CAPErs: An Art Supply Drive by BJBE for Telpochcalli Elementary
CAPErs is our blog series that highlights the amazing contributions of our volunteers and partners.
The holidays are a time for giving, and our board members and volunteers are always contributing to CAPE schools. In December, CAPE Board Member Shaun Goldfarb and his wife Tara found a new way to help our students! Their daughter’s classroom at B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim (BJBE)‘s Early Childhood Center in Deerfield, IL held an art supply drive for the kindergarten and 1st grade students at Telpochcalli Elementary School. Telpochcalli is a school in Little Village that incorporates visual art, music, bilingual education, and Mexican culture into every classroom year-round, so they are always in need of fresh art supplies!
In keeping with the Jewish tradition of performing mitzvahs – or good deeds- the young students at BJBE were learning about doing good deeds and giving back to the community. The BJBE students decorated 25 gift bags for the Telpochcalli students and then stuffed them full of supplies from the class wishlist. Telpochcalli teacher Jennifer Klonsky and her students promptly put them to use, drawing thank you pictures for all of the BJBE students. Later, the two classrooms even Skyped with each other to say hello and thank you, and to sing “This Little Light of Mine” together.
The holidays are also a time for gratitude, and we and Jennifer’s students are so grateful for the thoughtfulness of the families at BJBE, and Shaun and Tara Goldfarb. This mitzvah project is just one example of the many ways that friends of CAPE support art, learning, and our work in schools across Chicago. If you’re interested in learning more about how YOU can get involved, please get in touch and join us for a CAPE Field Trip!