By:Angela Marshall
Last week, NCJW-s South Shore Section held its Spring Luncheon at Temple B-Nai Sholom in Rockville Centre. The theme was Celebrating Volunteerism, which council president Sara Mandinach said defines what we do.
The council-s volunteer programs are numerous and ever expanding. It has adopted a school in Freeport where members mentor students, organized an ongoing book drive to provide reading materials to community organizations and developed a Mother-s Day gift basket program so that abused women living in shelters can still celebrate the day with their children.
They do wonderful work, holy work, said Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz, religious leader of Temple B-Nai Sholom.
During the luncheon, a video on the history of the council-s volunteer work was shown. The national organization was created in 1893, and the South Shore Section began its work in 1922. The organization has always been dedicated to spearheading social change for the betterment of all, starting in the 1920s, when members met and assisted immigrants arriving at Ellis Island.
The principal of Archer Street School, which NCJW adopted, recalled the day she was approached by the organization and the positive results that have followed. Oh my God, it-s like a dream come true, she said on the video.
The volunteers partner with students in the first and second grades, helping their charges develop reading and writing skills a half hour at a time.
Lenore Rand, treasurer of the council, was honored at the luncheon with the Hannah G. Solomon Award for her longtime dedication to the organization and its mission, including her hours of work with two Archer Street students. Both children wrote letters describing the special relationship they have developed with Rand.
Rand joined the council in 1939, when she was just 14, and said she was honored and proud to be recognized by an organization that has always given her so much pleasure. Beth Fetner, co-chair of the luncheon with her sister Wendy Spelfogel, presented Rand with the award and said she would always treasure the honoree as a bridge to the past and a guide to the future.
Rand also received praise from Rockville Centre-s superintendent of parks and recreation, Anthony Brunetta. The honoree is a longtime volunteer in the council-s Senior Club, which meets at the Recreation Center. Saying it was a well-deserved honor, Brunetta called Rand a gentle, sweet lady and a good friend of the seniors.
NCJW-s Senior Club was founded more than 50 years ago to give seniors a place to go and something to look forward to, according to Esther Bernstein, a vice president for community service. The club meets twice a week. On Mondays, the seniors meet for line dancing, bridge and other games. On Thursdays the club offers painting classes, duplicate bridge and canasta. In addition to the weekly meetings, the club offers many trips and other special events.
Anita Karsch, who heads the Senior Club, said she gets a great deal of satisfaction from the volunteer work she began with the NCJW 30 years ago. I-m sure I-m a different person because of it, she said.
Karsch-s involvement with the Senior Club stemmed from a desire to find a role model. She said she had had no prior dealings with senior citizens, and wanted to know what to expect when her parents reached that stage in life.
During the cocktail hour before the luncheon, guests wandered among tables covered with displays from the NCJW-s different volunteer groups. One table featured books donated by Rockville Centre resident Lenore Sandel in honor of Rand. The books will be donated by NCJW to community groups such as the Martin Luther King Center and the Economic Opportunity Council. The ongoing used-book drive is headed by Nina Krisel Berke, a South Side High School student. Anyone with books to donate can reach Berke by calling (516) 764-9319 or writing to her at blondebeau87@hotmail.com.
The guest speaker at the luncheon was Linda Richman, who was made famous when her son-in-law, Mike Meyers, impersonated her in his Saturday Night Live sketch, Coffee Tawk. Richman, who has survived a string of tragedies, talked to the council about the need to stay positive and deal with stress. Life is supposed to sparkle and shine, she told the audience.
For a complete list of all the volunteer work done by the NCJW or to join, go to www.ncjwsouthshore.org.
