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A Day Away From the Violence: Haifa Kids Visit Water Park and Meet Gold Medalist
On July 24th, Israeli Olympic Gold Medalist Gal Fridman joined families from the Hadar neighborhood in Haifa for a day of fun in Tel Aviv. For the past two years, Gal has been an active volunteer with JDC-Ashalim programs; he participated in this 'fun day' both to spend time with the children of Haifa and to express his support admiration for their strength during this time of crisis. He signed autographs and spoke with the children, many of whom have been sequestered for long hours in bomb shelters since this most recent wave of attacks on Northern Israel. Those who participated in the day's events were from JDC-Ashalim's "Better Together" program – an initiative that aims to assist children- and youth-at-risk and their families. The program works with children from birth until age 18 and cooperates with other professional authorities in order to streamline and improve services. During this difficult time, professionals and volunteers from the "Better Together" program in the Hatikva neighborhood of Tel Aviv worked to coordinate a special day in support of their fellow citizens and program affiliates in Haifa. The Tel Aviv Municipality, together with residents of Tel Aviv and the manager of Beit Danny Community Center, helped to organize activities for the children and their families at a local water park. "The children truly appreciated spending time away from the dangers and worries of their life in Haifa," observed one of the parents. "With all that is going on, it means so much to these kids to have even one day of just playing and having fun." July 2006 |
