This Jan. 20, "Work For The World"

PHOTO: Volunteers assemble meals for Blanchet House at Portland Jewish Academy's Work For The World Fair Sunday, Mar. 10, 2024. This year's event, scheduled for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, will include expanded volunteer opportunities and connections to local service organizations. (Laura Jeser/Jewish Review file)

By ROCKNE ROLL
The Jewish Review
Portland Jewish Academy is once again turning a day off from school into an opportunity  for kids and families to make the world better.
Work for the World returns on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 20, from 10 am-1 pm at PJA – even bigger than before. 
“It’s a bigger production. We’re partnering with more organizations,” explained PJA’s Director of Admission, Retention and Engagement Sarah Glass. “It’s great to have so many other people around the table helping organize this.”
So far, Portland Backpack, Community Warehouse, Jewish Family & Child Service, Path Home, Blanchet House, Store to Door, Meals on Wheels, Westside Watershed, Resource Center, P:ear have all confirmed their participation, along with the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, PJ Library, which is run through the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Mitzvah Makers program for family community service. Some of these organizations will be there to reach out to potential volunteers interested in helping out, but most will have stations with hands-on opportunities to serve those in need. 
The expansion in programming this year is thanks in part to a grant program through the Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools and PJ Library’s national headquarters to boost engagement with both local day schools and PJ Library programs. 
“This is our big program,” Glass said. “We really want it to attract a lot of new folks to both PJ library and to PJA who maybe haven’t been part of our communities before, haven’t even been aware of us before.”
Work for the World launched in 2019 at PJA and, following a pandemic pause, resumed last year – though not on MLK Day due to severe weather. It’s certainly not unusual for community service programs to occur around the holiday established in observance of the civil rights leader’s birthday – for good reason. 
“It’s a great opportunity to give people something to do on a day off,” MJCC Youth Programs Manager and PJ Library Professional Holden Regnier said. “I think it’s really important to offer young families the opportunity to volunteer in this way.”
That last part is key – the event is open to children of all ages and their families. 
“A lot of organizations do not allow children, even middle-school-aged children; they don’t have the opportunities for them to come in and volunteer directly,” Glass noted. This is a really nice way for PJA and PJ Library to offer opportunities that are geared toward younger children; a way to do some of that service that they can’t traditionally do.”
Those families can do as much or as little as they want or as their schedule allows – activities will be open throughout the event to drop in and lend a hand. Glass also emphasized that all children and families are welcome. 
“If you’re not involved already with PJ Library, PJA, the JCC or Federation, we still want you to come and participate and feel like you’ve been able to do something for our community on that day,” she said. 
More information and registration is available at pjaproud.org/prospective-families/k-8th-grade/service-learning/work-for-the-world-fair. 

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