by Elyse Ingber
Jump for joy. Jump for Jenny. Jump-A-Thon. Jump for Colorectal Cancer Research.
Wait, what? What is all of this jumping?
Through Jewish Book Council, Sid Jacobson JCC engaged Ellen Bari, author of Jumping Jenny, to entertain the children of our Early Childhood Center on November 16. Ellen worked with both the Center for the Arts and the Early Childhood Center directors and teachers to develop a multi-media program to capture the attention of our 2‑, 3‑, and 4‑year olds. The students colored cut-outs of Jenny, the book’s main character, and our pre-sale of the book ensured that they went home with a signed copy. It was an incredibly successful day.
But it wasn’t over!
Inspired by Jumping Jenny, the children decided that, like Jenny, they could use their jumping for good. And so, the Jump-A-Thon was born. On November 30, parents and friends sponsored children at both the JCC and Brookville campus Bernice Jacobson Day School & Camp for a penny a jump in honor of an Early Childhood Center teacher who was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. In total, the center jumped 8,812 times and raised over $2,000 for the Colon Cancer Alliance.
There was tzedakah, there was laughter, there was a connection to a book that urged us to make a difference. And, yes, we jumped for joy.
Elyse Ingber is the director of performance and visual arts at the Sid Jacobson JCC.
