The Charlotte Jewish News -October 2014 - Page 13
BJH Foundation Grants Make an Impact on the Lives of Jewish
Seniors Throughout the Carolinas
Charlotte Non-Profits Awarded Grants
Greensboro, NC - Eaeh year,
grants from the BJH Foundation
for Senior Serviees, based in
Greensboro, NC, make a vital dif-
ferenee in the lives of many Jew
ish older adults throughout North
and South Carolina. Funding as
sists non-profits that provide erit-
ieal serviees to older adults in
areas sueh as ease management,
meal and fellowship programs,
health sereenings and home visits.
This year, BJH Foundation for
Senior Serviees has awarded 24
grants totaling more than
$230,000 to non-profits in North
and South Carolina.
Four Charlotte non-profits
were awarded grants:
* Jewish Family Serviees -
Part-time Senior Outreaeh Assoei-
ate
* Oasis Senior Enriehment Pro
gram at Sandra and Leon Levine
Jewish Community Center- Holis-
tie Wellness Program
* Temple Beth El - SPICE pro
gram
* Temple Israel - Celebrating
Life program
“Aeeording to the U.S. Admin
istration on Aging, 10,000 people
turn 65 every day. As this popula
tion moves through its senior
years, health eare and other re-
sourees needed for their support
will be stretehed to eapaeity. This
is why these grants from BJH
Foundation play sueh a erueial
role in the lives of older adults,”
says Cheryl David, president of
BJH Foundation for Senior Serv
iees.
Over the past nine years, BJH
Foundation has awarded more
than $1.6 million to qualifying
non-profit organizations that sup
port Jewish older adults. For a
eomplete list of the 2014 grant re-
eipients and to learn more infor
mation about reeeiving grants, or
how you ean help, please visit
www.bjhfoundation.org.
Many non-profits use the fund
ing to support program expenses
for food, mailings, supplies, edu-
eational materials, salaries for so-
eial workers, and nursing staff.
BJH Foundation funding makes a
huge impaet in the lives of older
adults like Esther, Saul, and
Brenda every day.
* Esther lost her housing, sinee
her meager ineome eould not
eover the eosts of moving into an
apartment. Her nutrition was also
poor due to her limited funds for
groeeries. She reaehed out to a
non-profit organization whose
ease management program re-
eeives funding from BJH Founda
tion. Esther was assigned a JFS
soeial worker who helped her gain
aeeess to affordable senior hous
ing. Now Esther regularly eats a
nutritious kosher luneh and enjoys
being in a safe and earing Jewish
environment at the JFS Elder
Club, whieh is also funded in part
by BJH Foundation.
Schools
* Saul, who lives independ
ently, was no longer able to drive
and did not want to depend on
others for rides. Through an
ageney funded by BJH Founda
tion, he learned about a loeal
transportation network that en
abled him to ahend Shabbat serv
iees and events at the loeal Jewish
Community Center. He now has a
greater level of independenee and
ean remain aetive within the Jew
ish eommunity.
* The holidays ean be a partie-
ularly lonely time for many older
adults. Brenda is a resident at a
senior living faeility and does not
have family living nearby. While
most residents partieipate in
Christmas traditions at the faeility
where she lives, Hanukkah eele-
brations are uneommon. This
year, funding from BJH Founda
tion to the temples and the Jewish
Federation in her eity, brought
programming to the senior living
faeility where Brenda lives. She
was able to attend a number of
eelebrations that ineluded per-
formanees from students, tradi
tional Jewish foods, and visits
from the Rabbi. This provided a
new opportunity for her to soeial-
ize and eelebrate the Jewish holi
day.
“The support from BJH Foun
dation ean make a huge impaet in
the lives of seniors,” says David.
“Results from the most reeent
Profile on Older Amerieans report
from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Serviees show
a full 8.5% of seniors over the age
of 60 live below the poverty level.
These grants help make some of
life’s neeessities available to sen
iors as well as needed soeial op
portunities to support their mental
health and well being.”
About the BJH Foundation for
Senior Services:
BJH Foundation for Senior
Serviees, founded in 2006, pro
vides grants to organizations that
enhanee the lives of Jewish older
adults in North and South Car
olina. Grants are awarded for ae-
tivities, serviees and programs for
the elderly in aeeordanee with
Jewish values and beliefs. For in
formation on donating to BJH
Foundation for Senior Serviees
eall 336-854-8400 or please visit
www.bjhfoundation.org. The next
grant applieation deadline will be
in spring 2015.
Finaneial information about
this organization and a eopy of its
lieense are available from the
State Solieitation Lieensing
Braneh at 919-807-2214. The li-
eense is not an endorsement by
the state. ^
Meet the New Teachers at CJDS
Words
are
powerful.
They can hurt or heal.
They can build up or tear down.
They can incite or inspire.
In 24 hours, we speak
about 16,000 words.
How well do you use yours?
Call us to tweak, overhaul or
refine your communication.
704-604-1655
WWW.
.C^iolinaBusiness Coach.
com
First in a Series
The beginning of a sehool year
has brought with it fresh starts,
fun adventures and new faeulty
members to the Charlotte Jewish
Day Sehool family. While formal
biographies and eurrieulum vitae
are the typieal fare for introdueing
instruetors into the world of edu-
eation, as you know, CJDS is any
thing but typieal. So we thought it
would be fun to add a twist
Introducing Kathy Otte
(kindergarten teacher)
Where did you grow up while iu
elemeutary school? What was it
like?
I went to elementary sehool in
Maryland and also in Bangkok,
Thailand. In Thailand, I went to
an international sehool with ehil-
dren from many different eoun-
tries. My best friend was Sasha, a
girl from Russia. I also remember
seeing monkeys in the trees in my
yard all the time eating bananas!
Who was your favorite elemeu
tary school teacher aud why?
My favorite elementary sehool
teaeher was, not surprisingly, my
kindergarten teaeher, Ms.
Grenada. She would sing all the
time and she let me pull the milk
wagon down the hall at snaek
time.
Why did you hecome a teacher?
I fell in love with being in the
elassroom when I volunteered to
help in my son’s (who is 21 now)
elassroom in kindergarten. As
(Continued on page 25)
Insurance for Home, Auto, Business and Life.
"My father. Harry, founded Swimmer Insurance Agency over 60 years ago offering
security to the community and helping families through times of trouble. Today, we con
tinue that tradition of service with everything we do. We will be there for every mile
stone, every hardship and every transition your family or business experiences.”
- DAVID SWIMMER
Swimmer
Insurance
Agency
725 Providence Rd
Charlotte. NC 28207
704.333.6694
WWW, swimmerinsurance.com
Kathy Otte then...
and now.