Who doesn’t recall with fondness reading great children’s books? Goodnight Moon or even the late Maurice Sendak’s, Where Wild Things Are? The benefits and joy of reading are things that cannot be introduced too early in a child’s life.

Another experience we all know can be transforming is the joy of giving. Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just created a new program which we love. Giving Works! is a brilliant idea. Children with "less" who normally receive help from others, actually have the chance to enjoy the feeling of giving back with this program. They are supplied with a drawstring backpack, some new or gently used books and book labels. After they decorate the labels and place them in the books, they visit a local school where kids are also struggling with poverty. Each child is paired with one in the classroom and they read and share the books together. When they are finished, they write the name of the child receiving the books on the label and give the books to them as a gift. What a great way to teach compassion and sharing!

We were excited to be able to pair the 4th grade at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Massachusetts with this great program. The kids studied the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, the study of Torah, all year. They educated people about literacy and collected tons of books which they donated to a nearby school which was in need of additional books. The tzedakah the class collected was sent to the Good People Fund and we have used it to supply more books to the Giving Works! program.

What a great match!