By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
At age 97, Delores Levy is the “Matriarch” of the Senior Lunch program at the Trager Family JCC (Photo by Andrew Adler)
We wanted to share some accounts of how our Annual Campaign and similar initiatives have improved the lives of our fellow Jews here and in Israel. So as the Annual Campaign draws to a close, below are three such examples that demonstrate the diverse, sustaining impact of your generous contributions.
The Senior Lunch and Meals on Wheels programs at the Trager Family JCC are a lifeline for many older adults
Pretty much every weekday from noon to 1 p.m., the Trager Family JCC’s Kohn Family Town Square bustles with about 60 regulars enjoying Senior Lunch – nourishment for the body, soul and spirit. And nobody embodies the essence of this place better than 97-year-old Delores Levy.
“I’ve been here for quite some time – approximately 68 years,” she says while setting up a cash box on the counter in front of her. Call her the K-Ching Lady, collecting a suggested donation of $3 from each diner age 60 and older.
“They expected me to be more responsible because I was in retail,” she explains. “That’s all I’ve ever done.”
Levy is a ball of nonagenarian high energy, with a bit of a sly edge. When this writer apologized for not having visited with her for some months, the reply – “You’d better get down here more often.” – was swiftly (and winkingly) delivered. Not surprisingly, the staff is in love with her.
“She’s absolutely amazing,” says Dara Cohen, Active Adult & Senior Director at the Trager Family JCC. “I call her the matriarch of our program.”
Cohen estimates that her department serves close to 800 on-site lunches a month, plus another 600 or so Meals on Wheels delivered to homebound recipients. And for seniors who want to come in-person but who are unable to drive, department drivers are available to pick them up.
Sometimes “that’s their only opportunity to get outside of the home,” Cohen says. “Or they might be widowed and no longer cook, so this is their only healthy meal of the day.”
Crucially, “we think about the senior population as a whole,” Cohen says. “So we’re making a huge, huge impact.”
For many seniors, the social aspect of lunchtime is as vital as the food.
“They stay and play cards; they exercise; they walk; they attend programming after lunch,” Cohen says. “It’s not just sitting and eating. People will come up to me and say, ‘Okay, what are we doing today?’”
Levy is in complete agreement. “It’s lonely eating alone,” she says. “So you come over here with somebody, and the next day you eat with someone else. And that’s good. The people who come here need it. That’s the most important thing.”
(L-R) William and Chelsea Raff enjoying an outing at the new Blieden Family Playground at the Trager Family JCC (photo by Eli Raff)
A child facing multiple challenges thrives amid inclusiveness and understanding at the Trager Family JCC
At the Trager Family JCC, the Yachad program at Camp J and the Blieden Family Playground have been a double blessing for Chelsea Raff and her nine-year-old son, William.
Born with cerebral palsy after suffering a stroke while still in his mother’s womb, William – who now uses the pronouns he/they – has faced more than their share of physical challenges. But within the caring, inclusive environment that defines camp and playground, they’ve flourished.
“William was late to do a lot of things physically, and we’ve always taken extra care to make sure that wherever we go, they’re safe,” Raff says. “When they got to camp age, we tried a different camp and found out that not only were they not kept safe, they were also bullied.”
The Raffs sought out an alternative for William at a place they already knew well. “My husband Jason grew up at Camp J and the JCC every day after school,” she recalls. “So we got on the waiting list – we were fortunate that William got a spot” for summer 2019. They’ve returned every summer since.
Then and now, Camp J has been sanctuary for William. “One of the things that told me, right away, that it was the right place was to see it had a special focus on including children with disabilities, and any different needs” Chelsea Raff says.
“Camp J set the standard,” she emphasizes, “of what we should expect from our community – and for families in the area who are just like ours.”
That imperative has extended to the Blieden Family Playground, which opened on May 13 to serve not only Trager Family JCC constituents, but to the entire community.
The playground is a prime demonstration of the Yachad (Hebrew for “Together”) program here, at Camp J, and elsewhere at the Trager Family JCC — whose collective inclusivity mission is “enriching the lives of Jewish individuals with disabilities, and their families.”
Raff recounted visiting another playground and discovering, to her dismay, that there were much of it was inaccessible to William. On their way to see it “I was so excited to talk to him about it. And they were crushed because it was just about the least inclusive and adaptive playground you could come up with for a child with disabilities.”
Frankly, “it was one of those moments where I was like, ‘Wow, people weren’t thinking about my child or my family or families like ours at all.”
Not so at the Blieden Family Playground. Walking through the new facility, “it underscored everything I was already feeling about, like being seen,” Raff says. “We’re not being pushed to the margins.”
She mentioned happy surprises like a swing set large and flexible enough to accommodate William, who has low muscle tone. Her son “was so excited about that adaptive swing – that they could have that experience. It was the first thing they went to.”
Whether at the Blieden Family Playground or Camp J, William (and younger brother Eli) have plenty of opportunities to flourish.
Indeed, William is looking ahead to further adventures. “They already want to be a counselor,” Raff shared. And why not?
“Everybody gets excited when you find a place where you feel like you belong and are accepted,” she says. “That’s what this has been for our family.”
Partnership2Gether Western Galilee helps build a new “Living Together” bilingual school serving Arab and Jewish children.
Thanks to ongoing Partnership2Gether collaborations amid Israel’s Western Galilee region, Louisville supports a broad range of initiatives to improve the lives of residents living under the constant threat of armed conflict – especially since October 7.
Few examples are as resonant as Gan Toot Living Together, a bilingual kindergarten situated in a repurposed bomb shelter at Kibbutz Evron. Serving both Arab and Jewish children, it’s a living, thriving community that speaks the language of generosity and tolerance. And your contributions helped build it.
“We are happy to reveal our newest plaque honoring our generous partners – the Jewish Federation of Louisville,” Gan Toot leaders Sagi Shelev and Shaked Mordechay wrote in a June 20 email.
“Honestly, few things are more heartwarming than the unbreakable bond between peoples, living an ocean apart – where one is in dire need, and the other lends a hand,” they said.
Their email concluded: “Hoping for more opportunities for partnerships and collaborations, for a better future.”
Amen to that.