In these dark times, I wanted to share the story of Bea Victor, a true light in our community. Bea, a past JCC Board Member and recipient of our Nancy Avis L’Dor V’Dor First Generation Award, passed away earlier this month at the age of 98. I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to her incredible life.
Bea began giving back to those in need by serving as a nurse, enlisting in the Navy as a military nurse during WWII and attaining the rank of lieutenant—quite a feat for a woman in the 1940’s. After returning home, she continued nursing through her retirement at age 75. In addition to her long and distinguished career, she became a staunch advocate for people with disabilities after her daughter was born with a developmental disability. An early pioneer in the field, Bea worked to assist the JCC as we developed programs for individuals with disabilities. Under her guidance, we created services for people with disabilities, worked to provide opportunities for inclusion, and assisted families traverse the very complicated system of finding and receiving much-needed services. In her later years, Bea didn’t slow down, founding the Senior Olympics in 1987, which was later named for her. She continued to direct the program for 20 years. The Beatrice Victor Senior Olympics is still going strong, with over 500 seniors participating in events around the borough, including at the Bernikow JCC. She also helped us create Senior Net, which taught hundreds of seniors learn to use computers. Through her work, Bea showed us how it important it is for seniors to keep their minds and bodies active—a philosophy that continues in our current robust senior programs. While we mourn her passing, we can take heart in the fact that she lived life to the fullest and left a mark on the lives of Staten Islanders. We can see her legacy in this newsletter and our virtual experiences, which offer our members and participants a connection to our services through their computers. We are so grateful to Bea Victor for her lifetime of service—one we hope to continue through our work to better the community during this crisis. -Orit Lender, Deputy Executive Director IN THE NEWS This week, we distributed hundreds of packages of grab-and-go food to those in need in our community, including many seniors. We are grateful to be able to help so many of our fellow Staten Islanders during this crisis. - At a time when it is so easy to feel isolated, our Virtual Senior Center is keeping members of our community connected! Through this program, seniors can engage in meaningful conversations with each other over video chat. As one participant put it, the program is "truly a blessing" that bridges our social distance and helps us lift each other up in these difficult times! - Today, we’re highlighting Angela Peralta! Angela has been an occupational therapy assistant since 1977, and has worked with geriatric, adult, and pediatric clients throughout her career. Angela worked in education for over 20 years. She taught as an adjunct instructor in occupational therapy at LaGuardia CC, CUNY, Touro College and NYU. She has been with the JCC, working at the Berman Building, since 2018. Angela brings her sense of humor and a wealth of expertise to the families of First Foot Forward. Thank you for your dedication, Angela! WELLNESS On Tuesday, our members and staff joined over 250 people from around North America for the JCC Plank Party. We had a great time working out with our friends from JCCs across the US and Canada, and we hope you did too! - Want to learn to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?" This video will help you develop the techniques and stances to get the most out of any cardio kickboxing workout! - The National Institute on Aging has some great health and wellness resources for older adults! Check out their website for information on staying fit and healthy! Focus and quiet your mind with this "Four In – Four Out" breathing exercise. AQUATICS No pool? No problem! You can still participate in dryland training exercises that help swimmers become stronger and more explosive in the water, while decreasing their risk of injury. Today's workout focuses on building abdominal strength! Click on each exercise to see a video demonstration. Round 1: Repeat 5x V-Ups – 10 Reps Planks – 30 Seconds Flutter Kicks – 20 Reps Bicycle Crunches – 30 Reps Round 2: Repeat 3x Sky Divers – 15 Reps Planks – 40 Seconds Bicycle Crunches – 30 Reps Side Planks – 30 Seconds SPORTS Our Sports and Recreation team has put together some drills you can practice at home to keep your skills strong before the season starts! Practice Push-Pulls to strengthen the muscles in your feet so you can dribble like a soccer superstar! Set your foot on the ball and move the ball from your toe, to heel, and back to your toe, pushing and pulling the ball back and forth. Switch your feet quickly. Work your way up to practicing it 100 times! - Did you know that we offer four different sports camps in the summer? We have soccer, basketball, gymnastics, and aquatics programs! Not only will your child improve their skills, but sports will teach your child how to be a good teammate, the value of hard work, and the power of a positive attitude! Learn more here! ARTS AND CULTURE TODAY: Facebook Lecture with Rabbi Sussman, 12pm Join Rabbi Sussman on Facebook for a lecture about the cultural and historical traditions of Eastern European Jews. - TODAY: Virtual Book Club: Beyond the Ghetto Gates, 12:30pm Be sure to join us for our Virtual Book Club meeting on Thursday! We will be joined by author Michelle Cameron on a Zoom meeting. Click here for the Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 430 402 826 - TOMORROW: Art of Broadway, 11am Our "Art of Broadway" class is going virtual! Join Fred Grieco on Fridays at 11am on Zoom! Don't miss