For December Issue of Matters Magazine
Maplewood, NJ: Giving and receiving is on everyone’s mind at this time of year, but elementary school students throughout Maplewood and South Orange are learning that even the littlest people can make a difference in their community the whole year round.
They are taking part in a program organized by the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills (JLOSH), which introduces youngsters to the concept of voluntarism and encourages them to think about how they can actively help others.
Throughout this school year, league members are visiting the district’s elementary school libraries to give readings of the award-winning book, “The Littlest Volunteers”, published by JLOSH.
After class discussions on the values and rewards of being a volunteer, children get started on their own volunteer activities. This might be, for example, making courage bracelets and messages of inspiration for children in the hospital.
Second graders at Tuscan Elementary School were the first to join the program this fall. South Mountain PTA has got on board with plans for a reading event in March and similar projects are being added to the timetable at Clinton, Jefferson, Marshall and Seth Boyden Elementary Schools.
“It is wonderful to witness the effect the book has on children,” said Elizabeth Duncan-Pederson, JLOSH President. “Once they read it, they can’t wait to get involved in giving back to the community with their own projects.”
“The Littlest Volunteers” is thought to be one of the first children’s books geared to promoting voluntarism specifically among four to eight year-olds. It has received glowing reviews from teachers, parents, volunteer organizations and children alike since it was published in 2007.
Last Spring the book featured on TV on Steve Adubato’s “One on One: Making a Difference” show on CN8, and it won a Gold medal in the 2009 Mom’s Choice Awards, in recognition of its inspirational and motivational qualities.
The book comes with a story CD read by actress and singer Raven Symoné, and an original song, ‘Come On and Volunteer!’ by New Jersey musicians Ernie and Neal. To support it, JLOSH members have created an associated website packed with fun activities, advice and parent/teacher resources.
After “The Littlest Volunteers” program was pioneered in elementary schools in neighboring Millburn last year, the school district there accepted it as part of the grade 2 social studies syllabus.
“We have a saying in Junior League that we can improve the world one community at a time,” says Duncan-Pederson. “We hope that launching the program in South Orange and Maplewood will set children on the path of voluntarism and have a lasting impact.
“Studies show that children who begin volunteering from an early age can pick up important life skills, tend to be more interested in learning, and often carry on with voluntary activities as adults. That is the inspiration behind our book. It is a win-win situation for the students and for the people they help.”
As well as selling the book locally, JLOSH is working to distribute the book and program nationwide by encouraging other Junior Leagues and volunteer organizations across the United States to set up similar initiatives.
“It would be immensely rewarding to see a program that we have created and piloted here in North New Jersey develop into something that touches the whole country,” said Duncan-Pederson, who lives in South Orange.
The book is dedicated to all children who have a big heart and also inspire families to build better communities, reflecting JLOSH’s mission statement, “Women building better communities”.
JLOSH is an organization of women committed to voluntarism and dedicated to improving the health, education and well-being of women and children in the Oranges, Maplewood, Millburn, Springfield and Livingston through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Since it was formed in 1913, JLOSH has helped shape these communities in countless ways. Recently, members have refurbished shelters and day care centers; mentored children and teens in foster care; led workshops for victims of domestic violence; provided food to the hungry; and created a playground inside an empty lot.
They distribute holiday toys and Thanksgiving dinners to those who might otherwise go without, and thousands of children have learned about the dangers of childhood obesity, drugs and alcohol abuse, thanks to league programs.
Over the last decade alone JLOSH has returned well over $200,000 to the community and remains a driving force behind scores of initiatives that make the neighborhood a healthier, more vital place to live.
Next year hundreds of families will enjoy newly renovated, child-friendly facilities at the East Orange Public Library, thanks to a $40,000 grant from JLOSH and its continuing support.
“It goes without saying that fundraising is a constant preoccupation,” admits Duncan-Pederson, “but we are fortunate in being part of a community where ‘giving back’ is high on the agenda.”
JLOSH’s next major fundraiser is a Theatreworks USA production of If You Give a Pig a Pancake and Other Story Books, a musical revue based on children’s favorites, at Millburn Middle School on Saturday, January 30th, at 1:00 p.m.