RMA Presents “Jewish Family Services of Greenwich: Overview of Refugee Resettlement Program and Volunteer Opportunities”
By Arnold Gordon
At the May 22nd meeting of the Retired Men’s Association, Charlie Adams introduced Rachel Kornfeld, the chief executive officer of Jewish Family Services of Greenwich (JFS Greenwich), and Lala Addeo, director of volunteer services. A licensed clinical social worker and certified school administrator, Rachel has been providing mental health and education services in New York and Connecticut for over 20 years. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Lala immigrated to the U.S. with the help of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), JFS, and Temple Sholom in 1990 and brings a unique perspective to the resettlement volunteer effort at JFS. She speaks fluent Russian. The focus of their presentation was on their extensive refugee resettlement program, but Rachel began by tracing the history of JFS Greenwich.
It was founded in 1983 and grew steadily. In 1990 they began to provide resettlement services for refugees from the former Soviet Union. In 2022, JFS Greenwich was granted State Department approved resettlement agency status for their program serving hundreds of people from around the world. They are aided in their efforts by various churches in Greenwich and many volunteers. She explained that the resettlement process is difficult, tedious and very time consuming, invariably needing legal help, provided pro bono. Over 200 clients received such assistance in the past month. As of June 1, JFS Greenwich will have three paralegals on staff.
There are two pathways for resettlement: (1) Refugee status – persons forced to flee their country for fear of persecution, who must obtain official refugee status through the UN; (2) Humanitarian Parole – temporary admission to the US of foreign nationals, otherwise not admissible. This may take from six months to several years.
A travel date for the immigrants is established and they are met at the airport with a translator, as needed, and brought to the housing location that JFS Greenwich has arranged in advance. Lala described the various services provided and the many volunteer opportunities available in four categories.
One-Time: helping with apartment set-up, holding a welcome dinner, translation, transportation, financial/digital literacy. Translators are needed for many languages, especially for greeting at the airport.
Weekly: one-on-one English lessons, with possible field trips (grocery, coffee shop, etc.); career coaching, such as resume preparation, mock interviews, networking with corporate partners, job hunting. Lala mentioned that she is looking for people like RMA members to participate in an Employment Task Force to advocate for the clients.
Events: Special occasions, such as back-to-school, field trip to the Maritime Center which is sponsored by First Presbyterian Church, etc.
Other Volunteer Opportunities: Rachel outlined these items. JFS Greenwich mental health services for six years old and higher through the auspices of the Bennett Center for Behavioral Health at JFS, which is supported by the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Foundation. More than 800 sessions are held each month by 20 professionals. Also, “Compassionate Companion” for older adults is offered in the form of bringing clients to appointments and seeing them home safely. “Supermarketing for Seniors,” is a popular program for the community at large, which helps about 75 clients using 40 volunteer shoppers.
JFS Greenwich also concentrates on reducing food insecurity. Every Tuesday from 10 to 12 at their offices, they hold a farmers’ market and friendly fridge event where the needy are provided with essentials and over 100 donated meals. A similar program is held at Westhill High School in Stamford.
JFS Greenwich is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social services agency serving the greater Greenwich community. Although its counseling services accept most insurance plans, all other services rely on donations from individuals, businesses, foundations, government grants, and, of course, volunteers. As noted, there are many volunteer opportunities to help JFS Greenwich manage their broad-ranging, excellent humanitarian services. It is located at 67 Holly Hill Lane. Their web site is www.jfsgreenwich.org; you can reach Lala at 203-622-1881.
The usual hearty Q&A session followed the presentation.
The talk can be viewed by going to the RMA website at https://greenwichrma.org, and clicking on “Speakers.”
The RMA’s upcoming presentation, “Schubert Lieder, Irish Folk Songs, and Other Stuff,” by George Ubogy and Cynthia Mackay, is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Two retired physicians will serenade the audience with an eclectic program of songs.
Dr. George Ubogy is a retired physician and an amateur pianist. He attended the Juilliard Preparatory Division as a child and adolescent. Dr. Ubogy has played the piano for many years and often submits musical arrangements and occasional compositions to his alma mater, Cornell University, where he is a Chimes Master. In his career as a physician, he was an internist and for many years Medical Director of the Addiction Recovery Center at Greenwich Hospital. He has been introduced to the Schubert lieder by Dr. Mackay.
Dr. Cynthia Mackay, a retired ophthalmologist, began to sing as a child with her musical family around the dining table and at beach picnic bonfires. She played the guitar and sang folk songs to campers when she was a camp counselor in her teens. At Harvard (BA, 1964) she sang with a madrigal group, the Radcliffe Choral Society and the Harvard Glee Club, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. When she became a mother, she sang songs to put her children to sleep at night. When she became a surgeon, she sang German lieder with her neurology professor, opera arias with a patient who is an opera singer (he seduced her in three different languages), and Cole Porter with a patient who is a professor at Rockefeller University. After her husband, Arthur Stampleman, joined the RMA, she began to sing with the best yet: member George Ubogy.
She is executive producer of the movie “Broken Eyes,” filmed by a LASIK-damaged PBS producer, which had its world premiere in April. Also, she recently co-authored the book “The Unsightly Truth of Laser Vision Correction: LASIK Surgery Makes Healthy Eyes Sick,” and a memoir, “Making the Cut.”
To stream the presentation by George Ubogy and Cynthia Mackay at 11 AM on Wednesday, June 5, click on https://bit.ly/30IBj21. This presentation will also be available on local public access TV channels, Verizon FIOS channel 24 and Optimum (Cablevision) channel 79.
Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. Any member of the public who would like to receive a weekly email announcement of future speakers should send a request to members@greenwichrma.org. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact members@greenwichrma.org.
