Levindale Auxiliary Member Champagne Brunch is the Toast of the Town!

By BJLife/Margie Pensak

Courtesy: baltimorejewishlife.com

Baltimore, MD - November 2 -The bubbly was pouring today in honor of the many valued Levindale Auxiliary members in the pumpkin orange autumn ambience of Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital’s Schwaber Multi-Purpose Room. What amazes me most about the Auxiliary, which has been in existence since 1899, is the camaraderie, sense of fun, and selfless purpose shared among the members of all ages, stages and genders.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most senior members of the Auxiliary, 85-year-old Sylvia Karlin. Sylvia has been an Auxiliary member for 30 years or more.

“Years ago, “I ‘adopted’ a Levindale resident for eight or nine years, until she passed away,” recalls Sylvia, a Pickwick apartment resident who proudly told me she still does her own cooking and cleaning. “I talked to her, helped feed her, made her feel good, and helped others around her who had trouble feeding themselves, too. I also volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 23 years, and would come to volunteer at Levindale, after that, in the afternoon. You have to do things for people. You can’t be independent and not think about others. I enjoy the Auxiliary because people are friendly, especially the officers. I also like what they do. My husband passed away 1-½ years ago, and people say to me, ‘What do you do with yourself?’ I tell them, ‘There is plenty to do!’”

Sitting next to Sylvia was fellow octogenarian and Auxiliary member, Martha Bromberger, who also volunteered for Meals on Wheels for about 20 years. “I think the Auxiliary does a good job,” shared Martha, who said that it is one of the many important causes that she has chosen to support. “I’m impressed with Levindale and what they have done.”

I also had the pleasure of meeting two of the youngest members of the Levindale Auxiliary. 23-year-old Julia Narrow, daughter of Past Auxiliary President Betsy Narrow, is the youngest Auxiliary board member.

“I grew up with Levindale and I grew up with the Auxiliary, because of my mom. Levindale is my second home. It’s been a part of my life from the time I was very young. Every year I would sing songs for Chanukah at the menorah lighting, and on Succot I got to help out with the carnival. My mom is one of the most involved people I know. She and my grandmother, Lillian Narrow, who is a resident of Levindale, are my role models. I’ve gone from the side of being a volunteer to the side of organizing and finding the volunteers.”

Marlee Greenberg, 26, fiancée of Past Auxiliary President Eve Vogelstein’s son, Harvey Vogelstein, told me she volunteers for Levindale “religiously”. In fact, she is the president of the Jewish Volunteer Connection for the Levindale Auxiliary, in addition to being a Levindale Auxiliary board member.
Despite working in a salon, being a DJ and entertainer for Limelight Entertainment, working as a soccer coach at Beth Tfiloh, in addition to being a yoga instructor, Marlee still finds the time to volunteer for the Levindale Auxiliary, besides volunteering for the JCC, Johns Hopkins, and Washington Square Park in New York.

“It is very rewarding for me to be here, because when I was 10 years old, singing in the Beth El choir, I got started volunteering in Levindale,” reminisces Marlee. “At the time, my grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s, was a resident here. My fiancée, Harvey, and I are a team. We started out giving flowers to a lot of the residents. Now, through the Jewish Volunteer Connection, I get the residents involved in activities like charades. The nurses tell me that the residents get so involved in these kinds of activities, and that’s what I love. Because I enjoy my life so much, I enjoy seeing their happiness--their smiling, their laughing. I know everyone here. The recognition we give these residents is the best therapy we can give them. The Auxiliary is a family and we are a family for the residents because we love them. We celebrate their birthdays and everything. If I can put a smile on a resident’s face or get them to laugh, once a week when I come, I know I’m doing something.”

During the plentiful brunch buffet, Marlee’s future mother-in-law, Eve Vogelstein, entertained the audience with her gardening and flower arranging expertise. She donated her gorgeous pumpkin vase arrangement to Household Two, in Levindale. Members also were treated to a mini-shuk, where vendors sold jewelry, bags, scarves, handcrafted items, and more. These generous vendors---The Shook by Marlee, By Jules with Love, Thirty-one, and Silpada--will be donating a portion of their proceeds to the Auxiliary. The program concluded with a raffle drawing for many prizes.

I enjoyed catching up with Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector at the brunch, who sat at my table. “I’ve been a member of the Levindale Auxiliary all my life,” shared the Councilwoman. “I inherited it from my mother. Today is such a blessing for our Jewish community and the community as a whole for the excellent facility Levindale has come to be. Everyone in our community should realize we should support it for what it represents as a meaningful contribution to meet the needs of a very important needy population in Baltimore City--Jewish and non-Jewish, alike. If you go through the building, you can see how it meets these needs. I’m always impressed when I come to an event of the Auxiliary and notice the beautiful Jewish women that are committed to this very meaningful cause.”

“Today’s brunch was all about honoring our wonderful members, and about spreading the word about all of the important work that the auxiliary does,” summed up Levindale Auxiliary President Esther Jacobson. “For me, it’s all about fulfilling our mission statement--to brighten and enhance the lives of our residents.”

Since its inception, the Auxiliary has played a key role in helping to fund essential activities and services that engage and stimulate residents. These include everything from celebrations in conjunction with Jewish holidays, intergenerational activities and snowball socials to bartending at the Meyerberg Café. It has also, over the years, provided funds for bedside dental equipment, Eden Alternative programs, Wii games, large print prayer books and library books, trips to theaters and restaurants, in-house musical entertainment and more.

Levindale President Barry Eisenberg concluded, “We are very fortunate and blessed to have the Auxiliary here at Levindale. They do wonderful things for our residents. That’s why I am here to support them.”

[Photo Credit: Esky Cook eskycook@gmail.com]