L’DOR V’DOR F A M I LY, E D U C A T I O N A N D S E N I O R L I V I N G
THREE RIVER GARDEN HEROES WIN FLIGHTS By Kari Bell, River Garden Senior Services
On May 6, JetBlue announced a Healthcare Heroes sweepstakes promotion, to give a pair of free tickets to 100,000 healthcare workers as thanks for their work during the coronavirus pandemic. River Garden Dining Services Manager Dan Uhl jumped at the chance to nominate River Garden staff for the prize. As of June 1, three winners from River Garden have been named: Tsehay, Yvonne & Liz. Uhl submitted the following to JetBlue for this sweepstakes: “Tsehay works tirelessly caring for our residents even though her own husband is
compromised with respiratory health problems.” “Yvonne has worked for us for 20+ years. She herself is in her 60s and risks her own health to provide for others.” “Liz, a mother of four, is an immigrant who works hard every day to provide nourishing meals for our 165 residents that live full time at our facility. She never misses a day of work & always shows up with a smile ready to help our team & residents.” In a statement, JetBlue President/COO Joanna Geraghty said, “We applaud the healthcare workers who
Elizabete “Liz” Lacuku and Dan Uhl celebrate the win.
are helping us get through this challenging time and inspiring humanity along the way. This is an opportunity for us to fly it forward and show our appreciation for
the heroic efforts of medical professionals, first responders and public servants–not just in New York but around the country as well.”
SCHOOL IS IN FOR TEACHERS AT BLOCK GAN YELADIM By Brittney Hicks, Jewish Community Alliance
While Michele Block Gan Yeladim was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we teachers took the time to engage in professional development opportunities offered by the JCC Association, which had a powerful impact on me. These opportunities increased my understanding and appreciation for the
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Sheva Jewish Lenses, which guides our school’s learning. This in turn gave me a newfound admiration for the incredible staff at my school and a greater sense of confidence as a teacher. The professional development opportunities from the JCC Association covered a variety of topics from Jewish values, holidays, and rituals. Teachers participated virtually in Passover and Yom
Ha’atzmaut celebrations. We were also able to learn from and network with other North American JCC educators who spoke about their classrooms, students and practices. I took virtual tours of other schools and gained great insight on changes I could make to my own classroom, particularly how to add more aspects of K’dushah (Intentionality and Presence). I reflected
and realized the importance of natural beauty that could be added to my classroom as well furniture rearrangements, displays and maintaining an environment that is clutterfree. Professional Development allowed me the chance to see these schools and learn from other educators and add some of their knowledge to my own teaching toolkit.
