Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Ashley Fisak


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  • The Jewish Pavilion's first Summer Soiree at Dillards

    Ashley Fisak|Jul 30, 2021

    Sunday night, July 11, the Jewish Pavilion had its first Summer Soiree fundraiser at Dillards department store. The night was full of wonderful conversation, food, and shopping, and a great way to help Pavilion seniors. As everyone slowly gets back to normal, that also means that program directors and volunteers at the Jewish Pavilion are getting back to normal. Along with being able to be back in the buildings visiting the seniors, the fundraisers are back in swing. The Summer Soiree at...

  • Golfing for a cause with the Jewish Pavilion

    Ashley Fisak|May 21, 2021

    Did someone say "fore"? It looks like the Jewish Pavilion and the Orlando Senior Help Desk are back at it again. The PGS Annual Golf Tournament to raise money and awareness for the Orlando Senior Help Desk went off with a shotgun blast this past weekend at Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course. With a great turnout of 23 teams, the tournament was full of smiling faces, laughs, great conversations, and networking for a great cause. Following on the heels of the Jewish Pavilion's very successful...

  • The virtual side of fundraising and the Jewish Pavilion

    Ashley Fisak|Feb 26, 2021

    Fundraising can be challenging in the best of times, and if you throw in a pandemic, it creates even bigger challenges. What do nonprofits do to ensure that they are able to receive the funds they need to fulfill their mission? At the Jewish Pavilion an army of dedicated volunteers and employees worked together, came up with a plan, and carried it out beautifully. To quote Charles Dickens “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” and this group made the Pavilion’s fund-raiser event shine bright to make sure our seniors see the b...

  • What's in a jean jacket and the Jewish Pavilion?

    Ashley Fisak|Jan 1, 2021

    What do a jean jacket and breast cancer have in common? Dolores Indek and the Jewish Pavilion. Indek made a successful bid at the Jewish Pavilion auction for a custom jean jacket and her support can be seen whether from the front of the jean jacket or the back of it. A little bit of a back story: The Jewish Pavilion had an online auction this year instead of its in-person gala. They received lots of great items and the auction was successful. One item donated in particular caught Indek's eye and...

  • Marlene Adler - a volunteer behind the scenes at the Jewish Pavilion

    Ashley Fisak|Nov 27, 2020

    The Jewish Pavilion has many volunteers who go into the facilities and visit with our seniors but those volunteers are just the tip of the iceberg. The Jewish Pavilion's volunteers aren't just those seen at the facilities. There are a lot of them working hard behind the scenes to help our operations run smoothly. Marlene Adler is one of those volunteers working hard for the Jewish Pavilion. Marlene is a Brooklyn native who at 22 got married and moved to New Jersey. A move that she has never...

  • The gift volunteering gives a volunteer

    Ashley Fisak|Oct 9, 2020

    Volunteering is such a personal and generous gift, and everyone has different reasons for doing it. Shirley Schoenberger is a very active volunteer with the Jewish Pavilion, and she knows this from her own experiences. Schoenberger - along with her husband, Peter, and their three daughters, Tracey, Debbie, and Lisa - relocated to central Florida from Ohio in 1992. There they had owned and operated their own personal clothing store, Havers, in the small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. It's very...

  • Volunteers: Essential to helping the Jewish Pavilion

    Ashley Fisak|Sep 4, 2020

    No one wants to be forgotten. At the Jewish Pavilion our mission is "Enriching the lives of residents in elder-care facilities" and our purpose is "To see smiles on the faces of seniors!" This is the core of what we hold near and dear to our hearts. All of this though would not be possible without our volunteers who make sure that we excel in our mission and purpose. Dolores Indek is one of our many volunteers who make it possible to achieve. Indek and her family moved to central Florida when...

  • YouTube: How the Jewish Pavilion is fulfilling its mission

    Ashley Fisak|Jun 5, 2020

    It's been almost three months. That's right, almost three months since the Jewish Pavilion program directors and volunteers have been actually able to go and be with its seniors. Purim came and went with celebrations canceled and everyone thought or hoped that by Passover they would be with the seniors. It wasn't long before it was realized that they weren't going to be with them for Passover nor were they sure when they would be able to visit with the seniors again. The Pavilion's mission is...

  • Just a phone call away; How the Jewish Pavilion is continuing to stay in contact with our seniors

    Ashley Fisak|May 15, 2020

    The Jewish Pavilion's main goal is to help our seniors stay connected to their culture. No one wants to be left behind and we have always helped our seniors by going to them. We are approaching almost two months in some facilities where we have not been able to go and visit our seniors. And just like everyone else we have had to adjust, get creative, and find new ways to stay in contact with our seniors. From the beginning we started writing to our seniors and reached out to the community to...

  • How the Jewish Pavilion and others in the community celebrated Passover in 2020

    Ashley Fisak|Apr 24, 2020

    The world is going through a pandemic right now and it has changed everyone's life in one way or another. Passover is a time for the family to gather together and celebrate. It is the closeness of family and being together that makes the meaning of the celebration all that more powerful. Here is how three families usually celebrate Passover and what they did differently this year, the challenges they faced and if this experience provided them with any changes they would make permanent? And... Full story

  • What's in a card? The Jewish Pavilion's response to the corona virus

    Ashley Fisak|Mar 27, 2020

    By Ashley Fisak I always opened my birthday card from my grandparents with gusto because I knew it would have a $5 bill inside. I can remember that excitement and now I see it in my own children when they open cards from their grandparents. An unexpected card just out of the blue to say "I'm thinking about you" can put a smile on just about anyone's face. At a time when most of the world is in crisis, there is a side effect to this isolation that all is too common under normal circumstances, let... Full story