JEWISHcolorado partners with Grinspoon Foundation’s Flagship Program

The free book program reaches thousands of children statewide

PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), is celebrating the delivery of its 50 millionth free book to Jewish families this summer. What started out in 2005 as a small project in Western Massachusetts has now grown to affect the lives of millions of Jewish children worldwide, including thousands of children in Colorado.  Books are translated into seven languages and then delivered to more than 680,000 kids each month across more than 35 countries.

In Colorado, the program is made possible by JEWISHcolorado’s partnership with the Grinspoon Foundation. Across North America, Grinspoon also partners with nearly 200 communities to reach more than 240,000 children per month. JEWISHcolorado has partnered with the HGF to bring more than 4,500 PJ Library books to children statewide each month including in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs, and Durango. Harold Grinspoon recently visited Denver to help raise dollars and awareness for the Colorado program.

This 50 millionth book milestone would not be possible without PJ Library’s incredible international growth. In 2009, the HGF launched Sifriyat Pijama in Israel through its sister organization Keren Grinspoon Israel. Since that time, the HGF has partnered with philanthropists around the world to open programs in Latin America, Europe, Russia, and the Pacific Rim.

PJ Library is funded by the HGF and forward-thinking donors, including generous philanthropists and foundations, Jewish communal organizations, and many individual donors who have found joy through PJ Library. “We couldn’t have reached this amazing milestone without the help of our philanthropic partners,” said Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Said one Colorado parent, “My 2-and-a-half-year-old, Anna, loves opening up her PJ books in the mail! It is always a fun surprise to see what Jewish holiday or value the book covers. Now that we have been getting them since she turned 6 months old, we have a little library. Before bed, we always read at least three books, and she always chooses at least one of her PJ Library books.”

To find out more, or to sign up for your free books, visit https://www.jewishcolorado.org/pj-library/