Federation is joining Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel in a partnership in the Unclaimed Property Older Missourian Education Initiative. At a press conference on May 21 to announce the partnership, representatives from NORC and the Treasurer’s office helped St. Louis NORC members and residents of Covenant House/CHAI Apartments check online whether they had unclaimed property and start the claims process.

“Federation serves as a facilitator to connect people—this partnership is an example of that role,” says Andrew Rehfeld, President and CEO of Federation. “One of our strategic priorities is to build a safety net for the most vulnerable. Older adults shouldn’t have to struggle to meet their most basic needs. They should be able to maintain their independence and live with dignity. Federation supports the healthy aging of seniors through programs like St. Louis NORC and Covenant House, so we are happy to support the Unclaimed Property Initiative.”

The Treasurer’s office  will be working with Federation to provide educational resources including newsletter articles, web articles and social media outreach about unclaimed property. Federation plans to hold meetings to talk to individuals, family members and caregivers about unclaimed property and how to help families begin the claims process.

Zweifel currently holds more than $750 million in unclaimed property for more than 4.4 million account holders. The average returned account is $300. Individuals can search for unclaimed property 24 hours a day on Zweifel’s website, www.ShowMeMoney.com.

Treasurer Zweifel is also warning older Missourians not to provide personal or financial information to individuals who claim they can help return unclaimed property. “Unfortunately, older Missourians are often targeted by scams involving unclaimed property,” he says. “I never charge to return your property. It is important for older Missourians new to the Internet to be careful as they search for unclaimed property. I will never ask for your credit card information. I encourage you to contact my team any time you question the validity of an email or letter regarding unclaimed property.”

It is also important to Kass, a student in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Washington University, that she give to and get involved in Jewish causes. She first got involved in Jewish Federation when she graduated from college and moved to Boston. She joined the young professionals’ organization there and then got involved with the Federation’s Young Professionals Division (YPD) when she moved to St. Louis. “It was important to me to prioritize giving to the Jewish community,” Kass says. “I wanted to give to things that I’ve benefitted from.”

Kass helped institute the YPD LEADS program, a leadership development program for emerging leaders active in the Jewish community, as well as the LEADS Pass, a YPD giving program through which LEADS participants receive incentives for giving at least $100 to Federation. Kass feels that donating through YPD is a kind of “positive peer pressure.” She explains, “It models a need to give for other young people. It’s a call to action. Our parents’ generation paved a positive path for us, and we need to maintain that.”

Kass likes that donating to Federation is “user-specific”—everyone can give what they can based on their own circumstances. “We each decide what to give for ourselves,” she says. “I like to challenge myself every year to give more—to stretch a bit beyond my comfort level.”

Our individual communities also have a moral responsibility to address the particular needs of our members.  For the Jewish community this means being sensitive to the barriers to entry the disabled face in participating in Jewish life.  Here I believe there is a good deal of which the St. Louis community should be rightly proud, from rather small measures you may regularly see (like wireless earphones to help those hard of hearing in our synagogues) to larger ways like those structurally built into the new JCC.  In the area of social services, Rabbi James Stone Goodman has been a path-breaker, working hard to help those with mental disabilities overcome them to live lives of dignity and respect within our community.

And yet, we can do more.  Jewish Federation of St. Louis is committed to helping our agencies and synagogues address the needs that all our members have for full participation.  To that end, Federation is embarking on a program to identify ways our community can improve our services and propose solutions to bring those services to a reality.

As a first step, last month Federation brought in Becca Hornstein, Executive Director of the Council for Jews with Special Needs, to consult with our community.  After publicizing her visit to our agencies and synagogues, Becca met with dozens of members of our community who either were disabled themselves or had loved ones who were to speak to the kinds of challenges they face.

In the coming months we will be following this visit up with a community-wide survey to assess our need. Susan Scribner, Senior Planning and Allocations Associate, will be leading this charge.  If you have an interest in being involved or simply telling your own story, please contact her directly at *protected email*.  We look forward to moving forward in this effort.

Shavua Tov—have a great week.
Andrew

PS: The issue is not local but part of a national movement.  For example,  see this blog on a recent conference to address the issue:  http://www.thejewishweek.com/blogs/new-normal/jfna-advance-only-celebrating-our-diversity-will-we-create-unity?goback=%2Egde_4733710_member_239611612

Programs cultivate the use of music, acting and art to enhance human resources skills

“Creativity in the Workplace,” a new JProStl series for professionals who work in Jewish organizations throughout St. Louis, will take place this summer and feature music, acting and art to enhance self-awareness, deepen empathy skills and build effective teams.

Musician and entrepreneur, Robert Fishbone, kicks off the three-part series on Tuesday, June 25 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm with a drumming circle and discussion about mindfulness and teamwork for vibrant organizations. Kathleen Sitzer, Artistic Director of the JCC’s New Jewish Theater, will lead theater activities to practice ways to articulate the impact of your work with confidence, effectiveness and style on Monday, July 15 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The series concludes on Wednesday, August 21 from 9 to 10:30 am with artist and activist, Ilene Berman, who will explore the use the visual arts as a tool to deepen relationships and expand innovation.

All programs are held in the Federation Kopolow Building. The series is free of charge and made possible by generous support from the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. JProStl is affiliated with the Millstone Institute for Jewish Leadership. Space for Creativity in the Workplace is limited.  For information and to RSVP, contact Marci Mayer Eisen at 314-442-3810 or *protected email*.

 “Create a Jewish Legacy,” an initiative of the Jewish Community Foundation of St. Louis, is hosting Legacy Shabbat programs June 21 and 22 at 10 St. Louis-area congregations. This event will honor the marketing, outreach and personal efforts of more than 200 community volunteer solicitors and the many donors who have made bequest gifts and legacy commitments to their congregations.

The participating congregations are: Bais Abraham Congregation, Central Reform Congregation, Congregation B’nai Amoona, Congregation Shaare Emeth, Kol Rinah, Nusach Hari B’nai Zion, Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha Congregation, Traditional Congregation, United Hebrew Congregation, and Young Israel of St. Louis.

The events will range from public acknowledgements to celebrations and meals and education sessions around legacy giving and how it relates to Jewish values.

“Since we launched the Create a Jewish Legacy program in 2009, we have secured more than 430 donors have made outright and deferred bequest commitments to our local agencies and congregations valued at more than $24.6 million,” says Wendy Rosenblum, Associate Director of Development, Endowments & Planned Giving for Jewish Federation in St. Louis.

Create a Jewish Legacy is a partnership of 18 agencies, synagogues and day schools with a common goal of securing the future and long-term vitality of the St. Louis Jewish community. The program emphasizes the importance of organizations working together to secure legacy gifts for the betterment of the entire community. Participating organizations receive ongoing training, personal consulting services, marketing assistance and incentive funding to help them implement legacy programs.

For more information on a specific Legacy Shabbat, contact either the participating congregation or Leslie Kastner at 314-442-3869 or *protected email*