Community beyond construction at 899 Charleston Songwriting ...

Above: Auxiliarypast presidentsEstelle Bardoff andArlene Krieger.Right: Auxiliarypresident HoneySchwartz passesthe gavel toher successor,Pinky Shapiro.When the café opened, recalls Estelle Bardoff,“I brought my husband in to make sandwiches, andone resident complained that there wasn’t enoughtuna on hers.”Ida Schwartz remembers soliciting her husband’shelp to schlep donated clothing to the gift shop.“Arthur really wanted a pick-up truck and this gavehim an excuse to buy one. He drove it like it was alimo,” she laughs.Ida got Marilyn Sugar involved too, bringing herfirst into the Home’s gift shop. “I was looking for away to volunteer and this appealed to me,” Marilynsays. “I always left feeling so good about what wewere doing.”The group had its own office in the Home’smain building, which it named the Alfy GoldmeyerRoom, after the president of the MaimonidesHebrew Nursing Home’s Auxiliary, which closedand transferred its roster to the fledgling JewishHome Auxiliary. Every Tuesday and Thursday, theoffice was filled with women doing mailings, makingphone calls, and schmoozing with residents whowould stop by. And when a small number of menactively joined their efforts, the Women’s Auxiliaryrenamed itself ‘Auxiliary.’Their work did not go unnoticed. “Theirleadership, dedication, and wisdom inspired thoseof us on staff who, over the years, were privilegedto work closely alongside the Auxiliary,” notesKoshover, who was the Home’s liaison to the group.The raison d’etre of the Auxiliary was to makethings better for the residents.“We didn’t spend an extra nickel we coulduse on something for the residents instead. Wewere penny pinchers,” says Pola Burk, who recallsgetting involved when her mother-in-law movedinto the Home. “My husband came home from ameeting with the administration at that time andannounced, ‘I made you a volunteer.’”“We did bulk mailing by hand to save money, andresidents would come in to help us,” says Estelle.“We took our fiduciary role very seriously. Weran the Auxiliary like a business, and maintainedour own bank accounts, financial records, andinvestments,” adds Lois.In the early 1990s, at its peak, there were 2,200people on the Auxiliary rolls. In 2002, however,a number of factors combined and the grouptransitioned its role to the Home’s Developmentdepartment.“The Auxiliary was the Home’s first group offundraisers. Over the decades they raised millionsof dollars for the direct benefit of the residents. Wecannot thank them enough for all they have doneand all they have made possible. We stand on theirshoulders,” remarks Arlene.For nearly 50 years, the group agrees, “We camebecause we wanted to. We loved it and we lookedforward to it.” And because of their fabulous workand funding endeavors, the Jewish Home and itsresidents are all the better today.The legacy continues. The Auxiliary Fundat the Jewish Home, which stands at morethan $100,000, brings comfort and joy to theresidents. For further information about howyou can make a gift to support the AuxiliaryFund, please contact Joan Libman in theDevelopment department at 415 .469 . 2137.20 Jewish Senior Living summer 2008