It is hard to believe, but it is the first of September and in Israel schoolchildren are returning to their classrooms today…hopefully excited, though likely sad that the summer has ended and the real work begins.

For many families in Israel the beginning of school brings a new set of worries-how do they pay for school books and supplies? Unlike here in America, families must pay for their kid’s textbooks. When you add the cost of paper, pens, crayons and everything else that is needed, the burden can be too great for many, particularly families who have endured the never-ending trauma of terror attacks from prior years. Though years may have past, the economic and psychological impact never really ends.

For one woman, now a widow after her husband’s death at the hands of a terrorist while at work, the burden of providing her child with the textbooks needed for school is more than she can handle.

For another youngster about to enter the fourth grade, returning to school was something she did not want to do since she had been using some of the same supplies from her younger days and was now embarrassed by their juvenile appearance. Being in the fourth grade meant she should have things that were more "grown up".

One family of seven is still dealing with the serious losses they endured after their home in Sderot was hit by a Katushya rocket. They now have to live in a small apartment and both parents are without work due to cutbacks and the time they needed to take from work to help their children deal with the trauma of the attacks. For this family buying school supplies was beyond what they could afford.

We learned about these families and others through our friend Karyn London, the social worker who works with terror victims at ATZUM. (http://ATZUM.org) We know that whatever funds we send will be used quickly, efficiently and with the greatest respect for the recipients.

On January 6 of this year we shared the story of Homerun Hopefuls, a small program begun by Brett Kalikow, a young man from New York. In 2002 Brett, then a teenager, was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic. A big baseball fan and player, Brett left his resort in search of a local baseball game. As we shared back in January…"Nothing quite prepared him for what he discovered. Baseball, we know, is a very popular sport in the Dominican but sadly the way it is played is not always what we may recognize here. When Brett came upon a game, he saw kids using milk or juice cartons for mitts, rocks for balls and sticks for bats. The first thing Brett thought of was how much equipment he and his friends back in New York had lying around. Shoes, bats, balls, mitts, jerseys, t-shirts…who didn’t have tons of this in the basement, the attic, or stuck in the back of a closet? The answer was simple."

We loved Brett’s idea and contacted him immediately. After learning more about his work we donated funds to help underwrite his collection and distribution for this summer.

How excited we were to get Brett’s email last week. Along with some great pictures of the trip, including the one above, Brett reported that he had 8 collection drives this year, half of which were organized by teenagers who learned of Homerun Hopefuls and joined the effort. Brett and two teens traveled to the Dominican Republic in July bringing with them the following very impressive list which was distributed to 20 baseball leagues and school programs in the very poorest parts of the country…430 baseballs, 117 gloves, and 197 bats, in addition to sneakers, socks, t-shirts and pants.

If baseball is your passion why not contact Brett and see how you can help? Brett tells me that he already has two Bar Mitzvah kids on board for this year’s collection. We are sure he would love to have even more equipment to distribute on next year’s trip to the Dominican Republic. (http://homerunhopefuls.org)

It was not difficult to hear the sadness and disappointment in Anita Shkedi’s voice when she called recently to share that she had lost funding for one of her longest running therapy groups at INTRA-Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association. The loss of funding was directed to the therapy she offers to the severely disabled. (http://intra.org.il) Here was just one more example of how the economy was affecting the most vulnerable. Anita shared that it was this group for whom the wonders of therapeutic riding seemed to make the most difference. Though the changes were often slow to come about and might seem insignificant to those of us who are able-bodied and independent, in truth, the therapy’s benefits were huge.

Anita went on to tell me the story of one of the riders who was affected by this loss of funding– the beautiful little girl in this picture. Her name is Hila and she has CP (Cerebral Palsy) which leaves her partially paralyzed with little control over the right side of her body. After numerous surgeries she is still unable to open her eyelids and daily activities are beyond her abilities, though she can occasionally utter words she learns at home or at the INTRA center.

I could hear the pride in Anita’s voice as she shared Hila’s progress as well as the sadness knowing that it was all going to come to a quick and sad halt. Since Hila has been with INTRA she has learned to recognize her horse and even calls its name when she comes to her lesson. She can sit on the horse with the help of several staff and even take part in games which help her with her stability, self confidence, and motivation. During the therapy sessions she is encouraged to communicate verbally and non-verbally with the horse and this has taught her to stop the horse by lifting her left arm slightly. Grasping the reins and bringing the horse to a halt gives her a real sense of power and being in control. Despite the need to rely on her therapist and helpers, she has recently learned to use her left leg to encourage the horse to move.

