Nothing quite prepared us for our emotional journey to Israel’s southern periphery yesterday where we met with the families and children who have benefited from the extraordinary talents of Shay Agmon, a masterful animal-assisted therapist who also uses his musical talents to help kids with PTSD and other learning problems exacerbated by the 2014 war on Israel’s southern border as well as the ongoing rocket attacks which periodically shatter the calm.  Nemo and Alec, pictured above, are but two members of the bird and rabbit menagerie Shay employs in his work at the local school (but nine miles from the Gaza border).  The Good People Fund underwrote two series of sessions and during this visit we were able to meet not only the kids but also their parents and school officials. After what was a very emotional ceremony during which we were thanked numerous times, we had a chance to speak privately with several parents. Each told us how grateful they were and about the changes in their children’s behavior. The principal, admitting that he was initially skeptical of the program’s value, asked that we consider helping to fund additional sessions with a new group.

As we got on the road to return to Tel Aviv we could not help but agree that the smiles we saw on the kids’ faces and the appreciation we heard from both parents and school officials made this a very special  tzedakah investment.

For most of us education is a given. We strive to have the best schools, the widest range of educational opportunities, to achieve as much as we might want.

Sadly, for children in remote communities across the world education is often nothing more than a dream which is why as we settled into our days in Jerusalem we were so heartened to receive this picture and a short email from Barry Hoffner, founder of our grantee, From Caravan to Class. Barry is also traveling and has just arrived in Mali where he oversaw the opening of CTC’s latest school to which the Good People Fund contributed support.

Barry wrote, With your generous support I was once again privileged today to be at the opening of one of our schools in the village of Kakondji. It is hard to express just how meaningful the new school is to the village. The head of the village pulled me aside and said “Mr. Barry, you know that one can never be President of Mali without an education. With our new school, thanks to you and your donors, maybe one of our children will be President of Mali some day”.

How great to be part of such a dream!

If you’ve ever been to Israel you know that there are two vegetables that are an integral part of the local diet — cucumbers and tomatoes. This melange of red and green can be found at every meal in a dizzying array of recipes. For our friends at Kaima, the organic sustainable farm that works with young people who have not succeeded in traditional learning environments, successfully growing the winter crop for their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) has been a challenge over the past few winters when unusually cold temperatures have prevailed in the Jerusalem hills. When Kaima’s dynamic founder, Yoni Yefet Reich, asked if the Good People Fund could underwrite the cost of a 300 square meter onsite greenhouse to protect the young plants we knew this would be an excellent investment of the tzedakah entrusted to us by our donors.

Sure enough — Yoni reports that this critical addition to Kaima’s fields has been a resounding success. In fact, in one day alone, more than 76kg (that’s almost 170 pounds) of cukes were harvested! In addition to the bumper crop, one of Kaima’s young participants is responsible for all of the activities connected to the greenhouse –a job requiring significant  talent and commitment — the very things Kaima instills in its participants.