The service and support that JFS provides really is the extension of our community’s caring, and there’s no better example of this than a recent volunteer effort from PMSI.
PMSI provides Human Resources support to JFS. Stephanie Benadof of PMSI is often onsite at JFS, so when the company was looking to plan its annual Presidents’ Day team volunteer effort, Stephanie reached out to Director of Volunteer Services Jane Deer-Hileman to find a project for their group.
The team of 25 employees was looking for something they could do together that would keep them busy for a half day. With 100 person-hours to give on a single day, Deer-Hileman connected with Aging in Place Geriatric Care Manager Lani Scheman to see if there was an individual or family who could use this scale of support.
Scheman’s work sometimes extends to people who are not elderly but nonetheless need services and supports to live safely and independently in their own homes. In this case, Deer-Hileman and Scheman were able to connect the PMSI volunteers to a family on the Eastside who needed some help around their home – projects that they could not manage themselves and were not in the financial position to pay someone to do for them.
So on a day when some were enjoying a Monday holiday, the generous team of volunteers scrubbed and scoured a kitchen, painted three rooms of the home and completely weeded the front and back yards – no easy task in the midst of our region’s premature spring.
The family expressed its appreciation to the PMSI team who described the experience this way:
It’s amazing how much work 25 people can accomplish when they are on a mission! It was fun doing the work, a great team building exercise for us and the family we helped was very appreciative. We ended the day with pizza and salads, a few sore muscles and a feeling of accomplishment. Thanks for the opportunity!
If your group would like to explore volunteer opportunities with JFS, contact Director of Volunteer Services Jane-Deer Hileman.
By Deb Frockt
Deb Frockt is Director of Marketing & Communications. She enjoys baking, beaching and learning about golf, both kinds of football, fashion and pop music from her husband and sons.
