PJ LIBRARY—(From left) PJ Library Director Marcie Greenfield-Simons, PJ Library Portland funder Elizabeth Menashe, Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation meet at the first PJ Library National Conference.

Portland women address national PJ Library conference

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2009-05-14T00:00:00

Two Portland women spoke at the first PJ Library National Conference hosted by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation in Baltimore, Md., March 29-31.

Ninety PJ Library program professionals, executives and funders from 53 communities in the United States and Canada participated, including Portland funder Elizabeth Menashe and program manager Julie Diamond of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation. The two participated as panelists during the conference.

The PJ Library, a signature program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, was launched in 2005. The program now distributes 48,000+ Jewish books and CDs a year free to young children and their families in 125 communities in the United States and Canada. The PJ Library was established in Portland in January 2007, when a visionary group of mothers and grandmothers saw the value of Jewish bedtime stories and music and agreed to fund this innovative approach to outreach and early Jewish education. The program is administered locally by the OJCF.

Over the course of two days, conference attendees networked and learned from each other, from small groups organized by region to workshops covering topics such as Social Networking Boot Camp, Engaging Parents in PJ Leadership and Strategies to Reach Out to the Unengaged. One highlight was hearing from keynote speakers Harold Grinspoon and his wife and partner, Diane Troderman, who spoke of their strong commitment to PJ Library.

“Having witnessed the passion, skill and creativity of our local PJ Library community coordinators, I am further inspired to bring PJ to even more Jewish families across North America,” said Grinspoon.

Menashe and Diamond participated as panelists in a discussion titled “Inspiring Stories” that showcased innovative approaches to the support of PJ Library. They shared Portland’s unique funding story of having PJ Library established here by a group of dynamic and visionary mothers and grandmothers.

“Having the Portland PJ Library represented on the “Inspiring Stories” panel truly raised the bar,” said Marcie Greenfield-Simmons, PJ library director at the Grinspoon Foundation. “Julie Diamond and Elizabeth Menashe shared information about the innovative funding model in Portland, which excited many other communities who were at the conference. The passion of these two women is both contagious and inspirational, and we are thrilled to have Portland as a PJ Library partner community.”

“It was a privilege for me to meet Harold Grinspoon, the inspiring philanthropist behind this innovative and rewarding project,” said Menashe. “Mr. Grinspoon’s foundation staff is enthusiastic and very positive about the effective results of PJ Library.  It is already a success all across this country. It surprised me to learn that everyone loved Portland’s OJCF ‘Mothers and Grandmothers’ funding theme. To me, it is a natural.”

Portland’s PJ Library is currently in its third year and has more than 700 children enrolled, with room for more, due in part to a PJ Library Opportunity Match grant from the Grinspoon Foundation. The other funders in Portland are Eve Stern, Leonard and Lois Schnitzer Supporting Foundation of the OJCF, Lila Goodman, Renee Holzman through the Holzman Foundation and Shirlee Lenske. In addition, the PJ Library has received support from the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation.

The program is open to families with one Jewish parent and children up to the age of 6 years. With sufficient funding, the age limit could extend up to 8 years.

Initiatives for program growth in Portland include involving more parent volunteers, extending outreach to more unaffiliated families and exploring opportunities for establishing a local online presence for PJ Library families. To sign up, visit www.ojcf.org. For more information on the national program, see www.pjlibrary.org and www.hgf.org. For information on funding opportunities, contact Julie Diamond at 503-248-9328, julied@ojcf.org.