Chai Baby recipients grateful for outreach

By Deborah Moon

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After just three months, 14 of the 100 Chai Baby welcome bags funded by two grants have been delivered to grateful new parents in the Portland area.

“The response to the bags we’ve delivered thus far has been incredible,” according to Chai Baby co-chairs Michelle Katz and Heather Friedman. “People are thrilled to receive such a nice gift with wonderful resources and items from the community. They have expressed what an amazing program Chai Baby is.”

Through an impact grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and a grant from the Leonard and Lois Schnitzer Charitable Supporting Foundation of Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, the BB Camp Alumni Association launched Chai Baby to welcome new babies into the Jewish community with a bag full of gifts and information.

Chai (meaning “life”) Baby provides welcome bags within the first few months after birth or adoption. The welcome bag, which can double as a diaper bag, includes items useful to all new parents and some especially geared to Jewish parents.

Recipient Lindsay Gluckman so appreciated her bag that she wrote to the program: “I wanted to let you know how much my family and I appreciated the wonderful Chai Baby bag of goodies. We’ve barely been in Portland for two years and we are so impressed with the wonderful outreach that the Jewish community has had.  We look forward to getting involved in many ways around town. Thanks for finding us.”

The bags include onsies, spoons, snack containers, burp cloths, knit hats, American Baby magazine, tzedakah boxes, Shabbat candles and Jewish calendars, water bottles, Teddy Bears, a book, an Oy Baby CD and many other donations. Also in the bag are a host of coupons, information on signing up for the PJ Library (which provides free books to Jewish families with young children) and a Shalom Portland Guide to Jewish Portland.

BB Camp Director Michelle Koplan heard about a program to welcome Jewish babies into the community at a camp fair. Koplan took the idea to her alumni association; Michelle Katz and Heather Friedman signed on as co-chairs.

“Word is starting to get out,” said Koplan. “It is such a cool project. We received four cards in the mail yesterday. I don’t know how long the 100 bags will last.”

To volunteer to deliver bags, to sign up a family to receive the bag or to donate to the program, call 503-452-3444 or e-mail the co-chairs at oregonkatz@comcast.net or flying4kix@aol.com.