Chai Lifeline, the leading Jewish children’s health support network, has received a grant of $100,000 from the Ralla Klepak Foundation for the Education in the Performing Arts to support the development of new initiatives in the performing arts and bolster its Midwest case management program.
“Ralla Klepak, of blessed memory, understood the powerful role the arts play in bringing joy and hope to the disadvantaged,” said Rabbi Shlomo Crandall, director of Chai Lifeline Midwest. “This grant will enable us to carry on Ralla’s legacy of compassion and care through exciting new programming for children and families in our community.”
Those programs will include special musical performances, art and dance therapy, music and performing arts lessons, all of which will be coordinated through Chai Lifeline Midwest’s case management team.
“Case managers serve as the focal point for our families, assessing and evaluating their specific needs, coordinating their care, and ensuring they have the programs and services they require to navigate the challenges of pediatric illness,” said Rabbi Crandall.
The case management team works around the clock to ensure families receive critical services, including counseling and peer support groups, insurance and medical advocacy, meals delivered to hospitals and homes, emergency financial assistance, family events and retreats, big brothers and sisters, i-Shine afterschool programming, and more.
The Klepak Foundation has been a longtime friend and benefactor of Chai Lifeline. In 2019, the foundation awarded Chai Lifeline a five-year, $1 million grant to provide children in the Midwest region with an unforgettable performing arts experience at Camp Simcha’s medically supervised summer program. In 2020, the grant helped fund the inaugural season of Camp Simcha Without Borders Midwest in Northbrook, Illinois, featuring art-centered programming for local children.
“We are pleased that the case managementprogram will help reflect the aspirations of Ralla Klepak and her commitment to bringing education in the Performing Arts to disadvantaged and disabled youth,” said Miriam Solo, co-director of the Klepak Foundation.
To learn more about Chai Lifeline, visit www.chailifeline.org.
