One of Federation’s central tasks is to identify and then fund community needs. Earlier this week we received a beautiful testimonial to the impact of the Chaplaincy program we initiated and then funded through the work of Jewish Family and Children Services. The Chaplaincy program illustrates how your contributions to our annual campaign help change lives.
I hope you’ll take a moment to read the letter below.
Thanks to the thousands in our community who recognize the importance of our work to building a thriving community.
Andrew
Dear Jewish Family and Children’s Services,
The residents of our senior living community truly appreciate the special connection and spiritual support that the Jewish Family and Children’s Services provides. A few years ago, there was an interim between JFCS Community Chaplains visiting our skilled nursing and rehab. center. We did not have a Rabbi within our organization and a JFCS volunteer was not yet assigned to our community. Our residents were feeling pretty disconnected from the Jewish Community and from their spiritual practices. Our Activity Department attempted to schedule High Holy Day observances and activities, but none of our activity staff were Jewish, so we had difficulty with the pronunciation of the prayers in Hebrew. One day a resident was sitting in her wheelchair crying. Between sobs she explained that she was thinking about converting and becoming a Catholic because the Catholic volunteers from the local parish arrived by the dozen every Friday to provide the Catholic service and fellowship with the residents. She was angry with the Jewish congregations that she had supported all those years when she was younger and she could give them money and volunteer her time and energy. She felt very abandoned by her faith community at a time when she was unable to physically attend services at the synagogue. The efforts of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Community Chaplains and volunteers have now established a new sense of community for our Jewish residents. They are no longer spiritually distraught in their final days. Our distressed resident did not convert and thanks to the Jewish Family and Children’s Services our residents are able to continue their traditions. They are comforted by the familiar at a time in their lives when everything is changing for them and debility prevents them from maintaining that very important connection in their lives. Thank you for providing the assistance needed to establish that connection for them and for creating a little mini Jewish community within the walls of our senior living community. We greatly appreciate your dedication to our residents and we are very grateful to those who have made your services to our seniors possible.
Very Sincerely,
A Long Term Care Activity Director
St. Louis, Mo.
To volunteer with JFCS contact Anna Lehrke, Coordinator of Volunteers, at ALehrke@jfcs-stl.org or 314-812-9386