43
JCC offers winter camp during school break
Photo
Raquel Allison decorates her tzedakah, or charity box, with hearts and stars during the winter camp Thursday at the Jewish Community Center. Today, children will give cloth baskets they made to residents of Heritage Manor, and Monday there will be a New Year’s Eve festivity.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
Youngstown
During school breaks, children can be at loose ends and their parents scrambling for care.
Sarah Wilschek, youth program coordinator at the Jewish Community Center, offered “School’s Out Winter Camp” this week to help solve the dilemma.
Though Wednesday’s snowstorm put a damper on attendance at Thursday’s program, a few children were at the “krafty kids” session. Wilschek said 12 to 15 children were expected but she and Jenn Bracken, who works in the after-school program, devoted their attention to three Thursday.
Part of today, focusing on giving, will be spent at neighboring Heritage Manor, a rehabilitation and retirement community. On Monday, children are encouraged to “bring their party hats” and learn a new dance at the New Year’s Eve festivity. Children may still sign up. Sessions also included play time and swimming.
Children made tzedakah, or charity boxes, Wilschek said. She explained the boxes are
to collect change which would be donated to a worthy cause. “This teaches them about giving and the value of giving,” she said.
Raquel Allison, 7, decorated her charity box with hearts and stars and colored it red and brown. “I love to color,” she said. She thought giving the money she collected to an animal shelter would be a good idea.
Her 5-year-old brother, Bryce Allison, opted for a “transformers” design on his box but wasn’t sure where his money would go.
Will Cleland combined Christian and Jewish holidays of Christmas and Hanukkah on his box. The 5-year-old said he also thought “transformers” were a good addition.
Wilschek, Bracken and Annie Hendricks, 17, a volunteer, helped the children make cloth “baskets.” These crafts, which can be attached to walkers to carry items, will be given to Heritage Manor residents.
Wilschek said the visit to Heritage Manor will be the opportunity to show the children the concept of “better to give than receive.”
Wilschek said the January-April program guide is available and includes other youth programs. Engineering, architecture and mechanics are some of the concepts used in “bricks 4 kidz,” which uses LEGO bricks to make automated structures such as ferris wheels and drawbridges. The sessions are for children in fifth grade and younger and are Tuesdays during January and March.
“Cooking with Sarah,” for students in eighth grade and younger, focuses on safety in the kitchen in addition to skills such as measuring ingredients, reading recipes and operating appliances.
Wilschek said Jewish teens are involved in BBYL, the B’nai B’rith youth organization. She said the group is gearing up to J-Serve Day, a community-service event at the JCC, on April 28.
Wilschek said JCC classes “welcome all.” “It’s the most basic programming idea,” she said, adding sessions incorporate the “value of accepting people.”
For information, call the JCC at 330-746-3251 or visit www.jccyoungstown.org.