Chai Lifeline’s presence in the Jewish communities surrounding Washington D.C. as been dramatically increasing over the past two years. As more and more families are accessing services and tapping into the vast international network, Chai Lifeline’s family caseload, volunteer body, and programming catalogue has grown.

In the past three years alone, Chai Lifeline’s Mid-Atlantic Region has witnessed a linear trend demonstrating an exponentially higher percentage of their total family case load now are living in Potomac, Silver Spring, Rockville, and Bethesda. Professional relationships with hospitals have been initiated, and patient referrals between Chai Lifeline and the area hospitals are becoming multidirectional. Instances of patient advocacy have quadrupled in the last six months alone. Families coping with severe pediatric illness have a number to call. 

A passionate legion of over 85 teenage volunteers from the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Berman Hebrew Academy, and CESJDS, have all stepped up to meet the needs of families with sick children in their neighborhoods. On a daily basis, hospital-bound children are being visited by rambunctious, energetic, and dedicated teenage volunteers. Hospital parties and activities are being coordinated in multiple dynamic volunteer group chats by teenagers. Children, confined to their beds at home, are now receiving weekly “BigSib” visitors bringing childhood and joy back into their homes. Chai Lifeline has finally come to the Mid-Atlantic Region, and are making an astounding and outstanding effect on not only the sick children on our block, but the teenagers who are volunteering for them as well.

On Sunday, Chai Lifeline hosted a community-wide Color Run at the Kemp Mill Synagogue in Silver Spring, Maryland. With 80 participants, many of them sick children living in the immediate area, the dynamism and vibrancy of Chai Lifeline was on full display for all to see.

As the first member of the Board of Directors for Chai Lifeline’s Mid-Atlantic Region representing families living in the Greater Washington D.C. area, Mrs. Ahuva Orlofsky saw the Color Run on Sunday as a call to action for Kemp Mill. “With each passing week, Chai Lifeline’s indelible impact on our community is solidifying. There are more sick children that we are learning about and more families that are relying on Chai Lifeline as THEIR lifeline”-  remarked Mrs. Orlofsky.

The Color Run was a culmination of efforts in recent months to raise awareness in Silver Spring for what Chai Lifeline is doing for families with pediatric illness living next door and around the corner. In a heartwarming showing of solidarity and kindness, Chai Lifeline children, volunteers, and community lay leaders jogged around Kemp Mill Synagogue while being showered with colored powder paint, made of food-grade corn starch at stations all along the run. There were no sick children in attendance. There were no families in despair facing the devastating realities of pediatric illness on the course. A plume of colorful paint – as well as heartfelt laughter –  filled the air around the synagogue. On that day, in that brief moment, there was no illness. No darkness. There was only color.