Children and teachers at the Mandell JCC’s early childhood center in West Hartford wore pajamas in support of patients at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Mandell JCC Executive Director, David Jacobs reads to Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center students. Submitted photo

Submitted by Larah Winn, Mandell JCC

On Friday, Dec. 9, 2016, children and teachers of the Mandell JCC Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center wore pajamas to participate in PJ Day for the Kids, which supports and raises money for patients of the Cancer Care Center at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. 

As a part of PJ Day for the Kids, The Family Room Parenting Center, PJ Library, and the Mandell JCC Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center, wore pajamas and donated money toward the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The day was filled with activities that included a special storybook reading from Mandell JCC Executive Director David Jacobs, PJ Library stories, art, food, and fun with staff and children coming together with a joint goal in mind. At the end of the day for Shabbat, the children learned a lesson about Tzedakah: the joy that comes from giving.

PJ Day for the Kids was started in 2011 by a 7-year-old boy who was eager to give back for lifesaving cancer care his sister received at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Each year, students and businesses across Connecticut come together to show support and raise funds for patients at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center who wear their PJs while fighting cancer and other serious illnesses. To date, more than $84,000 has been raised for the medical center.

For more information about the Mandell JCC Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center contact Pam Powell, 860-231-6345, [email protected]. For more information about PJ Day for the Kids visit www.pjday.kintera.org.

Enrollment and membership to the Mandell JCC and its preschools is open to everyone. The Mandell Jewish Community Center, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT, is open to everyone and supported by funds raised by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, a recipient of funding from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford, and a member of the JCC Association of North America. For updates, follow the Mandell JCC on Facebook and Twitter, or visit www.mandelljcc.org.