On April 1, Holocaust Community Services hosted a truly meaningful event—the Spring opening of the Daffodil Memorial Garden, at our Delighter/Winston Center for Aging Well. 🌼💛 We were honored to be joined by Holocaust Survivors and students from Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, along with their teacher, Dr. Jeff Ellison. Beautiful music during the gathering was provided by talented violinist Aviva Chertok, adding a special touch to the event. Together, we reflected on the memory of those lost in the Holocaust as we observed the blooming of daffodils planted last fall as part of The Daffodil Project, which commemorates 1.5 million children who perished. Participants also painted stones to add to the garden, symbolizing remembrance and resilience. This coming year, we will also be creating an extension of the garden with orange daffodils, which will be named "Blooms for Bibas” - dedicated to the Bibas family who were killed by Hamas, as well as all victims of October 7th and the hostages killed in captivity. We will begin planting these flowers this fall as a tribute to their memory. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this special moment of remembrance, reflection, and hope. https://www.daffodilproject.net/ @thedaffodilproject #holocaustcommunityservices @bzaeds (fb)

At our most recent Gather and Give Back event, 20 volunteers came together to make dog toys for the Oak Park Animal Care League. The dogs in the shelter will get a toy to call their own and bring with them when they find their forever home! #gatherandgiveback #olderadults #cjevolunteers #villagecenter (fb)