Community care comes full circle

Last wills provide two women a chance to give back

When a community can truly come together and function as a family, each member in turn receives blessings. Recently, Jewish Family Service experienced community work coming full circle when two women who had received services through the agency in their time of need were able to bequeath money that will help others.

When a local career woman and community activist found that she could no longer do the things she used to do to care for herself and her home, she turned to Jewish Family Service for help. Without a family of her own, the community stepped in to be her family and to provide her with the services she needed. She used Homemaker Services to supplement with household chores and errands. Lifeline allowed her to feel safe when she was home alone. She knew that if she needed medical attention, she would be able to press a button and help would be on its way. When she was no longer able to care for herself, Case Management services helped her to find a nursing home she could afford and in which she would feel comfortable. All of these services made our community member feel that caring family surrounded her. As a result, she chose to remember Jewish Family Service in her will.

Another woman, beloved by the community, found herself in need of transportation. She used JFS’ Catch-a-Cab vouchers to get around. They enabled her to go to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, and to run other errands on her own schedule. It may have given her a sense of independence, not having to rely on family members to take her everywhere she needed to go. She was a woman of modest means but a careful saver, too. Again, she decided to direct some of her savings to Jewish Family Service in her will.

“Gifts such as these are what enables us to continue these services for others,” according to Deena Gerber, Executive Director of JFS. If you would like information about how to include Jewish Family Service in your will, please contact Deena Gerber at 831-8475 or Saundra K. Levy, Director of the Jewish Endowment Foundation, at 524-4559.

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