Thanks from JAM Parents

Dear Pamela,

Our sincerest Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to you and to everyone associated with the Summer JAM program! Ben had an extraordinary experience in every way, this was without question the most well run, well thought out and most valuable program of any kind that any of our three kids (Ben is the youngest) have participated in. Your professionalism and that of your colleagues has shined through in every aspect of the planning and execution of Summer Jam. It's amazing for us to see the personal growth that's taken place in only 4 short weeks, Ben seems to have been touched by every experience, place, conversation and person he was exposed to. You, Shmuly, Rabbi Sid and each and every one of the mentors, speakers, and other people he met have had a profound impact on him. Ben has always had a heart and soul of gold, but now his vision much more clear as he understands that everyday brings real opportunities to intertwine his Jewish identity and commitment to improving the lives of others.

Please forward this email and pass our sincere thanks and congratulations on to everyone associated with Summer JAM, we are truly grateful for your efforts and will always appreciate the difference you have made in Ben's life.

This Labor Day weekend we'll be celebrating again at the Pearlstone Center when another of Ben's cousins gets married in Baltimore, what a terrific facility that is! He will certainly join you there October 24th - 26th or any other weekend that turns out to be best for the group.We hope you are enjoying some well deserved R&R and look forward to Ben's continued involvement with his new friends at Panim.
With warmest regards,
Eileen and Bob

PS: Thank you for the Summer JAM blog site....it was a parent's dream come true and a chance for us to enjoy the program almost as much as Ben did!

Reunion!

Dear PANIM Summer Program Participant,

As the new PANIM Alumni Coordinator, I am looking forward to being in touch with you throughout the year. Please be in touch if you have any ideas about what you would like to see happen!

We are completing another fantastic summer of PANIM programs. This fall we are going to be trying something new…a reunion for all high school aged summer program alumni!

The reunion is tentatively scheduled for October 24-26, 2008 at Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center in Reisterstown, MD. We want as many of you to attend as possible! Please reply to alumni@panim.org with one of the following statements:

__ I am so excited about the PANIM Summer Program Reunion on October 24-26, 2008 at Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center in Reisterstown, MD. Send me an application right away!

__ I am so excited about a PANIM Summer Program Reunion, but I know that I am unable to make October 24-26. These are weekends that work better for me: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

__ I am not interested in a PANIM Summer Program Reunion, but I am interested in other ways of being a PANIM alum.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,
Pamela
PANIM Alumni Coordinator/Summer JAM Assistant Director

And the final count is...

It’s been over a week since Summer JAM ended. But the PANIM office keeps on rockin’. There is lots of excitement here because we just counted all the tzedakah money that the Ba’Olam committee raised during the summer for the Save Darfur Coalition. After several fundraisers, including four weeks of Shabbat-o-grams (notes written to fellow participants on Shabbat), as well as an amazing Jukebox JAM diner, the Summer JAM community raised...$303!!!! I am incredibly elated with the amount of money we raised, but even more so, how much time and effort many students spent raising awareness around this cause. The genocide of Darfurians, as the participants learned this summer, is at the top of the social justice agenda. I hope that the students became even more engaged and will take further action to help make "Never Again" a reality in their home communities for Darfur and genocides around the world.

-Lani
JAM 2008 Mentor