Although Harold Grinspoon is the mind behind the project, it's actually an active partnership. How does it work?
The PJ Library is an international initiative that is implemented through local communities. The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) partners with local non-profit Jewish organizations (Federations, JCCs [Jewish Community Centers], etc.), who make the program available for local families. Local communities pay $40/subscription/year. The HGF underwrites more than 50% of the cost of each subscription.
Is there a downside to expanding quickly?
Of course. The
growth has surpassed even our wildest dreams, but it does present its
challenges. We want to ensure that
each PJ community has the infrastructure and resources to sustain the program
going forward. We are working with
more than 160 communities right now to help them address this and we wish
there were more hours in a day.
I
bet! Can you keep up with the demand?
I am delighted to say that thus far, we have kept up with
the demand, and anticipate that we will continue to do so. We have taken steps to ensure that
such as employing a second distribution center to ship the books.
In
these daunting economic times, the PJ program has experienced stellar growth.
Do you have a maximum number of families and communities you hope to
reach? Do you have special outreach for smaller or more remote Jewish communities?
Harold Grinspoon would love to see every family raising
Jewish children between six months and eight years of age receiving PJ Library
books. We plan on continuing the
expansion of the program, knowing that it can grow broader by including more
communities, and deeper, by reaching more families within each PJ community
already launched. We do work with
communities of all sizes, as large as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and as
small as Shreveport, LA and Grand Junction, CO. We also work with Jewish Children's Regional Services, an
organization that serves families in remote Jewish communities throughout seven
southern states.
As
the director of the Library, what special challenges do you face?
I have been challenged by many things, including, as I mentioned earlier, helping to ensure that our communities will be able to sustain The PJ Library for years and years. An upcoming challenge will be how to embrace the digital age without compromising the very essence of this program, parents and children snuggling together as they read a great Jewish story.
For a woman who
spent her life as a classroom teacher, coming into this phenomenal initiative
has been challenging in many ways, but it has also provided me with the
opportunity for tremendous professional growth. I am both honored and grateful to serve in this role.
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