Jewish Family Service and its employees respond on a near daily basis to people in need of assistance from across the spectrum of our community. Its practice of compassion and Judaic values extends to those who may have hit a string of bad luck or are experiencing a financial setback and can benefit from a little something to help them over the rough patch.
Jewish Family Service is pleased to announce that, as of January 2018, it now has the capacity to have a greater impact in this regard, following the establishment of the Geduldig Financial Assistance Operating Fund. This Fund fulfills the lifelong goal of Michael and Ellen Geduldig to help people overcome short-term financial challenges by significantly increasing the amount of discretionary dollars that JFS has available to meet their needs.
“We’ve donated to JFS and other local and national organizations before, but we wanted to have a direct impact on people’s lives,” Michael explains. “We looked at what JFS was doing with Kosher Meals on Wheels, and saw our fund as being parallel to that. This provides assistance beyond food, but with the same spirit behind it.” The funding is designed to be distributed throughout the year, and is to be replenished on an annual basis.
The Geduldigs, who live in Mechanicsburg, said that this particular issue is close to their hearts. “Life is an obstacle course,” Ellen points out. “So, when people want to go forward and cannot, we want to be there for them.”
With that goal in mind, the Geduldigs considered several organizations at which to house their fund, but ultimately decided on JFS. “We thought they were the perfect vehicle for this,” says Michael. “We’ve appreciated JFS’s efforts across many areas. JFS made it easy to meet exactly the needs we wanted to address. Some resources already exist, but this gives them more clout.”
The Geduldigs’ gift is designed to inspire future donors to give in similarly impactful ways. “We’re hoping others will contribute to this fund or establish something for similar purposes. We hope it’s a wakeup call to think in these terms rather than ‘another lecture series.’’’
written by Adam Grobman
2018
