Barbara Saltzman is executive director of the non-profit Jester & Pharley Phund. The charity is based on the book, “The Jester Has Lost His Jingle,” by her son David Saltzman. The organization works to benefit ill and special-needs children and literacy. To date, 325,000 copies of the book are in circulation with 155,000 dolls and books given to ill children and schools.
Saltzman edited the Los Angeles Times Daily Calendar entertainment pages before becoming the publisher of her son’s book. Now, she speaks to parents, schoolchildren, hospital patients, residents of shelters and other children and families about “The Jester” and her son.
The Phund’s literacy programs include Jester read-a-thons in which children read to give “The Jester” book and doll to ill and low-income children in their community. To date, children have read more than 28 million pages to give copies of David’s book and doll to others.