Blog
Day by Day for 75 years and beyond…
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela
Jewish Child’s Day (JCD) is delighted to be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022.
I have always said that it is a privilege to have had over twenty years’ experience working within the Jewish charity sector and knowing that I was making a meaningful contribution and improving the lives of others. Since I became the Executive Director for JCD, I have been overwhelmed to learn how many 1000’s of Jewish children today are still suffering from neglect, abuse and hardship right here on our doorstep, in Israel and in smaller communities around the world.
I have an innate sense of compassion, drive and enthusiasm and a desire for change. Luckily, so do my wonderful team and together we intend to drive the charity forward in its 75th year, by making an impact on the lives of these children and 1000’s more ensuring that they are supported, nurtured, loved and taken care of – so that we as a society recognise that it is all about the children, that they have a childhood and that they must not be forgotten. Small acts can lead to a BIG impact to Improve lives!
Our story began in 1947
JCD was founded in 1947 to give children and their families in Britain the opportunity to help children in Europe whose lives had changed dramatically in the aftermath of WWII. From small beginnings of a once-a-year collection on the first Sunday of Chanukah, the charity has evolved to become a year-round fundraising necessity. Our philosophy to educate the young and old on the importance of “Tzedakah” has never wavered and lies at the very heart of our values. Jewish Child’s Day continues to benefit Jewish children in need using grant funding to support hundreds of organisations annually to ensure that no child should live in poverty, need, pain or suffering anywhere.
In the last 12 months alone, we have succeeded to
- support in excess of 19,000 children by allocating around 130 grants to projects in the UK, Israel and other smaller communities around the world who are in desperate need of funding. Organisations who provide medical, educational, therapeutic and humanitarian aid, respite care, poverty relief and much more all benefit from the support of JCD grants. Our work knows no bounds and at the very core of our mission is to continue to impact the lives of children around the world suffering from physical and emotional needs, neglect, abuse, deprivation, lack of education and opportunities.
- allocate grants of £115,900 towards 5000 hours of different types of therapy, ranging from psychological, speech & language, occupational, physiotherapy to music, art and equine.
- allocate over 20 grants to afterschool and holiday camps supporting 800 children living with critical illness, disabilities, extreme poverty and neglect. With our help, they have had the opportunity to enjoy sports, music, drama and dancing – things that we all too often take for granted.
- work with 3 organisations to provide 29,772 meals for children living in the poorest neighbourhoods of Israel ensuring they have a hot meal each day.
- allocate almost £100k to 25 grants that were used for a variety of equipment and needs ranging from wheelchairs and hoists, hearing aids, computers as well as specific apparatus for two new playgrounds; a therapeutic garden at a children’s centre and a multi-sensory room at a school.
- provide two accessible transit vehicles for an organisation providing vital medical equipment to the wider community via a generous legacy we received.
75th years and beyond
We will continue to improve the lives of Jewish children in need – you can too!
2022, our Heritage year, promises to be very exciting, with planning well underway for new initiatives, events and challenges.
We are delighted to have the ongoing support of our donors and I would love you to join our journey. There are so many ways for you to get involved and allow us help us to continue to improve the lives of thousands of Jewish children in need each year.
For more information on Jewish Child’s Day, please contact me, Anthea Jackson, Executive Director on 020 8446 8804 or e mail anthea.jackson@jcd.uk.com or my team at info@jcd.uk.com
