We know how important community connection is for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Social Wellness Friendly Match program matches volunteers with older adults who are experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Prior to the pandemic, our JFS Social Wellness Centers and Aging & Wellness Services provided robust programming for older adults, such as daily meals, exercise classes, art classes, games, cultural programs, and live entertainment. While we transitioned our Social Wellness Centers online by providing virtual content such as online social gatherings, training, and entertainment; our older adults were still missing a key component: socialization.
A few weeks into the pandemic, our incredible volunteers stepped in to save the day yet again. Specifically, our volunteers offer their friendship by calling clients and bonding over shared interests and hobbies—and sharing a laugh or two too!
One of our volunteers, Helen Elhard, is a prime example of the impact one friend and a phone call can make for the people we serve, volunteers, and community. Recently, Helen and her match found that they shared a deep connection and passion for serving their community. So, they teamed up and decided to make a difference!
“I’m currently matched under the Social Wellness Friendly Match program with an amazing woman. Because of quarantine restrictions, we haven’t met in person, but we speak on the phone frequently. We have so much in common, and our calls are one of the high points of my week. We’ve just started a team project where I supply yarn (since I can’t knit) and she knits baby blankets for Project Linus, which distributes them to underserved families and children in need. Here’s the photo from my first meet-up with my Friendly Match. She knit 15 baby blankets, and this is how she lowered them to me so that we could maintain social distancing.”
“We have a relationship that I think has gone from friendly match to true friendship and I’m looking forward to when we can meet in person and share time together!”
Thank you, Helen, for supporting our community in more ways than one!
Leah has been an incredible resource for our Immigration Services team. Harnessing her legal expertise and years of experience in immigration law, she has dedicated several hours to helping our clients in Immigration Services. Since the pandemic started, Leah has assisted the legal team several hours a week. We sat down with Leah to learn more about her passion and experiences that make her a Volunteer of the Month.
Here’s a few words from Leah:
How is volunteering a valuable part of your life?
My parents were born in Poland (my Dad) and Russia (my mom) and they immigrated to Mexico when they were very young. After they were married and had two young daughters (my two eldest sisters), they again emigrated, this time to the United States. I can’t imagine how challenging it was to leave work, family and friends twice. As it turned out, they not only survived these moves but thrived due to the kindness and help of people they met during their journeys. They were so grateful for the help they received and instilled in me the value and importance of giving back to the community. I am a first generation American and even before I started Law School, I knew that I wanted to help families of immigrants like my own. I did so in my private law practice for 38 years and was so happy to find an avenue where I could continue to do so after my retirement.
If you were to encourage a friend to volunteer at JFS, what would you say?
I searched for different volunteer opportunities after I retired. I chose JFS as I felt it was most consistent with my values and it does such important work. I recognize that JFS serves the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations of San Diego, including people of all races, nationalities, and religions. To me, this is true humanitarian work and I would encourage anyone who wishes to give back to our community to consider this distinguished organization.
Talk about a peak experience or high point in your volunteer position – a time when you felt most engaged and proud of your work.
I enjoy every meeting with the members of the Affirmative Immigration Panel. It is headed by Leah Chavarria [JFS Senior Immigration Attorney] who has great leadership skills in addition to being a knowledgeable and well-respected attorney. It is so inspiring to hear the panel members share their passion for advocating for their clients and their sincere desire to find solutions to their immigration problems. One of my biggest joys in life has been, and continues to be, working alongside people who are truly caring. It is also rewarding for me to get to share my experience where relevant and to witness my suggestions being adopted. I feel so honored to be invited to engage in case analysis and development of legal strategies. I feel appreciated and have received an abundance of gratitude from everyone involved.
Can you tell whether your efforts have had results? What are the indicators?
Because Immigration cases are slow-moving, and I have only been volunteering for a year, I have not yet been able to see their final dispositions and look forward to that in the future. I have, however, seen how my participation has influenced the way cases are approached and analyzed. I am so happy that my experience can be applied in considering the options of how the cases can be handled.
Ken is making an impact as a member of our volunteer driver team. He is dedicated to providing excellent transportation—many riders have noted his friendliness, punctuality, and kindness. He has driven for On the Go for over three years, and quickly jumped into transporting our older adult riders to their COVID‑19 vaccination appointments. We sat down with Ken to learn more about his passion and experiences that make him a Volunteer of the Month.
Here are a few words from Ken:
How is volunteering a valuable part of your life?
Rides and Smiles is more than giving someone a ride to the doctor’s office, the hairdresser or to the grocery store. It is meeting someone new, somebody with a story. And every story is fascinating in its own unique way. So, this is really about relationships, sharing a good story, a few laughs and maybe even a few tears.
If you were to encourage a friend to volunteer at JFS, what would you say?
Volunteering for Rides & Smiles is a small commitment that gives you back so much. You make your own schedule on a website that is very easy to navigate. And you can work as many hours that you want. It’s very flexible and a rewarding experience.
Talk about a peak experience or high point in your volunteer position – a time when you felt most engaged and proud of your work.
Sometimes I am amazed at the resilience of my riders. I have been driving a woman who has to go to dialysis 4-5 times a week. She is there for at least 4 hours each visit. And when she gets home she takes care of her disabled husband. And I realize how much she loves her husband, and that love is her strength—she’s really a remarkable woman.
