Helping Out: Part II: Staten Island Bernikow JCC

from Rochester to Staten Island, all the donations made it down safely. My family with David Sorkin, exec director of the Bernikow JCC, Staten Island

A few weeks back, I wrote the first part of helping out back in Staten Island

I called it Part I which means, of course, there will be at least a sequel.

Well, it’s been a rough few weeks healthwise in our household so my apologies for the hold up on Part II.

It turns out that my synagogue’s education director in Rochester is childhood friends with David Sorkin,  the executive director of the JCC in Staten Island. Our synagogue was collecting donations for Sandy victims in Staten Island. Their only problem: how were they going to deliver the goods?

So, in addition to helping out the fine volunteers at Guyon Rescue, with the help of my husband’s colleagues at General Motors, we borrowed the biggest Suburban you’d ever lay your eyes on and filled it with the gently used  and new toys, books, art supplies and toiletries to be distributed through the Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island.

When I returned home to Rochester, Temple Beth El received the following letter from the JCC  in thanks for our donation:

Dear Families of Temple Beth El, 

Thank you very much for the toys, books, games and gifts that you collected for the children of our community who have suffered great losses from Hurricane Sandy.   Also, special thanks to Stacy Gittleman and family for delivering supplies to the JCC. 

As fate would have it, we received a call on Monday morning from a day care center that experienced damage from the storm and they were seeking replacement supplies. In addition, we sent some of the supplies to one of the shelters that are housing families.  They were setting up a play room for the children, and your donations helped to create a warm and welcoming space in an otherwise bare and sterile environment.  Some of these same children received the cards that were made by the children at your school. 

Most of all, we must tell you that your acts of kindness will be remembered by all involved long after these families return to their homes and their lives get back to normal. …..

Thank you again to all my Rochester friends, neighbors and congregants who filled bins and my garage with donations that we brought down to Staten Island. I just wanted to share this letter with you to know how much it was appreciated.