When her son Danny was younger, Jodi Newmark remembers even the simple act of going to synagogue could be nerve-wracking.

How is he going to behave? She would worry. How will people react?

Concerns like these might ring true for the parent of any young child – especially at long programs with lots of sitting still. But for Jodi, whose son has autism, the struggle was heightened, and often events specifically aimed at children still presented hurdles.

“You might have a wonderful community Hannukah event where most kids would enjoy the dancing and the songs,” she said. “But for kids like Danny, that sensory stimulation might be too much.”

That’s why today, Jodi, whose son is now a young adult, works tirelessly to build support for families of kids with disabilities in the Jewish community. As the director of the Encompass program at Jewish Child and Family Services, she played a key role in bringing about the first-ever PJ Library Chicago program geared specifically at families with children with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

The event, “PJ Shares: Helping Our Community,” scheduled for Feb. 22 at the Takiff Center in Glencoe, invites families of children ages 2-8 with intellectual/developmental disabilities to give back to the community through a hands-on volunteer experience making mishloach manot (Purim gift packages), tzedakah boxes, and more.

As part of Jewish Disability Awareness Month, this special program is a partnership of Encompass, Keshet, Jewish Child and Family Services (JCFS), and JUF’s Tikkun Olam Volunteer (TOV) Network – and reflects a renewed commitment to expand the menu of programming available to families within the Jewish community.

“Our hope is that this event will be the first of many others like it,” said Deborah Shub, Senior Program Associate of Young Family Engagement at JUF. “We are committed to creating meaningful, welcoming Jewish experiences for all families in our community.”

The Feb. 22 PJ Gives Back event will feature a host of activities aimed at children with intellectual/developmental disabilities, as well as siblings of all ages. The National Lekotek Center will facilitate sensory story time and adaptive play.

“PJ Library has impacted the lives of so many,” said Abbie Weisberg, CEO/Director of Keshet. “This opportunity geared toward our young special needs community is a gift. Thank you to JUF for bringing this to Chicago!”

The event will take place Sunday, Feb. 22 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Takiff Center in Glencoe. Cost is $10 per family to offset supply costs. For more information or to register, visit www.juf.org/pjshares.