Community InReach

At Families in the Loop, we’re all about finding meaningful ways to support each other through the journey of parenthood and instill in our children a passion for collaboration, community building, and social action.

Our Community InReach goals are simple: to energize and enrich the community and to ensure that Chicago continues to be a fantastic place to raise a family.

Have a great idea or an urge to get involved more in the community? Fantastic! Send us an email at community@familiesintheloop.com.

Getting Involved

Ready to get involved in the community, but don’t necessarily want to open a lemonade stand?  Here’s a list of things you can do with your kids to give back.

1.  In lieu of birthday gifts, ask guests to bring a book to donate to the Children’s Hospital.  Don’t want to skip gift-giving entirely?  Have the little one choose one gift (or a few) to donate.

2.  Invite your children to help you go through their closets to find clothes to donate to Howard Brown, The Ark, or Salvation Army.  And, don’t forget to be a good example!  Go through your own closet to weed out those old clothes you haven’t worn in ages.  Instead of having items picked up, bring the family to the center to donate the belongings.

3.  Create a cute coin jar in the house and, when it’s full, donate the cash to an organization that helps children.

Remember, doing a little goes a long way; a conversation with our kids about our community and the big and small ways each of us can contribute is a perfect start.  Plus, it also triggers the first tinglings of empathy and a desire to help others.

Local Organizations Making a Difference

We are so proud to be partnering with Bookwallah, a local non-profit that collects children’s books for orphanages and children’s homes in the US and around the world. At each of our events, we ask moms, dads and their kids to donate their gently used books. Together, we can share the gift of literacy.

a

Nest is a non-profit organization that provides interest-free microloans to women in developing countries to start and sustain craft-based businesses. Using an innovative micro-barter system, Nest also provides education, mentoring, marketplace access, and helps move women, families and communities from poverty to self-sufficiency.

v

It’s in the Mail

What kid doesn’t love getting his or her own mail?  For the past year and a half more than 5,000 families in the Chicago area have been running to their mailboxes each month to find a new Jewish-themed book or music CD, delivered just for them.

The PJ Library is a FREE program that sends high-quality, age-appropriate Jewish books and music each month to families with children ages 6 months – 8 years living in the Chicagoland area – with absolutely no strings attached (not even the ones on your PJs!)

To learn more and to register, please visit www.juf.org/pjilbrary or call 312-357-4831.  Space is limited so sign your family up today!