiration from the Container Corporation of America, which last century produced posters of great American quotes enhanced by art, Grinspoon envisions doing the same with Jewish quotes. “We hope to send 12 quotes, suitable for framing, to PJ Library families. And we’ll make larger versions available to synagogues and Jewish institutions,” he said.
Both local and national PJ Library staff and volunteers are working on keeping “graduates” of the program involved. PJ Library’s publisher, Marshall Cavendish, will launch an exclusive line of children’s books for the general public. A “PJ Library Goes to Camp” series has been introduced and “PJ Library Goes to School” is being piloted in six communities. “We get it next year,” added Gerson with a smile.
For more information or to register a local child for PJ Library, call Gerson at (913) 327-8143 or e-mail her at . To learn more about PJ Library, visit www.pjlibrary.org.