Join in Jewish Women International’s two-part
children’s library project in Baltimore, MD!

JWI is pleased to announce fundraising has begun for the newest additions to our National Library Initiative, at the House Of Ruth Maryland and the offices of CHANA in Baltimore, MD. We will be outfitting both organizations with a vibrant new space – complete with kid-sized table and chairs, new bookshelves, a computer, bright rug and rocking chairs for mothers and children. JWI will also stock the shelves with hundreds of books for children of all ages.

JWI is engaging the Baltimore community to raise $40,000 for these two children’s libraries, plus an additional bookshelf for CHANA’s safehouse. House Of Ruth Maryland provides emergency and transitional housing for some 550 battered women and children each year. This includes hot meals, case management, counsel­ing, health care services, legal and child care services, basic toiletries and daily living items. CHANA: Counseling, Helpline & Aid Network for Abused Women helps domestic violence victims in the Jewish community with support, counseling, legal services and other assistance. CHANA serves more than 200 women and children each year. JWI is committed to ensuring that these librar­ies remain stocked with books for years to come. Library volunteers can also get involved in long-term support in a variety of ways.

By engaging the entire Baltimore community for support at all levels, we look forward to reaching the $20,000 necessary to get these libraries filled with the initial installment of books and furniture by the start of the school year. The second $20,000 will provide the technological components (computer and printer) as well as ensure the long-term sustainability of the libraries through constant restocking of the shelves and efforts to engage a network of ongoing volunteers.

These new JWI libraries will offer young residents a safe haven within the shelters, where they can share story time with their mothers, keep up with their schoolwork and temporarily escape from their troubled circumstances into the world of a book. Children even get to keep a favorite book to start their own libraries when they leave the shelters for permanent housing. Your assistance will ensure that thousands of children benefit from this opportunity to keep up with their reading skills.

Please consider making a contribution to these children’s libraries today. Just five dollars could put two books in the hands of a child in need. Fifty dollars could provide 20 books – nearly a full shelf! Your gift of any amount can bring smiles to the youngest victims of domestic violence.

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