101 and More to Come!

This Sunday's Senior Lunch Program was marked down in Met Council's calendar with many an asterisk and other funky decorations, as this was a very special day. Met Council is so proud to announce that we celebrated an exciting feat accomplished by Polina, one of our lovely 3rd Avenue residents...Her 101st birthday!!

There were 25 residents in attendance, including Polina's family, and 14 volunteers from Park Avenue Synagogue who were referred to the program by UJA. According to Julia, one of our very dedicated volunteer leaders who staffed the event, people were playing the piano, singing and having a blast. Cake was served and Polina was given a gift on behalf of Met Council.

We are so honored to have provided this incredible opportunity to celebrate the life of a Met Council resident.

Best wishes to Polina and her family!

A Hallmark Volunteer: Stacey Cohen, Volunteer of the Month

In the summer of 2009, Stacey Cohen, a life-long New Yorker, responded to President Obama’s call to service to help revitalize local communities. In her search for a place to volunteer, Stacey found Met Council on a government website.

“The work of Met Council really appealed to me,” says Stacey, “since they provide so many different types of services that reach so many people.”

Because of her artistic skills, Stacey began to volunteer for the Sunshine Greeting Card Program that has volunteers make cheerful greeting cards for homebound and socially isolated senior citizens. Since that time, Stacey has made over 150 greeting cards and volunteered over 100 hours.

“To me the most rewarding part of being a volunteer is that through the Sunshine Greeting Card Program, I know that I am touching the lives of people who I haven’t met and who I may never get to know,” says Stacey.

There are currently 83,000 Jewish seniors in the New York region that live alone, 25,000 of them have no adult children living in the area. Volunteers like Stacey Cohen make sure that they don’t feel as alone and isolated. If you’d like to volunteer for the Sunshine Greeting Card Program, please contact volunteer@metcouncil.org.

6th Graders Pound the Pavement

In preparation for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the 6^th graders of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale wanted to experience what it felt like to be a “chesed-doer,” or someone who performs an act of loving-kindness. What better way to feel the powerful effects of doing chesed than volunteering for Met Council’s POS program?

The Paperless Office System (POS) is an exciting program in collaboration with Met Council, Human Resources Administration (HRA), Single Stop USA and the Robin Hood Foundation that allows New Yorkers to have improved access to public benefits, such as Food Stamps and Medicaid. In an effort to spread the word about this program, the students distributed over 2,500 pamphlets to various businesses throughout Co-op City.

After the students distributed the materials, they discussed their experiences and how their volunteer efforts were in line with the concept of doing chesed. Their understanding and appreciation for the project they undertook was evident in their positive feedback. Met Council is so proud to have facilitated this empowering experience for the 6^th graders of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale and hopes that this volunteer opportunity will instill within them the obligation to continue performing tikkun olam or “repairing of the world.”