Volunteer Opportunity: Fitness Center Volunteers Needed!

Imagine you are 85 and trying to work out at one of the big fitness centers. Would anyone there really understand your challenges and unique needs? How comfortable would you be working out in a room with a group of 20-somethings? 

Luckily, JFS operates two of the very few fitness centers that focus exclusively on fitness for older adults! We have a variety of fitness machines that include important safety features and accommodations for older adults. We need upbeat, "you can do it" volunteers to help encourage our participants to continue to get stronger and stay healthy by following their fitness plan. 

 

If you have formal training as a fitness instructor, PE teacher, personal trainer, PT, or related field, we need YOU to help us make sure seniors stay strong! Please contact our Volunteer Department today by emailing rkraemer@jfsla.org.

A Personal Client Story: Meet Maria

JFS Communications enjoys bringing you important updates about our agency through our blog. This is another update for our new feature, where we share personal client stories and vignettes about how JFS was able to make a difference in their lives. 

We are so proud to be able to help those in our community who need it most! 

Maria's Story: 

Maria is a single mother who had worked for many years as a nanny. Though her job paid very little money, it was just enough to cover her family’s basic needs. After an accident that left her disabled and unable to work, Maria was desperate. She attempted to call DPSS and other programs for help, but had been turned away due to her immigration status. Her call to Jewish Family Service was answered immediately.

 Maria was able to meet with a JFS social worker the same day of her initial call. She was amazed to find that she would be able to receive services that would help her and her two teenage daughters, both honor students who had been having difficulty focusing during school due to their anxiety about their family situation.

Maria told her social worker that she visits multiple food pantries so she and her daughters have enough to eat every month, and that the quality of SOVA’s food was amazing. In addition to the customized order of quality food that JFS { SOVA provided her with, Maria also received food vouchers and Target gift cards to help her buy clothing and toiletries. Additionally, through the JFS { Tools For School program, her daughters will receive backpacks and school supplies for the coming school year. All three members of the family have also been connected with mental health services, and Maria is receiving assistance with applying for a specialized visa.

Maria expressed her gratitude for having found an organization that she can count on for welcome assistance and food.

In order to continue bringing these important programs and resources to those who need it most, we need your support. We cannot do it alone.

You can help by making a donation today! We are thrilled to announce that donations up to $30,000 will be matched by a local supporter!

Please click HERE to help shop our Virtual Food Drive, stock our shelves, and provide the vulnerable members of our community with the essentials they need most!

For more information about making a donation 

to JFS {SOVA, please contact Carol Bar-Or at cbaror@jfsla.org.

Exciting Things Are Happening at the JFS { Israel Levin Senior Center!

It's been a while - did you miss us?!

Now that the Jewish holidays are over for the time being, we're back to regular posting on the blog. Today we have a special update from our JFS { Israel Levin Senior Center, located right on the beach in beautiful Venice, California. 

Below, ILC Director Mina Friedler lists some of the center's most successful events and programs that have taken place so far this year!

 Our Year of Diversity programs, reaching out to seniors of all nationalities in our community, included an exciting, informative and fun New Year’s Party, with storytellers, musicians and dance music and an ethnically diverse menu prepared and catered by Hugo at the Hirsch Kosher Kitchen of JFS. More than 60 seniors were able to attend. 

  In February, we “partnered” with Turning the Wheel,  based non-profit organization, and the Westminster School,  for an intergenerational event  involving movement, spoken word and singing to original movement. It was truly inspiring to see children from all backgrounds connecting with our participants, learning and teaching.

      Our participants have also attended original plays such as “The Indians are Coming to Dinner’ at the Pacific Resident Theater in Venice. Through the magic of theater, they learned about the family in different cultures, political action, and the triumph of the human spirit.
 

Additionally, our trip to the historic Breed Street Synagogue in Boyle Heights and lunch at La Serenata di Garibaldi, an authentic Mexican restaurant and Mariachi music site in Boyle Heights, allowed us to explore the genesis of the immigrant experience in Los Angeles. 

And coming up...

   For our Fall Festival on Friday, October 19th, we will be celebrating the art, writing and singing of Esther and Bob Woolf, who have been married for 74 years, and continue to lead vibrant lives, and Eva Yauchem, who has created a body of amazing art. The collages will be on display.  The ILC Choir will perform, and Sharaai Tefillo from the Fairfax area will be our guests.

 Love storytelling?  In December we hope to usher in our Year of the Family with a holiday party, featuring storytellers from all different nations and ethnic groups.

The JFS { Israel Levin Senior Center is a vibrant and exciting community. Click here to learn more about us!