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JCA Insights, January 2024

By JCA on January 25, 2024

JCA Checks in on SCSEP Placements

Thanks to Interfaith Works, many of JCA Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) jobseekers are getting excellent work experience and a paycheck. Five jobseekers currently are making sure all donations are received, shelved and made available to those who come to the center on Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville.

Five hours a day, four days a week, SCSEP jobseekers can be seen hanging up clothes, stocking the food pantry or helping customers. “I was lucky to find JCA. I feel very comfortable. As long as I am keeping busy I feel better,” said Luis Ibacache. Interfaith Program Manager Andres Gutierrez praised the program. “It’s a very good help to us when we are short with our staff.”

Senior HelpLine: 240-290-3311 or 703-652-1515

Please reach out to the J-CARING Community Support Line if you feel the need for mental health resources.
Call (703)-J-CARING (703-522-7464), and a J-Caring provider will connect you to community resources to address your needs.

In this issue:

➢ SCSEP at Interfaith Works

➢ January donation drives

➢ Remembering Sylvia Raphael

➢ JCA employment programs on local cable

➢ KC art show in the WJW

➢ Secure your legacy with resources from JCA

January Donation Drives at JCA

This past month, JCA has hosted two collections – for nonperishable food and for winter coats. The Gorlitz Kensington Clubs collected 204 pounds of food for Manna Food Bank and the Heyman Interages® Center collected 12 coats and several hats, scarves, and gloves. Thank you to all who contributed.

JCA Remembers Sylvia Raphael

It is with great sadness that JCA announces the passing of Sylvia Raphael of Silver Spring on Jan. 4, 2024. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Born in New York, a graduate of Hunter College, Sylvia was president of the Jewish Council for the Aging (1992-1994), a member of the Maryland Board of Elections, and director of Seniors Organized for Change at the Jewish Community Center.

In 1965, Sylvia and her family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where they stayed for 49 years. During those years, Sylvia remained active in local and national League of Women Voters activities. She served as president of the Jewish Council for the Aging, worked at the Jewish Community Center in Rockville as the director of Seniors Organized for Change, lobbied Congress and the Maryland legislature on emergency matters, worked to re-establish civics education in the public schools and never lost her belief that education should be free and available to all.

After Sylvia and her husband, Coleman, moved to Riderwood, she resurrected a moribund League of Women Voters and became program chair of the Democratic Committee. She was a generous contributor to the Riderwood Jewish Council and active in book clubs. She organized trips from Riderwood to the Maryland legislature in Annapolis. She lobbied passionately for gun control and voting rights. In 2020, she talked the Boards of Elections in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties into setting up voting drop boxes on the Riderwood campus. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to George Mason University, the Coleman Raphael MBA Scholarship Fund, the Jewish Council for the Aging, or the Dr. Coleman and Sylvia Raphael Endowment for Older Adults, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington.

Montgomery Municipal Cable Channel Runs PSAs for Career Gateway and 50+ Expos

Montgomery Municipal Cable (MMC) is running a PSA (public service announcement) highlighting JCA’s Career Gateway and 50+ Expos. In addition to the PSA, the channel is showing several interviews with JCA’s Employment Program graduates and employers. You may be surprised to learn that Employment Program graduates sometimes go on

to positions where they participate in the Career Gateway and Expos from the other side – as presenters and employers. (Click on each name to see the MMC interview)

Helen Burns is
Community Engagement Manager at Naborforce, a Virtual 50+ Employment Expo Employer.
Daniel Mormak, Vice President of RPO Services at HuemanPro a partner of Adventist HealthCare.
Jan Abraham is a former Virtual 50+ Employment Expo jobseeker, and a Career Gateway Graduate. Jan went onto become Business Services Consultant with WorkSource Montgomery.
Reed Scarce is a former Virtual 50+ Employment Expo jobseeker. After attending an Expo, Robert applied at Naborforce and was hired.

KC Art Show Featured in the Washington Jewish Week

The January 25 Washington Jewish Week featured an article about the Kensington Clubs art show. From the article: “The art display, which will remain up for around a month, includes a curated selection of the work completed by the program participants over a six-month period during their time at the JCA’s Gaithersburg location. Participants go in up to twice a week and spend four hours with the staff doing programming that includes creating the artwork.

[One member], who has been participating in the program for five years, had a great time producing the pieces and bringing one of her friends to the show where she could present the finished products of her labor.”

This past month the JCA blog, Information for the Sandwich Generation, shared a guide on ceating a dementia-friendly home. Another dementia related post examined the relationship between hearing and health risks. Maybe you should be spending more on yourself, explains Sally Pessin in her Safety and Planning is a Snap! blog post. The first in a series about estate planning outlines 10 Things You Didn’t Know That Highlight the Importance of Starting Your Estate Plan.

JCA thanks our generous donors who made Honor and Memorial gifts
in the last month.

Peter N. Kaufman in honor of Julius Sankin

Eva B. Tewel in memory of Ethel Tewel

Wayne D. Berman in memory of Libbie Berman

Gerald M. Ehrenstein in honor of Austin Heyman

Herbert Grossman in memory of Jeanne Neustadt

Sonia S. Rothschild in honor of Shane Rock

Alan B. Birnkrant in memory of Rhoda Bernstein

Marian R. Fox in memory of Minna Kaufman

Karen Zuckerstein in memory of Toby Alterman

Rachel E. Solomon in honor of Jeffrey Hamberger

Paula Morris in memory of Henry Morris

Harold S. Burman in memory of Robert Burman

Hal Bordy in memory of Shane Rock’s family member

Michael Bernstein in memory of Miriam Rosenberg

Scott H. Strauss in memory of Shirley Peltz

Stephen J. Rockower in memory of Sylvia Raphael

David N. Gamse In memory of Sylvia Raphael

Elaine Kotell Binder in memory of Sylvia Raphael

David Shindell in memory of Mark Schlesinger

Brenda Feldman in memory of Veronica Penaranda’s Beloved Father

Stuart G. Steingold in memory of Lewis Steingold

Stuart G. Steingold in memory of Jeffrey Steingold

Debbie Ecker in memory of Sylvia Raphael

The blank pages of 2024 lie ahead, and one of the smartest ways you can start this new year strong is with an up-to-date estate plan that includes a will and comprehensive instructions for your chosen executor. Start this new year with a solid plan. As you draft your personal legacy, we invite you to consider including a planned gift to JCA. By doing so, you ensure your personal narrative lives on and plays an integral role in advancing our mission for years to come.

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Steer your car donation to JCA!

It’s easy to donate your car through CAR-J, a collaborative program of JCA and Makom (formerly Jewish Foundation for Group Homes). Get started by filling in the CAR-J form. CAR-J will pick up your car at no cost!

Come learn about the impact JCA has in our community in a 45-minute Zoom “tour of our mission.” You might be surprised at what you hear as we introduce you to our CEO, board president, Career Gateway graduate, Interages volunteer, and Kensington Club activity leader. Reserve your spot for February 7 at 9:30 a.m., February 22 at 4:00 p.m., March 6 at 9:30 a.m., or March 14 at 4:00 p.m. We really would love to meet you!