Community service

The desire to assist children and their families remains at the heart of community efforts on behalf of Jenna's Rainbow Foundation. We give sincere thanks to those who have kept JRF in the forefront of their minds and lives.

• Steven & Robin Rogers' daughter Robin embraced the idea of asking those invited to her 11th birthday party to bring a check for charity instead of a gift for her. Jaime received 13 checks totaling $580, all payable to JRF, please click here to read Jaime's note.
   
• Carly Janowitz and Alyssa Potolsky collected craft materials from the community and took them to Beth Israel Hospital where they sat and made projects with the kids. This visit helped the kids forget about their illness for a little while.
   
• Alex Greenberg organized a fundraiser through Art Kids Inc., for kids to design and customize their own cards. Proceeds from the purchase of the personalized cards were donated to the Foundation.
   
• Offer Kamil and Randy Smith, Jenna's Uncles in Los Angeles throw a pumpkin-carving party every year where they raise funds for the Foundation.
   
• Stacy Goldfarb runs a marathon every year in Jenna's memory raising funds for JRF.
   
• Jake Lazarus and Mark Wysoki chose to do a Mitzvah project in honor of the memory of their friend, Jenna Kamil. They wrote letters to family and friends asking for donations of teddy bears and board games. At a Valentine's Day party, hosted by Jake and Mark, at Beth Israel Hospital, cupcakes were decorated, toys and games were distributed and the boys read stories to the kids. It's hard to say who benefited most from the day.
   
• Justin Rocke collected video games and movies from friends and family. Justin and his parents brought them to Beth Israel Hospital to be shared among the kids on the pediatric floor.
   
• Cayley Kasten and Jesse Wachtel came up with a new twist for "Lance Armstrong" type bracelets. Together, they chose a catchy rainbow design and had "Jenna's Rainbow" printed on them. The girls then sold the bracelets throughout the community. At the end of the day they made a very generous donation to JRF from the proceeds of their sales.
   
• Alli Grabell and Alyssa Potolsky kicked off their rainbow lollipop business in the Spring of 2007 at the 8th Annual JRF Spring Fair. The lollipops were such a big hit that they were then sold in various stores in Tenafly and Englewood, NJ. Alli and Alyssa are now off to college. Their lollipop business is continuing to run under the new leadership of Gabrielle Aboodi and Lara and Emily Herrmann. These lollipops make great goody bag gifts! Gabrielle, Lara and Emily can be contacted through the Foundation on our website or by calling 201-541-7590. Alexander Scott Graphics generously donated all lollipops. All proceeds from sales of lollipops are being donated to JRF. Jackie Zenn, with the help of her Grandmother, transformed JRF t-shirts into comfort pillows. Jackie and her Mom brought the pillows and her own custom-made goody bags to Beth Israel Hospital.
   

Holiday Toy Drives: JRF continues its annual toy drives held in the Tenafly, NJ elementary schools, Smith and Maugham. Toys and gift cards are donated to children and their siblings facing the challenges of brain and spinal cord tumors. Toys are distributed both at a holiday party and bedside in area hospitals.

Carly Wolfer visited the oncology floor at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, The Bronx, with arts and crafts supplies that she selected. Carly spent an afternoon doing projects with the kids. She enjoys crafts projects and worked with her Grandmother creating pillows from our t-shirts.

The Junior Youth Group of Temple Sinai of Bergen County, worked together creating 30 pillows from JRF t-shirts.

The pillows created by Carly Wolfer and the Junior Youth Group of Temple Sinai of Bergen County are being sent to Camp Sunshine in October. They will be distributed to all the kids who will be spending "Brain Tumor" week in October.

Continued Community Involvement

In June 2004, Rachel Gerber arranged for The Blue Moon Cafe in Englewood, New Jersey to donate 20% of the proceeds of lunches and dinners purchased during community night. The funds raised helped buy small gifts to fill toy boxes at Beth Israel Hospital and Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

Lizzie and Jessie Shevins organized a candy sale at a Tenafly Middle School basketball tournament in March, 2004. The funds raised were used to present gift certificates to teens celebrating their birthdays at Beth Israel Hospital. Lizzie and Jessie also set up a dog contest booth and volunteered their time at the Spring Rainbow Fair.

JRF extends a warm thank you to the student council and families of the Smith Elementary School and Maugham Elementary School in Tenafly, New Jersey for collecting an abundant supply of toys for holiday distribution. The items were donated by Jenna's Rainbow Foundation to pediatric services at Beth Israel Hospital South and Montefiore Children's Hospital in New York.