(The following article appeared in the August 14, 2015 Asheville-Citizen Times and was written by Beth Walton.)

Mountain Causes: Elder Club offers support, socialization

ASHEVILLE – Upon seeing my reporter’s notebook, the first thing Jay Silverman said to me at Jewish Family Services’ Elder Club was, “Oh no, today we’ll have to behave.”

Silverman, 76, is part of a group of seniors, some with memory disorders, who meet two times a week for socialization, mental stimulation and exercise. They garden, make crafts, sing songs and host guest speakers. Throughout it all, they joke and laugh.

When I was there last month, they were going around in a circle, naming the songs they wanted to sing. As people listed their folk favorites like “This land is Your Land” and “You are my Sunshine,” one sassy man sang the word “anything.”

Two women on the other side of the room then echoed his verse. “Anything,” they sang in a high pitched soprano, high-fiving each other and giggling the way teenage girls would at a Friday night sleepover.

“(Elder Club) revives me,” said Maggie Belle Gladden, 73. “It brings me alive. It makes me want to twist and shout. All the people around this table, I’m in love with; what else can I say.”

Open to everyone, Jewish Family Services of Western North Carolina strives to build a community where individuals and families have the resources they need to reach their full potential. The social work agency offers food assistance and other crisis services such as help with housing, utilities or transportation. It also provides mental health counseling, career coaching and a host of activities for home-bound seniors, like Elder Club.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the club’s 14 members meet in a conference room at Jewish Family Services off Biltmore Avenue near Mission Health. Photographs of members and their families line the wall. The program is two-fold. It provides older adults wanting more social interaction with companionship, kosher lunches and stimulating activities. It also allows family caregivers respite to attend to their own needs. Jewish Family Services even arranges transportation for participants through Mountain Mobility.

“It’s more like a family than anything else,” said Ariella Fleet, the social worker who coordinates the club. “You really get to know everyone on a more personal, deep level because it’s a small group. When someone doesn’t show up or they haven’t seen a person in a while, they ask about each other.”

“It gives people a sense of purpose, something to wake up for and something to look forward to every week.”

When I was there, we watched a short video about one man’s life. Staff are in the progress of working with club members and their families to record everyone’s story. We did chair exercises to Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke.

As we kicked our legs out in front of us, someone joked, “We are officially the Rockettes.” A volunteer named Penny White came in with a guitar and led us in song. She even gave us mini maracas to shake to the beat.

“It’s like it’s from heaven,” said member Bernie Lite, 96, of the Elder Club. “It’s beautiful to come here and carry on with these people, especially when we sing. God Almighty when Penny comes, everyone lets loose.”

With a staff of only six and an annual operating budget just over $238,000, volunteers keep Jewish Family Services and the Elder Club going. They help serve lunch and make sure members are accommodated and engaged.

Wendy Feinberg has been donating her time with the Elder Club for around eight years. She says volunteering gives her the opportunity to relive history. There are two people in the club who fought in World War II. Others lived through the Great Depression. Many of the women there are part of the first generation of American females to work outside the home.

“(Club members) might not remember what they ate last night for dinner, but the stories from long ago they have such vivid memories of. It’s exciting to hear,” Feinberg said.

“Volunteering gives me a chance to get to know other types of people and what their lives were all about. It makes me thankful I am able to enjoy my life, my health and my ability to do things when I want because I know many of them can’t.”

This is the opinion of Beth Walton. Each week, I volunteer around Asheville and share my adventure with our readers. If you’d like me to help at your nonprofit, contact me at bwalton@citizen-times.com or 828-232-5851. More information at www.citizen-times.com/causes.

Get involved
Jewish Family Services is always looking for volunteers and support. For more information, call 828-253-2900 or visit www.jfswnc.org.