Fall Festival Wrap-Up

Almost 200 children and their families helped the preschool celebrate its 13^th anniversary at the Fall Festival on November 4. In addition to preschool families, current and former, numerous families from the neighborhood joined us for a day of arts and crafts, games and prizes, a petting zoo, a moon bounce, and a performance by Rainbow Rock Band.

The day wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of so many wonderful volunteers and donors. I must extend a multitude of thanks to Stephanie Byrne, a preschool parent volunteer, for suggesting the Fall Festival in the first place, for planning so many of the activities, for soliciting so many donations, and for volunteering so many hours of her time. Thank you, Stephanie!

Thank you also to preschool parents Brooke Ringel, Alex Perry, and Elliot Golden for helping us set up and clean up. We couldn’t have gotten ready for the day without your help.

Thank you to preschool parent Amy Gura, former preschool parent Rachel Albert, and preschool alum Aviva Albert for working tirelessly at the face painting station all afternoon. 

To my former Gesher students: Dalia Fishman, Noah Krischer, Anouchka Ettedgui, Liora Ettedgui, and Ari Halpern, thank you for manning our game and snack stations. More importantly, thank you for showing your support for your wider Jewish community.

Thank you, Marya Runkle, for dedicating even more of your time to Agudas Achim. Preschool teacher Susan Auerhan, thank you for giving up a Sunday afternoon to support your school and your families. Gesher friends Jodi Rein and Jen Scher, thank you for spending your afternoon with us. (And happy 36^th anniversary to Gesher!) Thank you all for being such friendly and welcoming faces at the registration table.


Preschool alumni David Runkle, Jacob Sanchez, Margalit Dienstfrey, Virginia Arnold, Mary Arnold, and former preschool parents Arden Levy and Ellen Bayer, thank you so much for coming out to support your extended preschool family, and for helping us remember how much the preschool has grown and how many lives it has affected.

To my neighbors, Maximillian, Michaela, and Madison Islas, thank you for coming out to play with us. I hope you enjoyed selling snacks with Ari and helping out at the petting zoo.

Wegmans, thank you for donating apples that we could give away for free, and Krispy Kreme, thank you for donating donuts for our snack table.




Diversions, thank you for the balloons, and Greenstreet Gardens, thank you for the hay bales. Your decorations helped brighten our day.


To the Alexandria Police Department and the Alexandria Fire Department, thank you for coming to our Fall Festival to celebrate with us. Your police cruiser and fire truck were such a huge hit. And thank you Mayor Alison Silberberg for attending our event and showing your support for our community.

Finally, thank you to the Agudas Achim Endowment Committee for your very generous gift, which allowed us to get our Fall Festival off the ground. We quite simply couldn’t have done it without your support.


We hope everyone enjoyed the day, and my deepest apologies to anyone I might have inadvertently and regretfully left off of this list. We look forward to doing it all again in about five years . . . to celebrate our chai anniversary. Todah Rabah!