Friends of Yad Sarah Blog

Join us on Sunday June 26th at 10am at Lakeshore Drive Synagogue for an inside look at Israel advocacy at the United Nations. Guest speaker Hadas Meitzad, Counsellor for Political Affairs, Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations.   RSVP:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Check out this new article on JNS.org about Yad Sarah's unique Geriatric Dentistry program, providing state-of-the-art care for Israel's impoverished elderly.   Read more about it here.  

Once again this year, the volunteers of Yad Sarah Beersheva plan to distribute Purim gift baskets to the homebound – the elderly, the sick and the disabled.  More than 200 recipients are on the list for this holiday gift and visit; the Purim gift baskets are made possible by the financial support of the Beersheva community, generous friends in the USA and the many volunteers who give of their time to make these special deliveries.  For many of the recipients – this will be a rare meeting with someone who will help them forget their loneliness (even temporarily) and bring a smile to their faces. For Purim, Chana was surprised to find herself delivering a gift to a former volunteer. He had worked at the original Yad Sarah headquarters in Jerusalem, and here he was now, in need of the same assistance that he had once provided for others.  Yehudit, another volunteer, made her...

A pilot program has been launched at the Modiin multi-service center. This program pairs young adults with special needs with Yad Sarah equipment repair volunteers, enabling the young people to learn new skills in a warm and supportive environment.

Yad Sarah turns 40!  In 2016 Yad Sarah will be celebrating its 40th anniversary! Yad Sarah began with a lending center in a small apartment in Jerusalem and has grown to Israel's largest volunteer staffed organization, helping over 420,000 people annually. We want to hear your Yad Sarah story! Tell us about how Yad Sarah has helped you or a loved one in the past 40 years via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or even snail mail! Use the hashtag #YadSarahTurns40 on social media.

Shop Online? Go to smile.amazon.com and select Friends of Yad Sarah as your charitable organization. Your purchases will help Yad Sarah every time you shop, at no cost to you!

When times are tense, older people feel especially vulnerable. Many are afraid to leave the safety of their homes. Yad Sarah's Emergency Alarm Response Service is a lifeline for them. On average, emergency alarm operators field more than 1,000 calls per month, many of them requiring immediate access to police and urgent medical care.To see how Yad Sarah is helping people every day, visit our Facebook Page.

More than a half-million people in Israel were helped by Yad Sarah in 5775. The steepest rise was in requests for home care from Yad Sarah's home hospital project, which had a 30% increase from last year. The home hospital project allows patients to come home from the hospital earlier, so they can rest and recover in the comfort of their own homes with their families.Top items borrowed from Yad Sarah branches in 5775 were wheelchairs, bath chairs, and breast milk pumps for nursing mothers.A new branch in Yerucham, in Israel's Negev region, opened in 5775.Here's to good health and independence in 5776!

Haven't sent Shana Tova cards in a few years? Why not start on this Rosh Hashanah, 5776? Rosh Hashanah starts on September 13. You can find these and other beautiful cards on our secure online gift shop. Proceeds from sales support the compassionate programs and services of Yad Sarah. Will you connect with friends and family and support the people of Israel?

Wheelchairs, the most-requested item at Yad Sarah, top the wish list again this year. Yad Sarah estimates that 1,500 new wheelchairs are needed to meet the current demand.

Demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, Friends of Yad Sarah has earned a coveted 4-star rating for the 7th consecutive year from Charity Navigator. This is Charity Navigator's highest possible rating, an indication of sector best practices and financially efficient practice. Charity Navigator reports that only 6% of organizations that are evaluated have attained a 4-star rating for 6 consecutive years. According to a July 1, 2019 letter from Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, this designation "sets Friends of Yad Sarah apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."  

After 13 years of widespread volunteer activity in caravans at the entrance to the city, a new building is fully operational in Modiin.   The new building, located on Motte Gur Street in the Maginim area of Modiin, has enabled a significant expansion of the many services provided by Yad Sarah to the city of Modiin and the region. Built with the assistance of the Century21 Foundation and the Susser Family Trust, the new building includes a center for medical equipment lending, a demonstration and consultation area, an office for Yad Riva legal services for the elderly as well as space to register for Emergency Alarm response services, a volunteer coordinator for home visits to the homebound, and other services.   The Kolb family of San Diego sponsored a new Logistics Center, facilitating equipment management throughout the greater Modiin area.  The Lending Center was given in the name of Gershona Maden....

Yad Sarah helps the young and old! This new father is overjoyed after visiting the equipment lending center. Yad Sarah provided him with a crib for his new baby and a breast milk pump for his wife. Because of Yad Sarah this new growing family was able to start off on the right foot! We want to hear your Yad Sarah story! Tell us about your experience via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or even snail mail! Use the hashtag #YadSarahTurns40 on social media.