Submission #225 by Beth Israel Brotherhood - Owings Mills, MD (1111)
I have read the General Guidelines, "Nuts and Bolts" and Program Advanced Planning (Excel Spreadsheet) Documents
Family in Need Project
Non-FJMC Program
Page 1
The goal of our project was to provide comprehensive support to a Jewish family in need within our community. The support included, 1) family and individual counseling, 2) financial support, 3) childcare and tutoring support, 4) providing food for the family on a regular basis, 5) Taking the nine year old to services weekly, 6) Sponsoring the nine year old in Cub Scouts, 7) A member being a "Jewish Big Brother" through the Jewish Family Services for the nine year old.
Family in Need Project Summary
You are about to read a story of a really amazing group of Jewish men stepping up to keep an immigrant family on their feet …..
The project evolved from members of the Beth Israel Brotherhood in Owings Mills, Maryland, recognizing the many challenges a Jewish family from Nigeria were facing in their transition to life in Baltimore, Maryland.
This family came to the U.S. after facing threats on their life, due the father’s position as a judge, trying corruption cases. The father, unable to secure a comparable position in the U.S., found a position with the British Commonwealth, as a judge in Sierra Leone, Africa, leaving his wife and three children, ages two, four, and nine behind in Baltimore.
Before leaving, the father made special arrangements for his nine year old to be enrolled in the Krieger Schechter Day School, a conservative day school in Baltimore Maryland, and the younger two children were enrolled in our own Beth Israel Preschool. The mother got a need based full scholarship to attend Stevenson University School of Nursing, as a full time student.
The father’s position was put on hold after arriving in Sierra Leone and therefore did not have any income to help his family. Due to their extremely limited income, the mother worked 30+ hours per week. They became a family truly in crisis, with the mother attempting to be a full time student, mother of three, and solely responsible for providing for her young family.
.This is where the Beth Israel Brotherhood stepped up to help this family......
We had a meeting with the mother to determine what needs existed in order of their priority. The initial critical issues were feeding the family, additional financial support, and assisting in getting their kids to and from school and to other activities.
We found that they did not have enough time in the morning to eat breakfast. Volunteers purchased healthy food items on a regular basis and took them to the preschool before care so the children had breakfast when they arrived at school. We continue to do this to date.
The mother took the kids to school on her way to work, but could not pick them up at the end of the day, so we had members who volunteered to pick up the nine year old from school and wait beyond after school care hours for the mother to arrive, since her classes went beyond the after school care hours.
The nine year old did not have anyone to get him involved in outside social activities or take him to shul, since his mother was either at school, work, or getting what little sleep which she could. Again, we made arrangements for members to bring him to shul most Saturdays. In addition, we sponsored him in Cub Scouts and one of the members applied and was accepted to be his “Big Brother” in the “Jewish Big Brothers Program”, sponsored by Baltimore Jewish Family Services. He continues in this program.
When the father returned for a two week stay at the end of December, 2012, marital issues surfaced, which were of no surprise considering the overall situation. We stepped in and provided several hours of counseling that defused the understandable stress that had accumulated over the months of separation from each other.
A major safety concern also arose when the nine year old confided to a brotherhood member that his mom had fallen asleep and ridden off the road twice on the way to school with all the children in the car. In addition, there was no contingency plan if she suddenly was unable to take care of her children. Again, we intervened to insist she never drive her children if she was dangerously tired and provided brotherhood back up to drive her children to school, when she was in this condition. And, she did call us on a few occasions to assist her. Regarding a contingency plan, she heeded our advice and found some friends, who could back her up, in addition.
This project eventually involved over forty people, including our rabbi, the preschool director, and our social worker. Involvement ranged from family counseling or being a Jewish Big Brother to a simple monetary donation. We could not really make a long term plan for this project ----it just happened. When a need arose, we stepped up and went into action.
The story has not ended, as we continue to provide help and monitor the family for issues we can resolve.
In the Talmud, it is written… that if you save one soul, it is as if you have saved the entire world. Beth Israel’s Brotherhood has made the world a bit brighter.
You are about to read a story of a really amazing group of Jewish men stepping up to keep an immigrant family on their feet …..
The project evolved from members of the Beth Israel Brotherhood in Owings Mills, Maryland, recognizing the many challenges a Jewish family from Nigeria were facing in their transition to life in Baltimore, Maryland.
This family came to the U.S. after facing threats on their life, due the father’s position as a judge, trying corruption cases. The father, unable to secure a comparable position in the U.S., found a position with the British Commonwealth, as a judge in Sierra Leone, Africa, leaving his wife and three children, ages two, four, and nine behind in Baltimore.
Before leaving, the father made special arrangements for his nine year old to be enrolled in the Krieger Schechter Day School, a conservative day school in Baltimore Maryland, and the younger two children were enrolled in our own Beth Israel Preschool. The mother got a need based full scholarship to attend Stevenson University School of Nursing, as a full time student.
The father’s position was put on hold after arriving in Sierra Leone and therefore did not have any income to help his family. Due to their extremely limited income, the mother worked 30+ hours per week. They became a family truly in crisis, with the mother attempting to be a full time student, mother of three, and solely responsible for providing for her young family.
.This is where the Beth Israel Brotherhood stepped up to help this family......
We had a meeting with the mother to determine what needs existed in order of their priority. The initial critical issues were feeding the family, additional financial support, and assisting in getting their kids to and from school and to other activities.
We found that they did not have enough time in the morning to eat breakfast. Volunteers purchased healthy food items on a regular basis and took them to the preschool before care so the children had breakfast when they arrived at school. We continue to do this to date.
The mother took the kids to school on her way to work, but could not pick them up at the end of the day, so we had members who volunteered to pick up the nine year old from school and wait beyond after school care hours for the mother to arrive, since her classes went beyond the after school care hours.
The nine year old did not have anyone to get him involved in outside social activities or take him to shul, since his mother was either at school, work, or getting what little sleep which she could. Again, we made arrangements for members to bring him to shul most Saturdays. In addition, we sponsored him in Cub Scouts and one of the members applied and was accepted to be his “Big Brother” in the “Jewish Big Brothers Program”, sponsored by Baltimore Jewish Family Services. He continues in this program.
When the father returned for a two week stay at the end of December, 2012, marital issues surfaced, which were of no surprise considering the overall situation. We stepped in and provided several hours of counseling that defused the understandable stress that had accumulated over the months of separation from each other.
A major safety concern also arose when the nine year old confided to a brotherhood member that his mom had fallen asleep and ridden off the road twice on the way to school with all the children in the car. In addition, there was no contingency plan if she suddenly was unable to take care of her children. Again, we intervened to insist she never drive her children if she was dangerously tired and provided brotherhood back up to drive her children to school, when she was in this condition. And, she did call us on a few occasions to assist her. Regarding a contingency plan, she heeded our advice and found some friends, who could back her up, in addition.
This project eventually involved over forty people, including our rabbi, the preschool director, and our social worker. Involvement ranged from family counseling or being a Jewish Big Brother to a simple monetary donation. We could not really make a long term plan for this project ----it just happened. When a need arose, we stepped up and went into action.
The story has not ended, as we continue to provide help and monitor the family for issues we can resolve.
In the Talmud, it is written… that if you save one soul, it is as if you have saved the entire world. Beth Israel’s Brotherhood has made the world a bit brighter.
Page 2
Original Program