Camp Gan Yisroel

There are countless Gan Yisroel camps all over the world, all inspired by Gan Yisroel Parksville, the brain-child of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, all run by His emissaries and therefore infused with his energy, power and blessings. As a child i attended them, as a teenager i worked in them, and now that my child is of age, he gets to be a Gan Yisroel camper too.

Being that yossi is a special needs child i never thought it possible, but thanks to the K2BK  (kool to be kind) pilot program, Yossi is now a virtual camper at Camp Gan Yisroel of Martin/S. Lucie County Florida and we are seeing the Rebbe;s blessings first hand.

After a wonderful time last year, receiving videos and projects from the campers, Yossi started off the season by donning his camp t-shirt and joining a spirited line-up on the first day of camp via video chat. yossi has been having trouble verbalizing lately (side effect of one of his meds)  so he just watched smiling from ear to ear. however the minute we hung up he clearly asked 'more more'  so we were compelled to call right back and the phone was passed around among  the campers much to his delight.

i never knew that speech therapy was included but you can never underestimate the power of jewish children and the power of a rebbe!  yossi gets so excited every time we say 'camp gan izzy' and we cant to see what else this season has in store!

From Florida with Love

Our annual trip to Florida as become a ritual of sorts.  we visit with relatives during the week and then go for shabbos to visit a bunch of friends all concentrated in one area. i really look forward to this trip its a chance to recharge and maintain connections with the people we love. 

I like my friend's shul too. the rabbi is very welcoming and there is a great mix of lovely friendly people in attendance.  on our most recent trip, a gentleman i dont know approached us at the kiddush.  as he started to ask about yossi's age and condition i was expecting to be bombarded with tons of nosy questions and unsolicited medical advice.

 i was completely floored when he said the following:

'i see that yossi really likes the electronic toy he is playing with . our child has alot of these types of toys  and with the recent birth of our second child, our friends gave us even more. we have so many and we dont need them- can we ship you a box for yossi to enjoy?' 

to say i was caught  off guard is an understatement. the offer was unexpected, humbling, and encourgaing.  how very wonderful and thoughtful this man is. his children are very fortunate to have such a perceptive parent and with any luck they will grow up to be as kind and selfless as he. 

this week the promised box came in the mail along with a gift card to purchase more items. yossi was excited about everything in the box and has already picked out his favorite.  and as for me, im overcome with emotion, watching yossi play and feeling the love all the way from florida.