Dec 4, 2013

Federation Volunteers Giving Time to South Florida Causes During Holiday Season

Hundreds of volunteers will make the 2013 holiday season more meaningful by giving of their time and energies to serving others in the community through the Fifth Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) “Season of Doing” program.

Originally created to mobilize Jewish volunteerism on December 25, this year’s Season of Doing program has been expanded to a 10-day period, with a larger number of venues for participation.

“This is one of our most highly anticipated annual events and has attracted an amazing response from the Jewish community during the past four years, with nearly 500 people joining in each holiday season,” said JVC Chair Shana Lewinger Russo. “There is something incredibly uplifting and meaningful about serving others during this special time of year.”

Beginning on Monday, December 16 and ending on Wednesday, December 25, volunteers will serve clients at South Florida social-service agencies and patients at local health facilities. Participating institutions include Aventura Hospital, Chapman Partnership for the Homeless, CHARLEE House, Holtz Children’s Hospital, Lotus House, Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami Rescue Mission, Ronald McDonald House and The Salvation Army.

Volunteers of all ages are invited to participate in family-friendly activities that include preparing and serving meals, distributing toys, visiting sick patients, knitting baby hats and booties, and more. (Some venues request volunteers in their teens and older.) Space is limited for each Season of Doing opportunity, and while requests may be made, spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn about available opportunities by clicking here.

The mission of the Jewish Volunteer Center is to provide a central clearinghouse for volunteers in the Miami Jewish community and to strengthen the entire community through high-quality, hands-on volunteer projects and service learning initiatives. Last year, 2,300 volunteers donated a total of 9,200 hours of hands-on help to community organizations through the Jewish Volunteer Center – equaling about $200,000 in paid time.

For more information about the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Center and its Season of Doing, please email [email protected] or call JVC Director Laura Guren Rodriguez at 786.866.8680.