Watching my daughter on Good Deeds Day

By Amy Weiss • JFCS Community Services Director

 

“I planted flowers for the environment, made a blanket for animals at the Animal Humane Society, made a tzedakah box, packed a bag of supplies for a homeless person, made a card for a soldier and packed a bag of baby supplies for a new mom in the hospital.” That is how my daughter proudly described her experience at Good Deeds Day.

 

As a parent, I would describe it as an opportunity for us to put our words into action—showing her how small acts of kindness can have a big impact.

 

Some of the activities, like making tie blankets for the Animal Humane Society, were great for us to do together, while others, like making a card for soldiers, was something she wanted to do on her own. The JFCS NextGen volunteers were great at demonstrating the project and engaging her in conversation to help her understand what she was doing and why. When making the tzedakah box, the volunteer asked my daughter to share where she would like to donate her tzedakah, which launched another whole conversation about causes and issues that are important to her.

 

You hope as a parent that the values of tzedakah and tikkun olam (repair of the world) resonate with your kids, but until you see them doing the projects willingly and understanding how their efforts will make a difference, you really don’t know.