Around 700 to 800 volunteers are expected to participate in CESJDS’ annual Families in Action Day on Sunday, April 2, 2017. Families can engage in a variety of activities that will help local and even international communities in need.

Parent Association President Sue Longman has been leading an activity called Operation Embrace for the past three years. Together with volunteers, Longman makes tote bags and other small items to support families in Israel who have been victims of terror attacks, so that they know that people are thinking about them.

“I think about the things that the Parent Association strives to help out in regards to the core values of repairing the world, community, and loving your neighbor, and I think that Families in Action Day embodies that,” Longman said.

Both students and parents can register for Families in Action Day online, where they can view all of the volunteering opportunities and register for a service project of their choice.

Some of the activities at CESJDS include “Passover Cards” and “Support the Girls Collection.” There are even more options off-campus, such as “Kindergarten Sing,” “Cycle Class” and “Tech Cafe.”. The day will end with a barbecue dinner at the JDS Lower School.

Freshman Jeremy Lazoff has attended Families in Action Day for ten consecutive years. He enjoys spending time with both his friends and family and describes the event as “a bonding experience” for them.

“I think it’s important for everybody to do so that everybody feels that sense of community, which we really value here at CESJDS,” Lazoff said.

One of Lazoff’s favorite activities is making peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless in a team-building activity. He says that anyone who does not participate will end up “wishing that they did do it.”

Monica Abrams, a member of the JDS board, has four children attending the school. Abrams feels that one of the most important things about the day is that “it’s a good example for the kids to go do something.”

Abrams has attended the event for five years with her family and has done various activities including making and packaging foods for people in need. She said that Families in Action Day is an accessible and easy way to take her kids out in order to do something good for others.

“I know we are very fortunate and there are a lot of people who aren’t, and I think that it is something that we owe society: To help,” Abrams said.