April showers are so much more than rain
By Deb Savitt • Community Involvement Manager
Sometimes doing my job as the volunteer manager at JFCS feels like having a fourth child: I plan. I arrange. I execute and troubleshoot. I worry (and worry) about the details, the goal of what we are trying to accomplish, and the permutations of the outcome. The reality is that, much like child rearing, events that take place beyond our doors are often out of my control. Sometimes we miss the mark, but luckily things usually work out. One thing is a given no matter the project: the JFCS mission — to provide essential services to people of all ages and backgrounds to sustain healthy relationships, ease suffering and offer support in times of need — is always the driving force behind our efforts.
Just like raising a child, my work often brings me pure joy and extreme pride, and our recent Passover Hag Sameach effort is a perfect example. Our delivery date, Sunday, April 2, aligned with Good Deeds Day, an international effort to spread good work throughout our countries and communities. And this year Good Deeds Day was larger than ever before, with 93 countries represented through a range of hands-on activities. From Poland and Taiwan, Kenya and Brazil, to Mexico and Portugal, we globally joined forces with families, teens and adults of all ages to create the ripples of giving of ourselves for the greater good.
JFCS was fortunate to enlist a crew of more than 40 families and individuals to provide Passover food to those who needed a little assistance celebrating the holiday. The vibe of the day was amazing. With a party atmosphere, our Board Room was abuzz with positive energy. I was heartened to see more young children and families participate than ever before, coming together with adults of all ages to bring a little Passover to our community. Fueled by bagels and cream cheese, and our colorful (free) Good Deeds Day t-shirts, we delivered 200 bags full of Passover essentials across the metro area in just a few hours’ time.
In addition to the legwork on delivery day, we tapped into the energy of dozens of families and children behind the scenes who helped us by beautifully decorating, setting up and assembling the bags in anticipation of delivery day. This is just one example of how it takes a village and how we truly could not accomplish what we do in our community without our volunteers. This is one moment that as the volunteer manager/mother, I sit back and ponder all that my child has accomplished. That brings me pure pride and joy.
So what does the rest of April have in store? April brings showers, but not just showers of rain. Because April is also volunteer month, it means showering our volunteers with thanks, praise and gratitude for all they do to support our mission.
As we approach National Volunteer Week next week, we celebrate all that you — our volunteers — do for us and take some time to honor you. From the very bottom of my heart, and our collective JFCS hearts, we thank you for your support and commitment to making our world a better place.
It’s your week. Celebrate.