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Dear Friend,
How do you show people who freely and unselfishly give their time, talents, and skills how much we appreciate them? Sometimes I feel our ways may be a bit unequal, especially when measured against their level of service and commitment, but they are always sincere, for we literally could not do without our volunteer community.
Numbering approximately 400 in direct service to our residents and contributing over 24,000 hours annually, they are a vital part of the Home, enriching the lives of our residents and their family members.
Volunteers serve the Home at every level, from providing companionship to our residents to serving on our board of trustees. They range from middle school students to community and resident volunteers in their 90s. There are students Sam and Sandy who come with their mom, Robin; they are all active in activities. There is 82-year-old Marcia serving in our garden café, which is where resident volunteer Rudy also does his stint. Next door in the gift shop is Carol, who catches sight of 90-year-old volunteer Lora on her way to gather books from the library and deliver them to her readers located throughout our campus.
As Lora enters our Friedman Pavilion, she hears resident volunteer Ben playing a Chopin piano piece for the pleasure of his peers and the Home’s staff. Ben brings his concert to a close and strolls over to the coffee bar, where Lynn is on volunteer duty. Nina has just arrived for her Healing Touch appointment: she will be using this touch and energy technique to provide a resident with relief from her pain. This elder will then be able to enjoy our synagogue services, which is where volunteer Marleen assists. Helen is one of our valuable Kol Haneshama spiritual care partners in our Jewish end-of-life/hospice volunteer program. She also runs a study group for residents.
Jordan deals blackjack. In fact, volunteers are the backbone of our evening activity program; the program would not be in existence without them. Student Issam plays chess with a Russian-speaking resident. Issam does not speak Russian, but that is just fine; they communicate through their shared enjoyment of the game. Marilyn can be found helping in the creative arts center, while Arnold is teaching a resident how to surf the Internet. Jakob was in the middle of a lively conversation with a resident, but they pause to pat Frankie, who has come for a pet visit with his owner, Patty.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, as it does not include all the diverse roles and volunteer-driven programs. No wonder our daily heartfelt thanks and our annual volunteer appreciation event cannot measure the breadth of their value and service to the Home. The bottom line: Our volunteers are priceless.
Daniel Ruth
President & Chief Executive Officer
P.S. And we are not alone in thinking so highly of the Jewish Home and our volunteers. The Volunteer Center, which serves San Francisco and San Mateo counties, recently voted the Home one of the top five places to volunteer this summer. According to the Center, the Home offers “volunteer opportunities that are well-organized and meaningful, in an organization that provides a unique benefit to the community.”
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