it! Meeting ID 115-119-374 Password 265999 MUSIC Pop meets classical in this unique mashup of Beyoncé and Beethoven, presented by Carnegie Hall and Google Arts & Culture! Check it out here! CAMP The Weekly Schmooze: Exploring the World of Stories Stories are an important part of the human experience. They help us connect with people who are different from us, learn more about ourselves and our place in the world, and unlock our imagination to take us to places we’ve yet to discover! We all love stories and that’s why we’re so excited about this year’s camp theme: The World of Stories. Each week at camp, we will delve into a different type of story, including folktales, science fiction, fairy tales, mysteries, comics, and fantasy. Because we pride ourselves on helping our campers grow up to be kind, caring adults, we will connect each type of story with values like responsibility, giving, family, and unity. We all know that reading is FUNdamental, and we hope that our study of stories will spark a love for books in all of our campers! We can’t wait to explore the World of Stories this summer! We hope you will consider registering for camp again this year, as we intend to have another wonderful summer. Registration is ongoing at camp.sijcc.org. As we adjust to the shifting landscape of this crisis, we will inform you about any changes to our programming. In the event that we have to make the heartbreaking decision not to open camp in 2020, you will receive a full refund. KIDS AND FAMILIES Throwback Thursday! It’s always a good time to introduce the kids to your favorite 80's and 90's jams! Dance along to hits like "Bye, Bye, Bye," "Larger Than Life," and more with GoNoodle. This is a great way to make movement and dance a part of your day! SOCIAL SERVICES For those in need, JCC social services have gone completely virtual, with staff members providing health insurance navigation, mental health services, legal support resources, and other COVID-19 resources over the phone and email. If you need assistance, please send us an email, and someone from our staff will get in touch with you. - New York State announced a Special Enrollment Period for individuals who may have lost their health insurance as a result of their employment ending due to Coronavirus. If enrollment in Qualified Health Plans through NY State of Health Marketplace is completed, individuals will have coverage effective April 1, 2020. Enrollment into Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus is open year-round. Consumers can apply for coverage through JCC NYSOH Navigators by phone at 718.981.1400 or 718-475-5271. - Our friends at NYLAG put together this webinar with financial advice to help you get through the COVID-19 situation. The video discusses financial challenges, updates on government programs, and other resources. For more information, contact Devorah Weiss at dweiss@sijcc.com COMMUNITY EVENTS 4th Annual Holocaust Art, Poetry, and Prose Contest: Submissions due May 10, 2020 The Wagner College Holocaust Center and Holocaust Commemoration Committee on Staten Island encourage young people in all grade levels to share their creative response to this year’s theme: Children and Prejudice in the Holocaust. Entries will be judged based on creativity, passion, message, and connection to theme. Artwork entries must be accompanied by a paragraph on the meaning of the piece. All entries should include your name, school, and contact information. The first-place winner will receive a cash prize of $100, second-place $50, and third-place $25. Please submit entries to Holocaust.center@wagner.edu with "Holocaust Art Contest 2020" in the subject line. You can also mail your entry to Wagner College Holocaust Center, One Campus Road, Staten Island, NY 10301. Winning entries will be exhibited at www.wagner.edu/holocaust-center and on social media and in future gallery exhibits. For questions: contact Professor Lori Weintrob at lrweintr@wagner.edu 718-390-3309 - U.S. Census 2020 If you haven’t filled out the census yet, now is the time to do it! It is vital that we are ALL counted to secure funding for housing, transportation, schools, and other services we rely on. It takes less than 10 minutes and is confidential. You can fill it out by mail, onlineor by calling (844) 330-2020. - We are participating in Giving Tuesday Now, a campaign leading up to Tuesday, May 5th to help provide emergency funding so we can help those in need at this critical moment. Every year, the JCC serves over 6,000 people in crisis. This year, that number will grow as Staten Islanders experience hardships related to COVID-19. Here is another story of a family in crisis we’ve been able to help: We were contacted by an active adult woman who lives alone and has been financially affected by the crisis. After being furloughed from her teaching and tutoring jobs, she was panicking about how to pay her rent and bills. She came to the JCC’s Kosher Food Pantry in desperation—needing some kind words and understanding in addition to food. We were able to provide her with food as well as referrals to legal resources to help her situation. Our staff was pleased to be able to provide her support and comfort during this difficult time. You can join us in helping these families in crisis by donating to our Families in Need campaign.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2021
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LocationSBERNIKOW/MID-ISLAND
1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5200 ABERLIN/NORTH SHORE
485 Victory Blvd Staten Island, NY 10301 718.475.5290 |
AVIS/SOUTH SHORE
1297 Arthur Kill Road Staten Island, NY 10312 718.475.5270 BERMAN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
2221 Richmond Ave. Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5100 |
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