NOW THAT DSN HAS BECOME THE CENTRAL HUB OF RECREATIONAL AND SOCIAL LIFE ON THE JERSEY SHORE, FAMILIES ARE CLAMORING TO BE INVOLVED IN DSN’S ACTIVITIES TO MEET AND HAVE FUN. TO HANDLE THE EXTRAORDINARY DEMAND, DSN WELCOMED DANIELLE SHEMUELI AS ITS ASSISTANT YOUTH DIRECTOR, JOINING AN ALREADY SUPERB TEAM.
Recently, hundreds of people excitedly poured into the DSN gymnasium for the legendary return of the Pajama Jam! Siblings, parents, cousins and friends were amongst the droves of community members who showed up at 5:30 p.m. for an evening of fun and amusement. Kids were ecstatic, their eyes wide open as they saw the large-scale bounce house, a musical concert on stage by Little Rockers, a delicious dinner consisting of noodles, pizza and cucumbers, along with personalized balloons.
Danielle Shemueli, DSN’s new Assistant Youth Director, stopped counting after 200 people. She grabbed the opportunity to greet new families and ensure they were having a blast. She noted “I’ve been to many of DSN’s pajama jams in past years as a parent. Now that I’m part of the best team, I am able to witness first-hand how much thought, effort and organization goes into the fun being created! I loved seeing kids and moms dancing and enjoying it so much! We need to do this again!”
Pajama jams are meant to bring families together—for mothers to meet new friends and children to enjoy a night out. As a benefit to DSN members, there is no charge, allowing all members to attend without hesitation.
New members were blown away and in awe, while ongoing members were flooded with memories of pajama jams from the past. Jersey mother Sonia Cohen was thrilled. “My kids were so eager to get back to DSN for pajama jam night! The memories of getting into their favorite pajamas to have dinner and play with their friends stayed throughout COVID! When pajama jam returned, this time my oldest child whispered to me ‘I missed this, and Ma, look, they even have a balloon guy this year!’”
Due to popular demand, the next pajama jam is already in the works. DSN promises to deliver them on an ongoing basis! Frieda Shamah, DSN’s Youth Program Director, explained, “I loved seeing all the new faces of those who recently moved to the area, and also seeing every single child having the time of their lives while enjoying our building. This makes me so happy and is why I love what I do!”
DSN member and mother Danielle Bromberg added, “We were so happy to have pajama jam back! The kids all got to be together again and everyone had a blast with their friends—kids and parents alike! We truly can’t wait for the next one!”
Sammy Sitt, DSN’s Executive Director, summarized, “As we move towards the post-pandemic world, DSN needs to be at the forefront of providing social and healthy activities for our community. Pajama jams are one of many ways we are accomplishing that goal. We are super fortunate to have a passionate and hard-working professional staff who give it their all to bring happiness to children and parents. With Hashem’s help, DSN will continue to provide exceptional programming for the growing community.”
