On Sunday, August 21, Chai Lifeline unveiled the newly-renovated Silber and Scheiner Families Medical Center at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY. Hundreds of campers, counselors, staff, and friends were on hand to celebrate the year-long project, which was dedicated by Mendy and Barbara Silber of Lawrence, NY.
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Summer is back for kids with serious illnesses and disabilities Camp Simcha Without Borders finished the first of its summer sessions last week. The local camp is operated by Chai Lifeline Southeast, the local chapter of the children’s health organization providing social, emotional, and financial assistance to families impacted by pediatric illness, crisis, and loss.
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Summer is back for kids suffering from serious illnesses and disabilities Camp Simcha Without Borders in Chicago began the first of its summer sessions last week. The local camp is run by Chai Lifeline Midwest, a children’s health organization providing social, emotional and financial assistance to children with life-threatening and lifelong illnesses and their families.
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When a loved one is going through a hard time, it’s natural to want to be there for them. However, many people get stuck on what they can do. This can lead to either doing nothing or being there in a way that misses the mark. One easy way of showing support may be bringing affected families or children a gift. A thoughtful present shows that you are thinking of the family and child and can make a difficult time just a bit more bearable.
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What drew me to Chai Lifeline was seeing and hearing about so much pain and suffering and not being able to help. My position at Chai Lifeline, allows me to respond to illness and make a difference in the world. As a case manager, my day-to-day is always really different however, I generally spend my time building relationships with both families and volunteers. This is in addition to the general event planning and supporting families, through respite, big siblings programs, helping with errands or meals, etc. My favorite part of the job is connecting with families on a personal level and being able to alleviate their burden, even just a little bit, during a difficult time.
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For families with children with disabilities, the seemingly simple task of getting around can be a daunting challenge. Day-to-day activities, like getting to therapy and medical appointments, are often overwhelming and require complex planning. The availability and cost of accessible vehicles can also be extremely prohibitive.
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Eight years ago on a spring Shabbos morning, my wife said she was not feeling well. An hour later she was in the ICU paralyzed from the neck down. That day turned our world upside down. I was introduced to Chai Lifeline, which I had thought was simply a nice organization that gives sick kids gifts and takes them to Disney World, but over the next few months, I had realized how wrong I was. Chai Lifeline became a huge part of our lives.
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I started working at Camp Simcha as a counselor in 2004. Those were the greatest summers of my life. I remember walking out of the dining room on my last day there, already engaged to my wife, thinking this would be the last time I would be part of such a magical place. I was wrong! In 2010, I called my role model and mentor, (Camp Simcha Boys Head Counselor) Rabbi Ari Dembitzer and asked if I could come and learn with some of the campers or counselors. He said sure, but we have no room for you to sleep here. I drove 45 minutes every day from my parents’ bungalow for 5 years. One thing led to another, and now, B’H, here I am.
read full storyClose to 20 years ago, Chai Lifeline CEO Rabbi Simcha Scholar and I developed Project Chai as way to broaden the services of Chai Lifeline to the greater community by providing intervention for crisis and trauma, which went beyond medical conditions. We aimed to provide formal training in the community for committed individuals to serve as first responders in a range of emergency circumstances. Nearly eight years ago, Rabbi Scholar asked me to serve as director of Project Chai.
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On January 7-8, Mr. and Mrs. Yechiel Mayer (a.k.a. Franky) Frenkel, along with the Toms River Community hosted an unforgettable Chai Lifeline Shabbaton for 70 Camp Simcha boys and staff.The boys arrived on Friday afternoon to a welcome party where they reminisced about camp, connected with old friends, and received special gift bags full of goodies and toys. The event was fully medically-supervised, with a paramedic, 4 nurses, and 3 Camp Simcha division heads led by Rabbi Duvy Feiler on hand.
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