Lillian D. Wald, Harris & Ewing collection at the Library of Congress
June is usually a “slow” month. The school year winds down, summer plans are hatched, and the heat invariably rises as we usher in the Israeli summer.
This June is different. The ongoing war is taking a toll on everyone; it’s hard to plan amid so much uncertainty. Some evacuees, whose communities in the south were not destroyed, have been allowed to return ‘home.’ But red alerts are still blaring there, children are still running to shelters. The 100,000 residents displaced from the north are living in limbo, waiting to see if war will begin any minute. Even the weather is unprecedented. We are experiencing a heat wave of historic proportions, literally turning much of the northern region under rocket fire into a blazing inferno. And the captives remain in captivity with no end in sight to this unbearable situation.
The number of applications to the Lemonade Fund continues to increase, keeping us busy – but concerned – that the economic effects of the war are going to become more of a challenge. (Applications are up 28% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023.)
But June 2024 brought some exciting and positive things that I am really grateful to share.
At the Lemonade Fund, we were honored to be named the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Lillian Fund, the women’s giving circle associated with the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford (Connecticut). The Lillian Fund honors the accomplishments of Lillian D. Wald,a Jewish woman who championed the rights of Eastern European immigrants living on New York’s Lower East Side at the turn of the century. She dedicated her life’s work to advocating for women’s issues, child welfare reform, public health issues and world peace.The giving circle share a vision of a world in which all women and children have equal opportunity for professional and personal achievement. They support this by awarding annual grants to a wide range of charities and social initiatives. This year, on their 25th anniversary, they recognized the common goals of the Lemonade Fund with the inspirational story of their founder, who took action to help those challenged by both illness and poverty over 100 years ago.
In addition, we are grateful to have been selected to join the The Good People Fund family, a foundation that seeks out good people doing great work⎯on a personal scale⎯and supports creative efforts to help those in need.
To be recognized by these particular organizations, is both humbling and encouraging. What they share is the value and belief in the small steps every individual can take to make the world a better place. Our staff makes this vision a reality every day. We could never do it without every individual supporter, alongside these generous foundations that recognize the inherent value of what each and every one of us can contribute. And in these difficult times, this gives us hope.
