The art of donating your time

As an Eagle Scout in Wantagh, a college student in Iowa and a vital member of a Five Towns civic organization, Bob Block has always served his community.

Block, 57, is settling into his new role — since April 1 — as director of the Woodmere-based charitable group Five Towns Community Chest. It is a paid full-time position.

The Cedarhurst business owner — the Jewelry Showroom — has been involved with Community Chest for the past 23 years. As a volunteer, a board member for the last 20 years, and fair chairman, Block has given a substantial amount of time to this fundraising organization that donates to multiple local charities and occasionally to families in need.

“Then Executive Director Linda Howard rang my doorbell at the Jewelry Showroom and invited me to get involved,” said Block, who lives in Woodmere. “She said to me, ‘if you can’t help with a financial donation give with your time,’ and I enjoyed it and the following years too.”

By improving the group’s annual fall fair, Block and other volunteers took the event from its $5,000 net revenue after expenses, when he first got involved, to a nearly $50,000 profit in its current state.

A connection could be made to his success with Community Chest’s fair to his sophomore year at Iowa State, when Block served as chairman of a weekend-long carnival that grossed $60,000. “That was a tremendous learning experience, where I had a leadership role,” he said.

Experience, leadership and the ability to get things done are the major reasons why Community Chest’s board selected him as director. “We fully expect Bob to jump right in and work alongside our board leading the various aspects of our fundraising efforts benefitting our community,” said Board Chairman Eric Keslowitz, who noted Block’s years as a board member, fair chair and businessman —36 — with the Jewelry Showroom.

Getting things done with volunteers and coming up with different ways to attack the same problem seems to be a forte of Block’s, who said it takes a teamwork and dedicated volunteers to make things happen.

“We don’t watch the clock, we keep working,” he said noting the ample number of agencies Community chest helps including Early Learning Children’s Center in Inwood, Five Towns Senior Center in Hewlett, Tempo in Woodmere that provides mental health services, the JCC of the Greater Five Towns, Kulanu in Cedarhurst, six area hospitals and the SibsPlace program at South Nassau Communities Hospital that serves the siblings of children or parents with cancer or another devastating illness.

He always aspired to the director’s position, but the traveling demands of his job didn’t allow him the time. Now, thanks to his wife Randee — his partner in the Jewelry Showroom — that time has become available.

Future plans include getting more high school students from different schools involved with Community Chest’s and meeting with the agencies his group helps and asking the question, ‘What can Community Chest do for you.’

Block’s energy has Community Chest office manager Pattye Bohnet thinking positively. “I’m on board, I see good things happening,” she said as she typed up a flyer for a coming event. Melding the skills that helped make him a successful businessman with his newly gained knowledge of fundraising, Block seeks to continue and enhance Community Chest’s 79 years of community service.

Currently, he and several others are participating in “Taking it off for Chest” – losing weight for donations that will benefit Community Chest. Block plans on obtaining grassroots donations along with the occasional large donation and resurrecting the golf tournament.

His gratification ensues when he sees a younger generation, which includes his grown children volunteering, and setting an example for their children. “This is a great place to serve the community and I am really enjoying it,” he said.