Photos: Misameach Pre-Pesach Event

We all know the saying: “The biggest help is to stay out of the way.” Uttered by so many parents during the hectic weeks before Yom Tov, oftentimes that is really all the parents need: a slight break from busy family life so that they can prepare for Pesach.

But what if a child is ill? The parents have been in and out of the hospital for months. The siblings are overwhelmed, the parents perhaps unable to cope. This Pesach won’t make itself, and these children won’t entertain themselves.

Erev Pesach 5776. While the rest of the world was in a whirlwind, Misameach volunteers were doing what they do best: throwing a party. Hundreds of children attended, with dozens of Misameach staff members supervising. Parents dropped off their children for the day, and they were treated to a gourmet meal, a spellbinding storyteller, indoor rides, a petting zoo, arts and crafts by the Epsteins, a magic show, a fire exhibit by the Lakewood Fire Department featuring assistant chief Michael D’Elia Jr., Mark Rios, David Bender and Shlomo Cochavi, and a surprise visit by the Lakewood Police Department and Mayor Menashe Miller.

The event was sponsored in part by Tech Keys.

Events like these are what set Misameach apart. Misameach provides relief and entertainment when it is most needed, and they come up with unique arrangements to fit the needs of patients and their families.

It is events like these that have garnered Misameach nationwide respect. Doctors and nurses at all the major hospitals Misameach frequents have voiced their approval many times over, saying that the regular visits help their patients in the healing process.

Misameach’s regular services include weekly visits to hospitals and patients’ homes, family outings, birthday parties, live music and entertainment, magicians, professional clowns, arts-and-crafts activities, and fully-stocked kosher DVD libraries.

Misameach was founded in Lakewood in 2008 and currently services New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Boston, and occasionally Baltimore, Cincinnati and Detroit. with plans to expand their loving reach. As their motto has always been, they are on a mission to keep “spreading smiles.”

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