On Wednesday, we visited the Children’s Village in Karmiel, located in the Beit HaKerem Valley, between the upper and lower Galilee. (Read more here.) Established in 1978, Children’s Village provides care and support for more than 270 Jewish children from the north of Israel. Children from the ages of 5-18 are fostered by large adoptive families and live, along with each family’s biological children, on the campus of the Children’s village. The children come from all over the north of Israel, some originally from as far away as Russia and Bosnia. All of the children attend local schools and benefit from a large support network including not only their foster families (each with as many as 12-14 children), but also on-site social workers, therapists, and physicians. There are 20 family homes as well as separate quarters for teenagers to help them transition into the military or university.
As we stepped off the bus, I was surprised to see one of my former students, Li Milch, a recent graduate of The Ellis School, who is volunteering as a camp counselor at the Children’s Village this summer.
Once at the Village, our group group got an overview of the Children’s Village program before getting tours of the Village from some of the families and children.
I was pleasantly surprised, once again, to run into another of my former students, Katie Keim, also an Ellis alumna, who is volunteering this summer as well. The Children’s Village made such a big impact on Katie when she came with Classrooms Without Borders, that she’s not only come back to volunteer on seven separate occasions, but has started her own non-profit, A Dozen at a Time, which raises monetary and non-monetary donations for foster children worldwide.
