Little Mensches - Big Hearts

Federation is proud to support Little Mensches - Check out this (adorable) video from their last event!

 

Little Mensches was created to provide younger children within our community (those between the ages of 4 and 8) with an opportunity to "give back" to the community in a hands-on, engaging and fun way.  Our mission is to "make the world better one mitzvah at a time."  We organize events approximately once per month, typically on a Sunday from 1:00-2:00.  Our goal not only is to teach these young children about giving back, but also to make community service a broader part of the entire family's life.  For example, we include older children and young teens as "helpers" at all of our events, so that they can do a "double mitzvah" - participating in the event itself and also helping the younger children to participate.  We also try to make each event a social experience for parents, helping them to make connections within the community. We are so thankful to Federation for their support of this wonderful program!

Some examples of activities that we already have held are:  We put together "mitzvah bags" for the homeless with items such as water, socks, toothbrush/toothpaste, hand sanitizer, granola bars, etc. and had families distribute them to individuals in need; we made Sukkot decorations and cards for the residents at Seacrest and then did a sing a long with them; we did a park and beach clean up at La Jolla Shores; we held a field day event with The Friendship Circle (a group that works with special needs kids); we made activity kits and a video card for children at Rady Children's Hospital; and we packed food at the Hand Up Youth Food Pantry; we were visited by members of the U.S. military and IDF and made cards for the troops; and we most recently decorated cookies for our local police and fire stations, then delivered them to the stations.

Our next event is this Sunday, June 28 at the JCC at 1:00.  At the event, we will be joined by a representative from the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, who will talk to the children about caring for animals in the community, as well as about dog safety (i.e., about asking before you pet a stranger's dog, not approaching strange animals, etc.).  The children will be able to play with a dog from the shelter, will have an opportunity to make some (no-sew) dog and cat toys to be donated to the animal shelter, and also will have a chance to help to bag dog and cat food that the shelter will distribute.  Anyone who would like to RSVP to attend, or who would like more information about Little Mensches, can email us at Littlemensches@lfjcc.org.

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