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November 28, 2003/Kislev 3 5764, Vol. 56, No. 10
Senior services at risk
Valley of the Sun JCC copes with program deficit
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
Senior services to the elderly frail population are in danger of being reduced, due to cuts in funding and increased overhead of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center.
Decreased allocations from the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix and Valley of the Sun United Way, plus increased operating expenses of the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, have put "an unusually heavy burden" on the JCC, said Mark Shore, VOSJCC president.
The senior center is facing a deficit of $85,000.
In the past, "the JCC has always absorbed the deficit through other means, including fund raising, (and) we will continue to do that," Shore said. "It's just that the burden of the increased overhead of the campus, plus the reduction in (federation) allocations and third-party funding has been overwhelming because they both came at the same time."
At a Nov. 10 federation board meeting, Shore asked board members for assistance to maintain the current level of services the JCC Senior Center provides.
In response, the federation committed to provide three months of funding to cover the senior center's budget shortfall and to establish a plan for the future, said Adam Schwartz, federation executive vice president.
Federation board members since have raised nearly $50,000 for the senior center, Schwartz said.
The federation's actions buy "us some time to explore other avenues of funding," said Shore. "Federation and its lay and professional leaders have been extremely supportive, and we are all working together to solicit individuals to come forth and help us keep this very important program operating."
The JCC has served seniors for nearly 35 years. The senior center budget projects income of $240,000 and expenses of $325,000, said Doug Goldman, VOSJCC chief financial officer. That leaves a deficit of $85,000, which the JCC has been able to absorb in the past. "This year was a lot more difficult because (the JCC) had a lot more expenses," Goldman said. "We didn't have the ability to cover that anymore."
The senior center offers two meal programs: Home-Delivered Meals and Congregate Meals. Home-delivery driver Arnold Pachecl delivers 75-80 hot kosher meals each weekday to homebound individuals; the JCC provides the only kosher home-delivery service for seniors in Arizona (See related story on Page 10).
In addition, each weekday the senior center serves hot kosher lunches to the 45-60 seniors who come to the center, 1805 W. Montebello Ave., Phoenix, to participate in social and educational programming. During the past year, the two programs have provided more than 25,500 meals.
Providing kosher meals adds additional strain because food costs are higher and the center, supervised by the Greater Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth, cannot accept food donations that don't have kosher supervision, said Shore. In the past, the center has received donations of fruits and vegetables, but the real expense is the kosher meat and bread, he added.
Despite the costs, Shore and Schwartz said that the JCC and the federation are both committed to keeping the program kosher.
The goal of the federation is not to provide a short-term fix, but "to really look at what the community's respon-sibility is," said Lory Fischler, chairwoman of the fed-eration's Commission on Continuity and Community. "The federation's role is how can we help the community find a solution."
Among Jewish households in the Valley, 14 percent are age 75 and older, according to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study. Of the 1,800 seniors living alone in this age group, 850 do not have an adult child living in Greater Phoenix.
According to the study, 56 percent of respondents reported difficulty in getting assistance for an elderly relative.
Schwartz said the federation is working with other entities in the community who provide senior services - such as Kivel Campus of Care and Jewish Family & Children's Service -to see what steps the community can take to take care of this "critically important part of the population."
"Organizations are coming together to work together to take care of the program, as well as to build for the future," Schwartz said.
One model the federation is discussing would be similar to the Jewish Community Day School Scholarship Fund, in which all Valley Jewish day schools par-ticipate in a school tuition organization (STO), which gives taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for contributions. Currently, Kivel Campus of Care, Jewish Family & Children's Service and the Greater Phoenix Jewish Free Loan Association jointly raise funds through a working poor tax credit program that works in a similar way.
The federation is exploring whether the tax credit program can be used to assist the senior center, Schwartz said. "We're working to create a partnership with our existing agencies that benefit from that tax credit to really try to create a maximum benefit for all."
Besides meals, the senior center offers social and educational programs, said Sandy Reichsfeld, JCC director of senior adult services. "Anything to get them together and be happy; to give them their reason to get up in the morning."
At the center, seniors can get their cholesterol and blood pressure checked, as well as their eyes and ears. Each month, the Area Agency for Aging contracts with Healthnet for speakers on different health-related topics, Reichsfeld said, and handouts are also given to those who receive home-delivered meals.
The center features entertainment and a large-print book lending library, which also loans videos. Seniors gather for daily exercise, discussions, bingo, Mah Jongg and card games. Children from the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center preschool will visit the seniors for a Hanukkah party.
Seniors can also purchase discounted bus tickets, as well as tickets for Dial-a-Ride and Reserve-a-Ride.
The senior center has a five-person staff: Reichsfeld; Jolynn Billings, site man-ager; Arnold Pachecl, home delivery driver and maintenance man; Chef Robert Eagle; and Sandy Bice, assistant cook.
Ninety percent of par-ticipants in the congregate program and 75 percent in the home delivery program are Jewish.
Send donation checks to the JCC Senior Center Fund, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 203, Scottsdale 85254.
Contact the writer at leisah_namm@jewishaz.com.
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