The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2008 - Page 16
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^ Jewish Family Services
Want to Make a Difference? Become a
JFS Mitzvah Maker
There is no shortage of opportu
nities for JFS Mitzvah Makers.
They cook, they drive, they man
age volunteer programs, they
fundraise, they coordinate special
events and holidays, they visit,
they answer phones and help out at
the agency. In short, they serve.
And the people they serve love
them for it. Choose an activity that
appeals to you and become a part
of a dynamic, energetic team.
“Our volunteers are the heart of
Jewish Family Services,” Susan
Proctor said the agency’s Mitzvah
Maker program. “Our core staff is
fairly small, so we depend on
Mitzvah Makers to support our
efforts by reaching out to the com
munity. Through the years, they’ve
made a difference in the lives of
hundreds and hundreds of people.
The recipients feel blessed, and so
do we.” .
People can find what they enjoy
most and stick with it, We don’t
ask our cooks to drive or our driv
ers to cook. But if you tire of one
thing, there’s always another to try.
We want to make it easy for our
Mitzvah Makers to fit our program
into their schedules. Whenever
you’re available, we’ll make it
work for you.
Driving
Mitzvah Makers participating in
this program use their own vehi
cles to drive JFS clients to doctors’
appointments, the pharmacy and
the grocery store. There are ten or
so drivers presently signed up for
this program and we have a real
need in this area.
Driving not only provides such
a needed and appreciated service,
you also get to meet interesting
new people,” she explained. “We
have a lot of retired volunteers, of
course, but there’s an exciting new
trend going on. Stay-at-home
moms have time in the middle of
the day when their kids are in
school or at camp in the summer
and more and more are taking
advantage of this opportunity to
help JFS. They’ll have their
younger children in the car, and
clients just adore being around
babies and toddlers. The moms say
this is a great way for their children
to see how important it is—and
how much fun it is—^to perform a
mitzvah. Outreach becomes natu
ral to them, just another happy
childhood memory.
Bonds are forming all the time.
A number of our drivers arrange to
visit their “matches” outside of the
normal driving situation. They stay
in touch and become friends. As an
added bonus, all volunteer miles
are deductible.
Monthly Outreach Program
On the first Friday of each
month, JFS coordinates a program
at the Carriage Club, a senior
facility on Old Providence Road
where guest speakers cover every
thing from political issues to
book reviews to the Holocaust.
Musicians also perform chamber
music on occasion and a
Nordstrom Personal Shopper
reviews the latest in fashion trends
and the “must haves” of the season.
“The rabbis and cantors from
each congregation join us at some
point in the year,” Proctor said.
“Obviously we want our program
to be interesting to the Jewish resi
dents, but the program has become
popular among the non-Jewish res
idents, too. We’re fortunate to have
so many volunteers willing to
share their time and diverse talents.
We’ve definitely become a ‘hot
ticket’ at the Carriage Club.”
Volunteers are needed to present a
program or to arrange programs or
to get out monthly mailings.
Senior Outreach
Bea Gibbs, Senior Outreach
Specialist, heads up the outreach
program for our seniors bringing
Jewish programming to Sunrise
Assisted Living and other assisted
living and independent living facil
ities and nursing homes on a week
ly basis. She also provides friendly
home visits and phone calls. There
is always room for more dedicated
volunteers to serve our senior pop
ulation.
Administrative Assistance
JFS is a small agency with a big
challenge. There are phones ring
ing, clients coming in, donations to
be acknowledged, a data base to be
updated and maintained, e-mail
addresses to be collected and
entered, a website to be updated,
and mailings to get out and that’s
just a start. Whew! In a non-profit
agency, such as JFS, people wear
many hats. Pick a hat you like and
join a great team! Get busy serving
this wonderful community.
Cooking
Volunteer cooks take turns
preparing hot meals in their own
kitchens. Each cook usually cooks
once or twice a year. The dishes
are packaged and then stored in
Temple Beth El’s freezer where
they are then picked up by JFS
staff and delivered to home bound
clients.
The cooking program is espe
cially rewarding because the recip
ients are facing extreme medical or
financial issues and being home-
bound, can often feel that the rest
of the world is passing them by.
They look forward to visits from
JFS staff members not only for
home cooked meals they can enjoy
but for the company as well. It’s
easy for most of us to take things
like this for granted. When you
learn about who’s at the other end
of a mitzvah, it really opens your
eyes.
Tutoring - In a collaborative
effort with the Charlotte Jewish
Day School, Jewish Family
Services is providing tutors for
children whose academic experi
ence could be greatly enhanced by
some one-on-one time. If you are a
retired teacher or have tutoring
experience and a little time to
donate, we have some kids that
need you.
JFS Food Pantry
The JFS Food Pantry is stocked
with donations of food and toiletry
items from the community. The
pantry has become a well-known
and essential resource for clients,
especially seniors living on fixed
incomes and families with many
children to feed.
The need has never been
greater. Someone accesses our
pantry every single day we’re
open, and thatxlidn’t used to hap
pen. It’s a very unsettled economic
climate, and we’re glad to be able
to do our part to make it a little eas
ier for these families who’ve never
had to ask for help before.
Because JFS receives donations
from the emergency food program
Loaves and Fishes, the pantry is
open to Jews and non-Jews alike.
But the majority of items are pro
vided by the Jewish community.
This is a community that always
does the right thing, and always
rises to a challenge. We are fortu
nate to have a dedicated volunteer
who meticulously manages every
aspect of the pantry. Now he has
been joined by two equally dedi
cated volunteers. Together, they
make up the “pantry team.”
Keeping our pantry team busy
are the temples, the preschools,
Charlotte Jewish Day School,
Hebrew High, the religious
schools, JCC sports teams, kids
preparing for Bar and Bat
Mitzvahs.-.they all do their part
for JFS. They organize food drives,
donate tzedakah and help out in so
many ways. It says a lot about a
community when the next genera
tion is already showing how much
they care.
JFS welcomes anyone wishing
to join Mitzvah Makers to help
meet the diverse needs of the
growing community. All volun
teers are asked to fill out a HIPPA
form and a form listing their inter
ests, hours and days of availability.
Our volunteer steering committee
is hard at work devising an updat
ed volunteer manual and training
program. Everything is available at
the JFS office in Shalom Park.
For more information, call JFS
at 704-364-6594.
A big thank you to Temple Beth
El for their summer-long food drive
and the beautiful baskets they’ve
placed in the lobby designated for
JFS Food Pantry. Summer months
can be lean and we and our clients
are very grateful to be part of such
a caring and generous community.
Job Seekers Support Group
Sponsored by Temple Israel and
Jewish Family Services, this group
is open to all members of the
Jewish Community.
If you are seeking employment,
considering a job or career change,
you are invited to join this dynam
ic and supportive group. Pick up
tips for resumes, interviews, effec
tive networking and meet new
friends.
Meetings are the third Thursday
of each month from 6:00 - 7:30
PM in the Board Room of Temple
Israel.
Next meeting will be August 21.
For more information, call JFS
at 704-364-6594.