With the winter holidays in in full swing, residents of The New Jewish Home’s Manhattan campus, a nondenominational nursing home on the Upper West Side, launched their seasonal drive to help others.
Rosalie Gordon, Thelma Reid and Dominga Marquez credit The New Jewish Home
These older New Yorkers, members of The New Jewish Home’s “Hand in Hand Committee,” make it a point to dedicate their time, effort and talent creating handmade crafts and baked goods to benefit others in need, despite their disabilities and health impairments. From Monday, December 16 – Wednesday, December 18, they sold their one-of-a-kind wares, including ceramic figures, holiday ornaments, crocheted blankets and knitted hats, as well as tantalizing treats, to give back and support the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and raised nearly $900.
The Hand in Hand Committee is headed by 70-year-old resident, Guatemalan-born Dominga Marina Marquez. Ms. Marquez suffered a sudden stroke seven years ago, leaving her body partially paralyzed. The therapeutic recreation team at The New Jewish Home helped her to regain her creative skills, teaching her how to bead, crochet and knit again using just one hand.
Ms. Marquez said, “It’s both entertaining and therapeutic for us, because when we’re making these gifts, we keep our minds busy. We have such excellent teachers here.”
The committee encourages volunteerism and community service among residents and supports various charities and organizations throughout the year with bake sales, craft projects, blood drives and other fundraisers. Previous recipients of their donations include Doctors without Borders, CaringKind, New York Cares and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“Our residents at The New Jewish Home love to give back to the community in any way they can. Crafting these handmade works of art keeps them engaged and allows them to get in touch with their creativity, but it also brings them a lot of joy to know they made a difference,” said Dr. Ed Wu, The New Jewish Home’s Chief Medical Officer.
About The New Jewish Home
Founded in 1848, The New Jewish Home serves 10,000 older adults of all faiths and ethnicities each year in their homes, on campuses in Manhattan and Westchester and in senior housing residences in the Bronx. As a comprehensive community benefit health care system, Jewish Home delivers dignified care that meets the evolving needs of people as they age. Offering an unparalleled integrated care continuum, Jewish Home provides specialized short-term rehabilitation; long term skilled nursing with expert dementia and palliative care; adult day health care; geriatric care management and a wide range of home health programs. The New Jewish Home is a proud partner and founding agency of UJA-Federation of New York. For more information, visit www.jewishhome.org.
