I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. While we are still very much in the midst of this unique situation, these circumstances provide a chance to reflect on the things that are most important to us. Despite our distance from one another, we have an unmatched capacity for connection. Despite the danger and fear surrounding this pandemic, we have seen so many heroes--including our staff and many members of our community--rise to the challenges at hand. As for our agency, we remain committed to serving you and so look forward to the day when we can open our doors to you again. Until then, we have some positive news that we'd love to share with you.
Although we closed our doors to the public seven weeks ago, our work has not stopped. Since then, we have:
Please continue to reach out to us by responding to this email if you or someone you know is in need of assistance with COVID-19 resources. Follow us on Facebook to stay connected with us and get the latest updates on virtual programming and our efforts to help those in need. -Orit Lender, Deputy Executive Director and Incoming CEO IN THE NEWS We will be celebrating Yom Yerushayalim on Thursday, May 21st at 7pm. If you'd like to share what Jerusalem means to you to be read aloud at the virtual celebration (no more than 2 paragraphs), you can send it to jcc@sijcc.com - Thank you to the National Grid Foundation for supporting the JCC of Staten Island with a $5,000 grant to help support hunger relief and human services for people in need and struggling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. - Our Kosher Food Pantry is also supported by UJA-Federation of New York, the Robin Hood Foundation, Verizon, Con Edison, National Grid Foundation, Mannix Shop Rite Stores, United Way, Food Bank NYC, Met Council, the Brooklyn Home for Aged Men, Borough President James Oddo, and DYCD. We are grateful to them for their continued generosity during this difficult time. - Last week, our Gerard Carter Cornerstone Community Center partnered with Assemblyman Charles Fall, World Vision, CRU Inner City, Convoy of Hope, and additional nonprofit organizations to distribute over 200 meals and 100 hygiene kits to students from PS 57, PS 78, IS 49 and the Stapleton Houses. Thank you to our community partners, volunteers, and staff for their help and generosity! - Click here to check out this special message of gratitude from our ECE families to all essential workers! Thank you for all that you do! WELLNESS Try out this Pilates total body workout! It's great for beginners and anyone looking to get in shape! - Did you know that May is Mental Health Month? Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it is especially important to check in on your mental well-being during these challenging times. - This video from Headspace is a wonderful reminder to "Remember the Blue Sky" if you're feeling overwhelmed by the current situation. Headspace also has a collection of mental health tips and exercises specially curated for New Yorkers. Here are some additional mental health resources available in NYC:
"How to Stop Emotional Eating" — A Lecture by Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Monday, May 11, 8pm Join us for this free virtual lecture on Zoom! Click here to join the lecture. Meeting ID: 992 699 3587 Password: 051120 - Join us for these weekly wellness classes! Internal Exercise: Mondays, 12pm Internal Exercises energize the entire body, promote effective functions of the internal organs, dissolve stress and tension, prevent health problems, heal, regenerate, and do much more without strenuous exercises or equipment. Join us on Zoom: Meeting ID: 985-8085-5441 Password: Wellness - Positive Pulse with Lisa, Tuesdays, 1pm Each week, Lisa will demonstrate easy at-home exercises using things around the house Join us on Zoom: Meeting ID: 914 380 9061 Password: wellness1 - Eat Well, Live Well: Nutrition Education with Lisa, Mondays, 2pm Health cooking class with pantry staples and easy-to-use everyday gadgets Join us on Zoom: Meeting ID: 914 380 9061 Password: wellness1 - Biology of the Immune System with Dr. Roberta Hayes, Wednesdays, 11am Join us here. SPORTS Roll Out, and Push In... This drill will help you improve your soccer dribbling skills! Try it out! Place your foot on top of the ball. Roll the ball towards the outside of the foot and quickly slide the foot to the outside of the ball. Push the ball in towards the other foot. Practice 100 times with each foot! - 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 Take a virtual tour of 17 movie locations with Google Arts & Culture! - Dr. Esther Grushkin Seminars for Adult Jewish Education (SAJE) presents A JCC Virtual Rabbi/Rebbetzin Series, Wednesday, May 20, 12:30pm Join us for a FREE Zoom lecture by Rebbetzin Ivry, who will discuss “The Soul and the Afterlife.” Click here to join the lecture. Meeting ID: 992 699 3587 Password: 468536 - ONGOING VIRTUAL CLASSES We miss all of our enriching Cultural Arts classes, but we are so excited to be able to offer some of them virtually! Check out our schedule of weekly classes below: Art of Broadway with Fred Grieco Fridays, 11am Explore the origins and background of NY Theater. Follow the history of the Broadway stage through stories about the men and women who made the NY theater scene so successful. Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 115 119 374 Password: 265999 - Judaism at Home & Days to Celebrate with Rabbi Mendy Katzman Mondays, 1pm Join us for a five-part Jewish literacy series about how Judaism is observed at home, which is particularly relevant at this time, when the only place Judaism can thrive is at home. This offering will touch on many areas, ranging from the things we do upon waking, to how we eat our meals, elements of prayer, and the basics of Shabbat. The content will include practical guidance, in the style of DIY, as well as deeper insights about why we do what we do. Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 366509541 - The Way It Was: The History and Culture of the Jews of Eastern Europe with Rabbi Gerald Sussman Thursdays, 12pm Watch on Facebook Live - Improv Class with Mona Valore Fridays, 1:30pm Call in to Zoom at 425-436-6397 Access code: 175126 MUSIC The Metropolitan Opera has an exciting streaming schedule planned for this weekend! Tonight: Strauss’s Capriccio Friday: Puccini’s La Bohème Saturday:The Opera House, a 2017 documentary chronicling the debut of the new Met at Lincoln Center in 1966 Sunday: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci Check out the schedule here. CAMP The Weekly Schmooze: Specialty Soccer Camp At our Soccer Camp, fun is our goal! Under the guidance of professional trainers who have played high level and international soccer, our players will develop their skills while experiencing the joy of the sport. The curriculum includes activities designed for children at every skill level—from fundamental soccer skills to advanced training to competitive scrimmages. For more information, contact soccer@sijcc.com. - 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 We're collecting little notes to give to the homebound in our community when we deliver their food! If you and your kids would like to participate, simply make a friendly greeting card or cheerful note— please only include your first names, without personal information. Then, snap a picture of your card, and email it to us at jcc@sijcc.com! It's a great way to let seniors in our community know they are not alone, and to show kids that there's still so much we can do to be kind to others even though we are apart right now! - Let's make a diorama! Recreate a scene in miniature--it can be from a favorite book or movie, a sport, nature, or even your imagination! All you need is a shoe-box and any supplies you already have at home. Dioramas are a great way for kids to use their imagination, think up creative solutions, and keep busy for a few hours! 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 reply to this 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 FUNDRAISING DIYS TOMORROW: Fierce Females Dance Party, 8pm Get ready to dance! Our friend Jessica Caracciolo is hosting a Fierce Females Dance Party to benefit Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island! Donate whatever you can here by 6pm, and you'll be sent a Zoom link to the event 2 hours before the party. - Are you looking for a special Mother's Day Gift? We're hosting a fundraiser with Sweetest Smiles Photography! All proceeds support our Families in Need COVID-19 Emergency Fund! For $50, you get a front-porch photo session that would be a perfect gift for any special woman in your life. Photo sessions can be redeemed from May 12th-May 22nd. Sign up here! - Have you been experimenting in the kitchen now that you’re spending more time at home? Stop by this virtual fundraiser with Pampered Chef to get all of your kitchen essentials while also supporting Sunrise Day Camp! If you’re interested in hosting a virtual fundraiser for us, please contact EShulman@sijcc.com for more information. COMMUNITY EVENTS TODAY: TYSA Presents: "Parents You Matter" Workshop, 2-3pm Want to learn how to speak with your child about substance use? Join Tackling Youth Substance Abuse (TYSA) for an informative, free Zoom workshop called "Parents You Matter." Email Abby at abigail@sipcw.org to receive the Zoom link. - TONIGHT: Crisis to Connection: Resiliency in the Time of Social Isolation, A Conversation With Dr. Ruth, 7:30pm A former passenger on the Kinder Transport who spent time as an Israeli sniper before she became one of America's most beloved therapists, Dr. Ruth -- 91 years old and still hard at work -- defines hardiness and strength. UJA presents a talk on resiliency with Dr. Ruth in conversation with philanthropist, entrepreneur, and National Young Leadership Cabinet co-chair Ari Ackerman. Register for the webinar here. - 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, online or by calling (844) 330-2020. - 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 we were able to help: A woman reached out for help for her family after her salary was cut due to coronavirus. She previously lived in a homeless shelter with her son, and now lives in a NYCHA apartment. She is struggling to pay her rent, find health insurance, and feed her family—including her mother, who lives with her and is disabled. After she contacted us, we were able to refer her to our Kosher Food Pantry, a financial counselor, our CHIPS office for health insurance navigation, and other resources. Donate to our Families in Need campaign here to help families like this one.
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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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