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Volunteer of the Year
“Overwhelmed. Surprised. And
incredibly grateful.”
That’s how Chuck Ostroff describes his reaction on being named
Volunteer of the Year at the staff’s year-end celebration.
Those words could just as easily describe the response he gets from
the many people he has touched through his volunteer efforts at
Jewish Family Services. Faithfully showing up at JFS’s Wilmington
office every Monday and Wednesday since June 2009, Ostroff has
turned what started out as an effort to pass the time after going on
disability into a passionate avocation. “The best thing about my
work for JFS is that it gives me a chance to help the staff in their
efforts to carry out the mission of the agency,” he said. “Everybody
in the agency is a first-rate professional. And I take a lot of
pride in making my volunteer work just as professional. Ultimately,
it’s about helping the clients who come to JFS to improve their
lives.”
Ostroff , 64, credits his daughter-in-law Anna with inspiring him to
volunteer. As the Executive Director of “Art for All,” a non-profit
in New York City bringing theater productions to inner-city
classrooms, she is a champion of “volunteer power,” which can often
make the difference between success and failure for small agencies.
“My work at JFS,” he says, “is largely in honor of her.”
Once he decided to volunteer, Ostroff looked around to find an area
where he might be useful. “I immediately thought of JFS,” he said.
Feeling deeply connected to Jewish tradition, Ostroff contacted JFS’s volunteer coordinator, who quickly put him
to work.
“By the end of our initial interview,” he said, “I was set up for
fingerprinting, screening, and training.” And then he began what was
to become, he says, the most eclectic and interesting of adventures.
His assignments take him in many directions. “If you need me, then
you know me,” he grins, alluding to his less-than-centrally- visible
work station in JFS’s Project Room. From that hub he carries out
helpful projects that range from filing to packaging and delivering
challah rolls to the JFS Chaplain--who in turn delivers them to
hospitalized community members. In addition, he has served as a
helper to JFS clients who are challenged by transportation needs and
has overseen countless agency mailings. This Jack-of-All-Services
thinks of himself not as a symbol of altruism (“I do it because I
enjoy it”) but rather as a behind-the-scenes helper.
When he’s not at JFS, you can find him at home with his wife of
nearly 40 years. They have three grown children and two
grandchildren. As he considers the personal impact of his
association with JFS, Ostroff says it is simply “next to my
grandkids and wife, the most enjoyable thing in my life.”
Says Dory Zatuchni, CEO of Jewish Family Services, “We are
incredibly privileged to have someone like Chuck here to help us. In
so many ways he exemplifies the mission of JFS to help ‘improve the
life and life prospects’ of the individuals and families we serve.
He’s an important member of the JFS professional infrastructure, and
his quiet contributions are appreciated by everyone who knows him.” |
