We are developing a great relationship with dentists in the area to provide much needed attention to some of our older adults in need.

Margarita Frolichman, a Serving Older Holocaust Survivor Case Managers, recently told me of this example.

“One of our older Holocaust survivors desperately needed dental work. Not only did she have ongoing dental pain, but she was a full-time caregiver to her husband who has dementia. She wasn’t able to eat regular food, because it hurt too much to chew. Because of the pain, the gaps in her mouth, and the inability to eat properly, she became depressed and rarely went out in public. If this had been less than a year ago, JFS would have referred her to Denti-Cal. But when the Denti-Cal program closed, JFS had no other resources.

Luckily, one of our board members referred us to Dr. Ian Aires who stepped forward and offered to provide the dental work she needed pro bono. We are so grateful to Dr. Aires! Our client now proudly wears beautiful upper dentures that allow her to eat normally and live pain free. It is such a privilege and a blessing for me to witness one of my clients receive the care she needs from such a selfless community member. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a Holocaust survivor live in dignity.”

What a beautiful story. Dr. Aires not only helped our client, but a weight has been lifted off our staff’s shoulders, too.

We are also very thankful of the services provided by Dr. Craig Rubicoff, Dr. Graham Simpson, and Dr. Kenneth Berrin. Dr. Rubicoff and Dr. Simpson very generously volunteered to provide dentures to a man in his mid-60’s who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The man had severe bone loss in his jaw which left him unable to speak clearly or chew food without severe pain. Dr. Rubicoff also provided implants to secure the dentures in place. Now the man will be able to successfully communicate with others. Dr. Berrin helped a 95-year old survivor who was in tremendous pain after a front tooth broke off. She was only able to eat soft food, but Dr. Berrin repaired the broken tooth and did some other work that improved the survivor’s quality of life immeasurably.

It is so hard to know what our clients need, but not be able to provide it to them. Thank you to Dr. Aires, Dr. Berrin, Dr. Rubicoff, and Dr. Simpson for stepping up and improving the quality life of our clients.

Get your dentist involved! Help provide vital dental services to JFS older adult clients. Contact Dana Toppel, Director of Older Adult Centers, JFS Fix-It and Volunteers, at (858) 637-3247 or danat@jfssd.org.

Our volunteers are really going above and beyond these days, offering up their own expertise and knowledge to our clients. In fact, one of our Mentoring Mothers volunteers, Ele Lavender, has started offering cooking classes at the Foothills Teen Parent Program.

The Foothills High School Teen Parent Program, located in San Marcos, is a fully accredited program for teenage mothers to earn their high school diploma. Our onsite social worker is dedicated to helping mothers develop essential skills for furthering their education, make healthy choices, become self-supporting, and be effective parents.

A branch of the Federal government’s WIC Program (Women, Infants, and Children), Ele’s classes teach low-income teenage mothers about health and nutrition. A few days ago Ele took the girls on a field trip to the market where they learned about WIC items for purchase, and the nutritional value of fresh foods and produce. They each picked out fresh ingredients for their recipe, and spent the rest of the afternoon chopping, mixing, and baking. She’ll hold two more classes in May, focusing on soups, salads, and sauces.

Ele’s enthusiasm and interaction is making this experience not only educational, but a lot of fun for these young mothers. Thank you Ele for your passion and dedication!

More than a dozen employees from NBC 7 News came into our Hand Up Youth Food Pantry last week to volunteer. It was so neat watching them stack, lift, sort, and create food bags for San Diego’s hungry. With so many people struggling these days, it’s such a great thing to see people come together to make a difference during these tough times.

The employees held a food drive at their office, donating nearly 800 pounds of food to Jewish Family Service. After the drive, they decided to experience the food pantry first hand. Employees including anchors Catherine Garcia and Marianne Kushi, worked tirelessly for a few hours, sorting the 800 pounds of food they had donated and creating 300 bags of food to hand out to clients.

Thank you NBC for all of your help! You truly made a difference.

Read the online article about their experience by clicking here>>

Watch the news clip of their volunteer time by clicking here>>

Find out how you can volunteer in the Hand Up Youth Food Pantry by clicking here>>

We have such an important volunteer campaign going on for On the Go right now. We’re trying to recruit 60 volunteer drivers in 6 months. Can you imagine what it’s like to be stuck at home, without being able to drive anywhere? I’d hate it. That’s why I decided to let you know about this campaign. Why is this program so important? It provides transportation to older adults. But even more than that, it provides independence, freedom, socialization. It provides happiness. What does this mean to the riders? Nothing tells it better than their own words:

“I have a wonderful driver. She is delightful, charming, just a joy to be with. She has brightened my life.”

“I am very impressed with the kindness, patience and positive attitude from all of the volunteers. This program is fantastic!”

“I am so very thankful to be a member of Rides & Smiles—everyone is so helpful. You are a real blessing to me in my “golden” years (85). Thank you, Thank you, each one.”

“You do a wonderful service—I can still live again!!—And I am 92!!”

“Thank you for giving my mom her independence. What you provide is amazing.”

Read more about On the Go & volunteering: www.jfssd.org/onthego

This just in from our Volunteer Services Department:

Congratulations to Melinda Wilkes, JFS Volunteer Services Manager, for being nominated for the Dee Warford-Kutch Volunteer Administrator’s Award at the Volunteer San Diego’s Volunteer Manager Recognition Event! The award honors professionals who exemplify the highest principles and ethics in the field of volunteer administration.

Melinda began working at JFS in 2006. Since that time, the Volunteer Services Department has grown significantly. With Melinda on board, our monthly average of enrolled volunteers has grown from 385 to 606 and the total number of recruited volunteers jumped from 250 to 963.

In addition, Melinda has been working non-stop on strengthening her professional and leadership skills. She’s completed her Volunteer Administrator Certificate (CVA), is enrolled in University of San Diego master’s program in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, she’s the current Co-Chair of DOVIA (Directors of Volunteers in Agencies), she’s on the Community Advisory Board for volunteer managers, and she offers volunteer management tools, workshops, and brown bag lunches for volunteer managers throughout the county.

Congratulations once again to Melinda Wilkes – we’re very proud of her!

Learn more about our Volunteer Services Department>>