Jewish Family Service of Rockland County, Inc.

Annual Volunteer Recognition Event

Dinner 2004

Details of this year's event are under construction

Breakfast 2003

June 2003, Jewish Family Service (JFS) held it's 6th Annual Volunteer Recognition Breakfast in honor of the many dedicated and caring volunteers whose timeless efforts allow JFS to provide so many of our quality programs to the community. The old tried and true programs of Send a Friend, Telephone Reassurance, Computer Assistance, and Food Pantry were joined by new projects this year being the collaboration with ARC, and the developing program of 'Share-a-Shabbat' which is meant to bring Shabbat to older adults who are homebound and may not have the means to provide themselves with a Shabbat dinner, or who would benefit from companionship at a Shabbat meal.

This year's Ina Willen Lermer Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Sarit Kaplan, who several years ago offered to design a brochure for JFS and then printed several hundred for us. She then designed two more brochures, plus the cover of our last two Gala Journals. Sarit has always been very responsive to the needs of JFS and always willing to make changes in the brochures as our needs and programs change. She and her husband also generously donated a color copier so we could print our own copies of the brochures as we needed them.

A special award was created this year to honor the 34 JFS "Jewish Community Kosher Food Pantry" volunteers, who under the very capable leadership of Rhoda Bloom, work a total of 136 volunteer-hours each month collecting, sorting, bagging and giving out food packages. Our food pantry has been operational since 1996 when we served three families totaling five people. By May 1999, we served 68 families, 113 people and today we serve 92 families for a total of 162 people.

Breakfast 2002

For the last five years, Jewish Family Service has held an Annual Volunteer Recognition Breakfast to honor an exemplary group of people whose dedication and interest in furthering the work of the JFS agency is what enables us to continue providing quality programs. Volunteer opportunities are varied at JFS. Some participate in our Send-A-Friend program to homebound elderly while others telephone isolated seniors on a weekly basis. Both of these functions serve to see that these isolated and homebound people are ok, to see whether they need anything, and to give them a connection to the outside world and the knowledge that someone out there cares about them. Other volunteers deliver welcome gifts to new mothers in our Birth Basket program, while other still take great pride in preparing those baskets for distribution. Our staff of volunteers helping in the front office, from computer work to making necessary telephone calls has grown significantly over the past two years. The Jewish Community Food Pantry, another Volunteer endeavor, reaches many needy families. Volunteers participate on the Outreach Committee, distribute donated furniture to émigré families and provide computer training for the homebound. And of course, our board of directors is all volunteers doing their best to get the JFS word out to the public, so that the county can take advantage of the many wonderful programs offered.

The two special honorees for the 2002 Volunteer of the Year Award were Judy Mancini and Eric Weisler. This award was presented to them June 12, 2002, and is given to volunteers who have contributed to the agency in a special way and who exemplify commitment and dedication. "The Ina Willen Lerner Volunteer of the Year Award" is presented in memory of Ina Willen Lerner, who was an outstanding volunteer at JFS.

Judy Mancini started her volunteer work at JFS late in the year 2000 as a member of the Outreach Committee. She then offered her services as a Medicare billing person and took over the entire Medicare process relieving the office staff of this chore. Judy not only learned all of the issues involved in billing, but she also learned and implemented ways for JFS to collect payment in a timely fashion and reorganized our filing system more efficiently.

Judy was born in Ausberg, Germany. Her parents were Holocaust survivors. The family came to the US when she was a young child and they settled in Brooklyn, where her father owned and operated a kosher butcher store until his retirement. Judy graduated from Brooklyn College as an accountant. She worked as a NYS comptroller, and then for the NY office of Mental Health as an audit manager in Healthcare and Education, where she ran the NY office specializing in Medicare fraud. Judy married Carmine Mancini 28 years ago and they have one son, Adam, 20 years old, who attends Hofstra University and is majoring in TV and Broadcasting.

Eric Weisler has been developing large commercial and e-Commerce web sites since 1995 at such companies as Volvo Cars, barnesandnoble.com, freeagent.com and readersdigest.com. He volunteers to make websites for community-based organizations that otherwise would not have a mature Internet presence. Fortunately for us, Eric answered the JFS ad in THE JEWISH REPORTER and volunteered as our Webmaster approximately two years ago. He has since volunteered countless time, energy and expertise to the complete creation and the ongoing maintenance of this site.

Eric's labors have not only brought us numerous personal compliments for our web's design and ease of use, but additionally, and probably most importantly, the website has given JFS another avenue to make itself known to the community-at-large. The website has provided us with the ability to service families who without the website would probably not have contacted us. Additional to his website work, Eric joined the JFS Board of Directors in October 2001. Eric does not limit his volunteer efforts to work at JFS. He also has donated his physical labor towards the restoration of the retired 1931 FDNY fireboat John J. Harvey, which was instrumental in fighting the World Trade Center fires of September 11, 2001. He recently joined the New City Volunteer Fire Department, and he recently traveled to Israel on a mission of solidarity.

Eric's wife Bonnie, is a RN, and teaches Hebrew school. Their Son Alex (13) volunteers at nursing homes, and their other children Simon (6) and Valerie (5) are being taught the value of volunteerism by the exemplary example set by their parents and older brother. Much to the JFS and the rest of the Community's good fortune, the Weisler family believes that the best rewards are obtained through volunteerism and that Not for Profit organizations can only succeed by having many people contributing a part to the greater good of the whole organization.

Can it be any surprise after reading just a few short words about Judy and Eric, that it was JFS' pleasure to present them with the 2002 Volunteer of the Year Award. To them, we say, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And to All of Our Volunteers, we say, thank you, thank you, thank you. Without you, JFS could not be who we are, and we could not accomplish all that we do for the Rockland Community. All of the volunteers at JFS are dedicated, caring individuals. Volunteer Coordinator, Janice Cohen, took the opportunity at this Fifth Annual Breakfast, to acknowledge a few (of many) other individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service, they are:

Lenny London, who gives much time and energy in several areas in JFS is an Executive Board member and the able secretary of the Outreach Committee. He visited a homebound elderly and tutored English to a young Russian émigré.

Sarit Kaplan, a graphic artist, has designed three new brochures for JFS and continues to advise us on design and printing matters. She worked closely with our board members on another recent project.

Rhoda Bloom, honored two years ago as Volunteer of the Year, continues to do a great job with the Jewish Community Food Pantry and leads an outstanding group of volunteers in providing this necessary service.

Leah Tomor, and Marvin Taylor, are our computer gurus. We turn to them for computer advice and they get us out of trouble when a computer "glitch" interferes with the smooth operation of these machines!

Gail Mandel, a tireless volunteer for JFS, is a current Executive Board member (former President of the Board of Directors), and a fundraising committee member. She arranged for the plaques and gifts for this year's volunteers, arrived early the morning of the breakfast to cut bagels and with an extra coffeepot. In short, where JFS has a need, Gail is there to fill it.

Elliot Eichler, is a gentleman, scholar, and board member. With the able assistance of his wife, Joyce, he designed and printed wonderful award certificates for our volunteers. He has worked tirelessly the past several months promoting a recent very successful JFS gala event, designing the mailings and organizing all the mailing lists. Again, wherever JFS has a need, Elliot, too, is there to fill it.

Again, and To All, We say "Thank You" and please, please, please DO keep up your good work !!!