Hosting families from the south:

150 Raanana families have signed up with the Municipal Moked to volunteer to host families from the south.

Dozens of Raanana families have contacted the Moked expressing an interest in contributing and/or volunteering on behalf of the southern residents.

20 families from the south are being hosted in the city.

6 families from the south are being hosted at Kfar Batya.

Hosting Children, Youth and Students from the South:

200 children and parents from Sderot arrived on Wednesday 7.1.09 for a fun day, which was
organized by the Raanana Municipality.  The children were hosted by Bar Tov Elementary School and visited Raanana Park.

100 children and parents from Beer Tuvia are scheduled to visit on Thursday, 8.1.09, for a Fun Day
organized by the Raanana Municipality at Raanana Park.

30 teens from Kfar Maimon, who came from France to study in Israel, are staying at the Bnei Akiva
dormitory.

100 teens in grades 8 and 9 from Ashdod are the guests of the Mahane Olim youth movement in Raanana for a two day break and will sleep at municipal facilities.

Ostrovsky High School is hosting students and teachers of the dance department at the Ashkelon Arts High School.  The students will take part in the classes and study all the material taught including dance classes.  The children form Ashkelon will be hosted in the homes of the students from Ostrovsky¡¦s dance department who happily volunteered to help make their stay in Raanana a pleasant one.

On Wednesday, 7.1.09, the municipal communications center will host students from the Sapir College.  These students  study  in the television department at Sapir College, which is currently closed due to the situation in the south.  They will attend classes in television given by teachers of the department.

Special Needs Population:

12 residents of an Ashkelon hostel for people with mental retardation will be hosted at Raanana¡¦s ¡§Beit Chalomi¡¨, along with their staff.

The Social Services Division at the Raanana Municipality will organize a conference for associations for people with special needs to formulate solutions for this population during this state of emergency.

Raanana Residents and the Raanana Municipality Work on Behalf of the IDF and Southern Residents

The municipal education system is welcomes children, from the south, who are being hosted in Raanana,  to attend classes at its educational institutions.

The Raanana Municipality has invited residents of the south to attend the extracurricular activities organized by the Informal Education Administration, the municipal clubs, and the Municipal Swimming Pool, free of charge.

Raanana students have prepared care packages for IDF soldiers in cooperation with the
Association for IDF Soldiers.

Yachdav Elementary School students prepared care packages for the armored corps soldiers, in cooperation with Ricochet.  The packages included a personal letter from the children, basic products and warm clothing items for the soldiers.

Members of Bnei Akiva organized a campaign to collect important items and accessories to help residents of the south while they are in the shelters.  As part of the campaign, the children collected televisions, heaters, mattresses, blankets, clothing, games, et.  The Raanana Municipality assisted in transporting the items to the south.

On Wednesday, 14.1.09, Beit Levinstein Hospital will hold a fair for the residents of the south, where businessmen from the south will set up booths to sell merchandise.

Psychologists from the Raanana Municipality¡¦s Psychological Services provided professional assistance in  Ashdod.