When Elana Ladd and her family first moved to Littleton, she thought the neighborhood she loved came with one drawback: “There were not a lot of Jewish families or structured Jewish community.”
Now, as she looks forward to her daughter Noa’s second birthday in October, her view of Littleton has done a dramatic 180.
“It’s amazing how many Jewish families live in Littleton!” she says with a laugh. “It’s been really fun to meet people, and my daughter has also gotten to meet other children.”
What made the difference between Ladd’s first impression of her neighborhood and today’s reality?
She got involved with PJ Library JEWISHcolorado—not just a little bit involved, but deeply involved. In addition to receiving monthly books for Noa, she serves as a Family Connector and attended the PJ Library International Conference last April. She also has received a grant to expand the PJ Library mission in Colorado. For this former full-time professional who is now a full-time mother and entrepreneur, PJ Library has opened a new world of literacy, social connections, Jewish values and personal purpose.
‘Books are so important’
Ladd grew up in Minnesota in what she calls “a very Jewish home.” She went to Jewish Day School, attended a conservative synagogue, spent summers at Jewish camp, and participated in United Synagogue Youth (USY). At the University of Michigan, she was vice-chair of Michigan Hillel, and she met her husband at Moishe House in Dallas.
As a young professional in the three-year Verizon Leadership Development Program, she moved every year—to Boston, Dallas, and finally to Denver. She first heard about PJ Library through Jewish Baby University, which was co-created by Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center and Rose Medical Center.
“I thought it was so cool that they sent free books with Jewish themes to kids being raised Jewish,” she says. “To me, it seemed like an awesome program because I think books are so important.”
A program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library, which sends books to children from birth to age 12, is made possible through partnerships with philanthropists and the support of local Jewish organizations like JEWISHcolorado. In the past year, PJ Library JEWISHcolorado sent out more than 4,700 books each month to 4,200 subscribers in Colorado.
“Noa sees the envelope arrive every month and immediately wants to open it!” Ladd says. “At 21 months, she knows what is coming, and some of the books have become her favorites.”
But the books were just the start of the Ladd family’s PJ Library experience
‘And we were all Jewish’
After Noa was born, Ladd received an email from Bethany Friedlander who is the PJ Library Manager at JEWISHcolorado.
“She contacted a handful of families in Littleton and said, ‘You live near each other. Are you interested in meeting?’” Ladd recalls. “I was a new mom with a new baby, and so I said yes because I wanted to meet other moms in my neighborhood.”
The first gathering of families was a Hanukkah party when Noa was only three months old. That was followed by a gathering at a pizza restaurant, and then a Purim celebration.
“Every group was a bunch of moms with little kids,” Ladd says. “And we were all Jewish! I thought it was great because I was meeting new people.”
When Friedlander asked Ladd if she wanted to become a Family Connector, Ladd says she “didn’t have to think twice.”
“I was not working a full-time job, and I was trying to figure out who I was in addition to being a mom,” Ladd says. “So this was just a great opportunity.”
Family Connectors are recruited from all around Colorado and are supported by Friedlander. They take the PJ Library book program one step further by leading Jewish community through activities for young families who come together for informal but meaningful gatherings.
In the past year, PJ Library JEWISHcolorado hosted more than 85 programs and gatherings for nearly 3,300 families. JEWISHcolorado continues to recruit more PJ Library Family Connectors, increasing the number from nine families last year to 14 this year.
Since assuming her role as a Family Connector, Ladd has organized at least one event a month, alternating family gatherings—including a day cooling off at Clement Park Splash Pad—with Moms’ Night Out events.
“When you have the kids with you, the kids might connect, but the moms are distracted,” Ladd says. “Moms’ Night Out allows the moms to find their friends.”
‘Covering the whole state’
When Ladd had the opportunity to travel to PJ Library headquarters in Massachusetts for the 2024 PJ Library International Conference, she was eager to go because it meant meeting PJ Library professionals and parents.
“I have always been committed to literacy,” she says. “I volunteered to help children learn to read, so I just love the concept of PJ Library.”
At the conference, she got a glimpse into how the Family Connector program in Colorado is different from other states.
“Some states have very few Family Connectors, and the programming is very formal and focused on a few neighborhoods,” she says. “In Colorado, we have a lot of Family Connectors, and we reach more areas of the state. I credit Bethany Friedlander and JEWISHcolorado for being creative and covering the whole state.”
“Family Connectors like Elana have a finger on the pulse of their communities, and they know what their families want and need,” says Friedlander. “They help new families settle in and find resources and, because they are physically based in these communities, they can find the best places to meet. These Family Connectors are really the lifeblood of PJ Library JEWISHcolorado.”
Ladd has also received a grant for a proposal to create a program called “PJ Pods.” Three families meet once a month for three months to do a Jewish-themed craft kit. The small groups build community with each other and carry their connections into larger group gatherings. When she opened the program for registration, the response was overwhelmingly positive and each pod filled quickly.
For Ladd, the neighborhood she thought had few Jewish families now has an active Jewish community of young families with joyful monthly gatherings and new projects underway. All it took was one new mother deciding she would use her professional leadership skills to make the world—and her neighborhood—a better place. And she’s not finished yet.
“I am always looking for a project,” Ladd says. “I don’t like to sit still.”