J

ewish Family Service gave out 
475 backpacks to client families 
during a two-day event at the 
Young Israel of Oak Park at the end 
of July. “It’s important to know that 
people get backpacks from all dif
 erent 
places,” says Natalie DuBois, director 
of Family Support Services at Jewish 
Family Service. “Sometimes it’s the 
store, sometimes it’s a hand-me-down, 
and sometimes it’s from someone 
you don’t know. Any of those ways of 
getting backpacks and school
supplies is a good way to do it.”

Getting 
 in Gear

B

rinkley Leder, 9, is 
looking forward to 
seeing her friends, 
new teachers and new 
students this fall at Wixom 
Elementary. The fi
 rst day of 
school, her mom makes a 
big breakfast of homemade 
waf
 es with cream, eggs, 
berry bowls and more. From 
work time to lunch to re-
cess, she says she is happily 
anticipating going back to 
school. “I like learning read-
ing and writing,” Brinkley 
says. “Reading, it’s 
like TV in your 
head.” 
She’s decid-
ed to keep her 
backpack from last 

year because she really 
likes it, she says, and will 
head into school mindful of 
the fact that she’s going into 
a new grade. “It’s getting 
more exciting,” she says, 
adding that this will be the 
fi
 rst year she’ll be getting 
“letter grading” on her work. 
“I never got that before,” she 
explains.
As the only Jewish student 
in her grade, she says she’s 
ready to talk with her class-
mates about Rosh Hasha-
nah, Chanukah and more. “I 
like to share about Judaism,” 
Brinkley says, adding that 
last year they colored Rosh 
Hashanah art and spoke 
about Chanukah as a class. 

“Whenever it 
gets closer to 
a holiday, [my 
teachers] ask me 
to come up and share about 
it.” 
Brinkley adds that she 
likes to help new students 
learn their way around. “I 
really like meeting new peo-
ple,” she says. “And if they 
don’t know where they’re 
going, I’ll take them there.”

Friends, Jewish 
Holidays and Fun

Brinkley 
Leder

AUGUST 25 • 2022 | 5

KARA LEE