Can you tell whether your efforts have had results? What are the indicators?
People seem to be open and wanting to talk especially after they have driven with me more than once. I get to know them and their families. Many of my riders live alone and this gets them out of the house and I might be their only conversation that week. I feel like an old friend as opposed to an Uber driver.
SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services operated by Jewish Family Service has continued to provide shelter services during the pandemic, converting from a congregate refuge to a socially-distant model. Due to the current COVID‑19 restrictions, asylum seekers now stay in hotel rooms for their short stay. JFS provides case management, travel assistance, nutrition services, medical screenings, and financial support for migrant families. Volunteers are the heart of our work—and we need your help to continue welcoming the stranger with dignity and compassion.
Shelter Couriers are needed to help pack and deliver meals to families. Volunteers are responsible for putting together bags of hygiene items, food, and other supplies at our shelter and delivering them to hotels. Packages are left outside individual hotel doors ensuring a safe and no-contact delivery which enables families to receive the resources they need while in our care.
Airport/Greyhound Guides help families navigate the ins and outs of transportation by serving as a transportation guide! Guides are responsible for picking up families from their respective hotels, helping them print their boarding tickets, and escorting families through the airport or greyhound station until they arrive at their boarding gate. Positions available 7 days a week!
Ready to get started? Contact [email protected] with your availability and area of interest.
Are you looking to learn a new skill and give back this year? Well, look no further! We are currently recruiting volunteers to provide free tax preparation assistance to members of our community. No experience necessary and training will be provided!
As a VITA Virtual Tax Preparation Volunteer, you will work one-on-one with clients over Zoom (from our campus in San Diego) to help them navigate the ins and outs of tax preparation. Socially distanced on-site JFS staff support will be available. We will provide you with training that results in your certification as a volunteer income tax preparer. This detailed training involves a self-directed online curriculum. This is an excellent opportunity to gain skills in tax preparation while providing invaluable help to families and individuals in need of your expertise. For more information regarding the role, including the time commitment, please click here.
Calling all Mensches! Throughout Jewish Family Service’s 100-year history, we’ve remained focused on our responsibility to the Jewish community, while also serving the greater community. This month, we are launching the Center for Jewish Care, a space in JFS that provides direct services to Jewish community members. Through the Center for Jewish Care, we provide critical services to the Jewish community including the elderly, single parents, Holocaust Survivors, and Jewish individuals and families during their most challenging times. In addition to connecting Jewish clients to critical resources, we also strive to bring joy and community connection to those we serve through the delivery of holiday packages, including Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and more.
Join us by becoming a Center for Jewish Care Volunteer Driver—where you will provide no-contact home deliveries of holiday packages to Jewish Community members on a quarterly basis. To learn more, click here.
COVID-19 Update:
In response to local health ordinances from the state of California, JFS requires all volunteers who travel outside of the state to quarantine for 14 days or provide proof of receiving both COVID-19 vaccinations before returning to campus so that we can ensure all staff, clients, and volunteers on our campus are safe. If you have recently traveled outside the state, please contact your volunteer coordinator for next steps.
Calling all new volunteers!
Did you join our incredible team of change-making volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you new to JFS and craving connection with fellow volunteers and more information about our overall agency? Or are you a returning volunteer who wants to brush up on their JFS expertise? If so, you’re in luck! Our Community and Volunteer Engagement team will be hosting monthly live Volunteer Orientations to review our JFS mission, programs, history, impact, and response to COVID-19. If you are interested in attending, please click here to view upcoming dates and RSVP!
Volunteer Orientation Dates
April 6th from 11:00am-12:00pm
May 4th from 2:00-3:00pm
June 8th from 10:00-11:00am
Can’t attend a live orientation? Click here to sign up and watch the Volunteer Orientation recording!
March 30, 2:30-3:15pm
Matzah, Matzah, Matzah! Passover is coming—the yearly reminder that we were once strangers in the land of Egypt, and now are free. This year, as we celebrate Passover 2021 on Zoom, we will retell the Passover story with the focus on Matzah—the bread of slavery, the bread of affliction, the bread of hospitality, and the bread of freedom. We will look at how JFS meets the ethical challenges presented by the biblical Passover Story and how we at JFS fulfill these ancient and modern obligations in the work we do. Please join us on Zoom! Click to RSVP >>
April 13, 2:00-3:30pm
Join us on April 13 for our first ever Visual Impairment Awareness Workshop! The Visual Impairment Awareness Workshop is a project that aims to raise awareness on vision impairment at JFS and in our community as well as guide our agency in advancing resources, practices, and inclusion for those who are visually impaired. Guest speakers from our community will share their wisdom, insight, and resources with us! Click to RSVP >>
May 6, 1:00-2:00pm
Curious about how JFS established our 6 leading values that guide our work? Join this conversation-style workshop and learn about our JFS Guiding Values! Through conversation, we will discuss the roots of our JFS Values and how those JFS values intersect with personal values, give meaning to the work we do every day, and the role we play in our values living on through our work. Click to RSVP >>
Carole Yellen
Senior Director
Maya Allen
Lead Coordinator
Katrina Bruins
SDRRN Migrant Shelter
Cheyenne Arroyo
Training
Claire Lucas
Program Assistant
Questions? Please contact us at [email protected] or (858) 637-3050.
