On Sunday US Chesed held their second annual Care for US conference for both current and new volunteers. This highly engaging event provided a large range of speakers and training workshops to increase US volunteers’ skills and knowledge. The aim of the day was for US Chesed volunteers to be as best equipped as possible to deal with some of the many issues that may come their way.
Throughout the morning, there were many excellent and informative sessions by experts, covering a range of issues including addiction in the Jewish community, reaching out to the elderly, isolated members of our community, making shul inclusive and an introduction to welfare benefits. There was also an introductory session for new volunteers.
After a welcome from the head of US Chesed, Michelle Minsky, US president Stephen Pack talked about the importance of care and chesed in our communities. Rabbi Michael Laitner then spoke about the effect that volunteering has on the community, saying that “The power of volunteering has a ripple effect far beyond what we can imagine.” This was followed by the breakout sessions. The closing words were given by US vice president Leonie Lewis, who spoke about the vital role performed by volunteers and the many services that would disappear without them.
Michelle Minsky added, “Volunteers are the life-blood of US Chesed, and we are constantly looking for ways to make sure that they have as much support, guidance and resources from us as possible. Our projects wouldn’t happen without them so I’d like to thank them for their continued dedication to the members of our community.”