Though we could not help all of the riders who were now unable to gain the benefits of therapeutic riding from Anita’s very professional staff, we could underwrite the cost of one and promised to send the funds right away. Perhaps it will be Hila and she will one day walk on her own? If you have ever watched therapeutic riding as it is carried out, it is not too hard to imagine such a miracle.

We have written about Syd Mandelbaum and his organization Rock and Wrap it Up! many times (http://rockandwrapitup.org). Originally created to retrieve leftovers from performance venues, Syd’s work has grown in amazing and creative ways. From identifying new sources of leftover food which would otherwise go to waste, to sponsoring significant legislation that requires all federal buildings that serve food to retrieve leftover food and get it to local food pantries and soup kitchens, Syd’s dream of ending hunger in this country is becoming more and more realistic.

We were excited to see the following article in the New York Times last week. It tells a great story about America’s favorite pastime, about Syd’s passion and creativity when it comes to feeding hungry people, but, perhaps most important of all, the story of how one man who has never forgotten his own hungry days, works on Syd’s behalf.

Read on…

Nothing can beat the smiles of a summer camp experience. Most of us have enjoyed it either personally or through our own kids’ involvement in this traditional summer pasttime.

The kids in this picture, though, have multiple reasons to be excited about their summer camp. They are all part of the African Refugees Development Center (ARDC) program which is providing a summer camp for many of the children of African refugees who reside in the Tel Aviv area. (http://ardc.wordpress.com/) On February 18, 2009 we shared the story of Yohannes Bayu in this diary. Yohannes himself was a political refugee who fled Ethiopia and waited more than five years for the State of Israel to grant him political refugee status. Yohannes’ very personal experiences led him to respond to the plight of the thousands of African refugees who have arrived in Israel over the past few years and he founded the ARDC.

This past spring Israeli lawmakers considered several laws which would have either imprisoned or deported the vast majority of refugees including children, many of whom were born in Israel and know no other country. It was the efforts of ARDC and several other human rights’ groups that placed a temporary halt to this legislation while a more acceptable solution could be found.

With the reprieve came the need to provide some kind of activities for the many, many kids who would otherwise endure the hot Tel Aviv sun with nothing to do. It was here that we stepped in to help when Yohannes wrote that one of his most pressing needs was for funds to enhance the summer camp. We knew that this was something we wanted to do! As Yohannes wrote when he sent this picture…

The program is going fantastic, the kids are so happy, we all are so happy because of the success that we see. Thanks to you. The entire ARDC staff and 15 volunteers who are involved in this summer program are so happy to see such a successful program with the children.

We couldn’t be happier!

"What a wonderful weekend I had! You folks certainly spoiled us. It was a positive experience for me to meet other women who have/have had breast cancer. You suddenly realize you are certainly not alone. Although I don’t mean to diminish my experience, because it WAS traumatic and very frightening, other women have gone through so much more than I. I made some new friends, laughed a lot, looked inward, ate tooo much, and learned a great deal about fly fishing. I didn’t think I would like fly fishing as much as I did. Floating around on the lake and casting as though I knew what I was doing was great. The only thing missing was a latte! The staff was very helpful and patient with us. Thank you so much for inviting me and making me feel so welcome!"

These were the words shared by one of the breast cancer survivors who participated in the Alaska Casting for Recovery retreat which took place last month amid idyllic surroundings in the vast Alaska wilderness. Casting for Recovery helps women recover, both physically and emotionally, through the unique benefits of fly-fishing…a sport which uses just those muscles most affected by breast cancer surgery. Couple the physical benefits with a weekend retreat in a beautiful natural setting, surrounded not only by other women experiencing the very same turmoil, but also volunteers who are committed to making the event transformative in every way, and you have a winning combination.

As we reported in this Diary on March 17, 2009, the Good People Fund offered a challenge to the Alaska chapter of the national Casting for Recovery program–we would match up to $2500 for any new funds they raised this year. By all reports we received the challenge was just what this group needed to succeed. Cheryl Kline, one of the organizers reported "that your challenge particularly struck home with me and encouraged me to go after the $5 to $50 donations — and provide some more creative fund raising opportunities to encourage that."

We are so happy that the Good People Fund was part of the effort to make this weekend retreat a success. The Alaska group was a pleasure to interact with and we were thrilled to learn that next year they hope to sponsor two retreats which will allow even more women to participate-it seems that Alaska’s immense size makes it especially important to offer the experience in more than one location!