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A Book Lover's Night 
Publishing veteran Will Schwalbe surprised many in the book business when he resigned as editor-in-chief of Hyperion Books in January 2008, hinting only vaguely at future plans. What they didn’t know was that his mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the previous fall. In The End of Your Life Book Club, Schwalbe writes about his mother’s life and death through the prism of the things they read together. On January 22 we were lucky enough to meet with the author at a special event in support of our Jewish Community Services Divisional Board and the many programs JCS runs.
Read this story in its entirety here.... Helping New Yorkers Indeed! HOPE 2013 
On a cold night in January, New Yorkers took to the streets to do NYC’s annual count of the homeless. Twelve JBFCS staff joined the effort to locate, reach out to, and offer help to those living on the streets of the city. We had a group working in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Once again, a huge shout-out to Jeffrey Clarke, who helped organize the JBFCS team, and to all the staff who worked into the wee hours on this project sponsored by the NYC Department of Homeless Services. By understanding the number of people living on the streets, the City can be better prepared to offer services they might need.
View pictures from the night on Google+....
Representing at the United Nations International Day of Holocaust Commemoration 
The United Nations held a Holocaust Memorial Ceremony to honor Holocaust Survivors and the many heroic people who risked their lives to rescue thousands marked for death by the Nazis. Entitled "Rescue During the Holocaust: The Courage to Care,” the event featured distinguished speakers, video, and live music. We were represented by Board member Carol Levin, Assistant Executive Director Carmen Collado, and Jonathan Katz, Director of Jewish Community Services. They are seen in this photo with Carol’s husband, Jerry Levin, President of UJA-Federation of New York, which helped sponsor the commemoration as part of its Community Initiative for Holocaust Survivors.
Friends Help Warm Up Winter 
This January, 15 volunteers came together for the first JBFCS Friends project of 2013 - the annual Ice Skating trip at Lasker Rink. We welcomed children from the Bronx Community Residence for an afternoon of skating, snacks, and smiles. Our volunteers were great at helping the kids around the rink - and the kids’ skills improved greatly in just a few hours! Then in February, three volunteers braved the winter blizzard to participate in an arts and crafts project at the Pardes residence in Brooklyn. We enjoyed spending the morning with the six lively ladies who live at this residence for adults with developmental disabilities and look forward to visiting again! JBFCS Friends is a flexible volunteer program for young professionals, with a different volunteer project each month.
Find out where we're headed in March....
A Sad Loss 
Our Mt. Vernon Intermediate Care Residence has lost one of its beloved family members. Joel Benjamin, a resident at Mt. Vernon since 1979, passed away suddenly on January 11, 2013. Joel is remembered as a clever, fun-loving but mischievous man whose love of music was obvious. Joel could be so moved by music it would bring him to tears. One of his all-time favorites was Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” Joel’s possessions were dear to him, so much so that he insisted on packing many of them into his backpack every day and taking them wherever he went. He particularly valued any items given to him by his family. Joel also valued the money he earned each Saturday for emptying the trash at the residence, a task he looked forward to doing for many years. Although Joel is no longer physically present, he will live on in the hearts and minds of all the Mt. Vernon staff and clients.
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