(Courtesy of JFCS) On Sunday, December 22, Chana Stanislavsky, youth director at Young Israel of Fair Lawn, led a group of children in a project to give back to the community. The group created a toy drive and collected games and toys to donate to Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Northern New Jersey (JFCS) which were gathered at their Chanukah mesibah.
Chana, a college student, and an experienced group leader turned director, is responsible for a program that teaches these students the true meaning of giving back. JFCS was thrilled to receive this donation from Young Israel. JFCS wraps each gift and provides them to clients who are in need, so that these parents can give them to their children.
Towards the completion of the party, as the parents started to arrive for pickup, a boy tried to donate his doughnut by placing it on the toy table. He voiced his concern that those without Chanukah presents would also not have doughnuts. Overall, the children were excited to see their efforts reach fruition, felt good about having done a mitzvah and were now a little more aware of ways to impact their community.
In the season of giving, JFCS and Young Israel of Fair Lawn are making sure that those in the community who are less fortunate can still rejoice. This toy drive was a valuable lesson in giving back. The students learned that it’s never too early to make a difference and that “doing good” can also be fun.
