Friday, February 11, 2011

From JASA with LOVE this Valentine's Day

On Thursday morning, February 10th, 2011, a warm gesture was underway at JASA’s Club 76 despite the biting chill outside. Club-goers teamed up with members from TimeBanksNYC to make Valentine cards for patients at the Metropolitan Hospital.

TimeBanksNYC volunteers Shelly Simpson, Karen Martin, Chrissie Foo, Walter Richardson, and Nelly Hernandez arrived early for set-up. The table was neatly arranged with an array of art supplies and a box of kosher cookies. Before long, however, the table had transformed into the image of an artist’s palette with messy overlaps of colors and indistinguishable lines. Participants immersed themselves in all things card-making. Tamara Maas, Club 76’s Artist in Residence, enthusiastically cut away, designing creative and colorful cards for children. Meanwhile, Gert Steinberg, giving up an intense game of rummy, joined the table and made a handful of cards with heartfelt messages. Mel Stein, initially hesitant, quickly tapped into his artistic craft with the help of TimeBanksNYC’s Chrissie Foo. Among the card-makers were Judy Kronegold and Rose Tamari, who with a calm yet critical eye added detail after detail to their beautiful cards. The ornate cards were signed with love and encouraging wishes of a speedy recovery.
The event was overwhelmingly successful! Scores of beautiful cards were made and by the afternoon, they were on their way to the Metropolitan Hospital.

The project was initiated by TimeBanksNYC, a non-profit organization that connects individuals wanting to exchange skills and services. Similar projects will be held at TimeBanksNYC host sites around the city.

JASA would like to thank TimeBanksNYC for the partnership opportunity and we look forward to working with TimeBanksNYC and other organizations in projects that give back to and strengthen the communities we live in!

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