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SOCIAL ACTION UPDATE 

The Social Action Committee addresses many concerns:

**  PADS

**  Senior discussions

**  High Holy Day Food Drive

**  Respond Now

Please let us know if you have a great idea, or feel the need to address a social issue in our local or greater Chicago community.  Have you heard about a great project that another synagogue has undertaken?

Please e-mail me your thoughts and/or comments.

Ron Stone
Social Action
stonehenge5jrs3@netzero.net

WRJ ADVOCACY

Through the Women of Reform Judaism's Social Justice Advocacy and Programming, advocacy action is taken on behalf of 500 sisterhoods. Recommendations are made to sisterhoods for local, state/provincial, or national advocacy and community service.

WRJ through their Critical Issues Action, recently signed on the following:

• Pay Equity, a coalition letter to the senate urging the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act to promote economic opportunity for women.

• Child Care, a letter to Congress to include an increase of $1 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grant and $1 billion for Head Start in 2010.

• Juvenile Justice, a coalition letter urging support for reauthorization of the Senate Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

Also a letter to support increased funding for the grant programs.

 • Reproductive Health and Rights, a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services with strong support to rescind the final rule,of December, 2008 which allows any employee of a hospital or clinic working in an HHS-funded program to refuse to perform or give information about treatments that would violate their moral beliefs, potentially preventing millions of women from accessing vital reproductive health services.

• Other issues, a budget that includes healthcare reform and human needs funding and a letter to Congress to support and build upon President Obama's budget to renew America now.

Our Torah says In Deuteronomy 16:20... “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

Julia Ziev, WRJ Midwest District Critical Issues/Social Action Committee

jgziev@sbcgolobal.net

Respond Now to Respond Now

We will continue to collect diapers into mid-June. The Respond Now shelves need replenishment - diapers and diaper wipes are a real necessity. So, please drop off some baby diapers (any size) and some diaper wipes.

Thank you for your continued support.  Please call or e-mail us with any questions.

Judy Palmer
jlggp@comcast.net
708-479-5479 

Howard Weiner
bradyweiner@sbcglobal.net

MAZON:

A Jewish Response To Hunger 

1990 South Bundy Dr, Suite 260
Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 442-0020
(310) 442-0030 (fax)

mazonmail@mazon.org

Donate online at www.mazon.org

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Habitat for Humanity International seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

Habitat has built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than one million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

By the time you read this we will have been at a Habitat house on Sunday, September 21st. Eight Temple members were carpenters for the day. It was hard work, but so fulfilling and exhilarating. Please join us on Oct. 12th on site in the southern suburbs. Volunteers must be 16 years old and we will need 1 adult for every 3 teens. No skills are necessary, but are welcome! Maximum crew is 8, so hurry and sign up!

Further information available when you sign up. 

Please call me to volunteer.

Judy Palmer, TAS Social Action Committee
708-479-5479
jlggp@comcast.net

Have You Helped PADS Before?

If you have, thank you again and know that your help is still needed and appreciated. Your team leader will be contacting you soon regarding your help this season.

IF YOU HAVE NOT VOLUNTEERED FOR PADS BEFORE, WHY NOT? There are so many positions that need to be filled and we REALLY need YOUR help.

As you know, our synagogue provides shelter to the homeless of our community each Tuesday night from mid-October through April. Believe it or not, some of the smallest jobs are the hardest to fill. Often because, people just don’t know about them. Every volunteer job at PADS provides a small but an important piece of a very large and vital project. Truly, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and even the smallest job is a great MITZVAH!

Here is a description of some of the volunteer jobs that need to be filled this year and the time required:

Picking up the CIS Box - 15 minutes – On Tuesday afternoon after 1:00 p.m., a PADS volunteer picks up a lightweight tote box from the PADS office on Route 30 in Chicago Heights (near the Marcus Theaters) and drops it off at the Temple by 5:30 p.m. This box contains forms and other items necessary to open the shelter that evening.

Dropping off the CIS Box - 15 minutes. – On Wednesday morning, anytime after 8:00 a.m., a PADS volunteer picks up the tote box at the Temple and drops it off at the PADS office by 9:30 a.m. The office then processes the guests’ information from the previous night and prepares the box for transport to the site on Wednesday nights.

Picking up the Laundry at Temple - 30-45 minutes. – On Wednesday morning, any time after 7:00 a.m. and before noon, a PADS volunteer picks up the bagged linens from the Temple and transports it to South Suburban Hospital, where it is dropped off for laundry service.

Picking up the Laundry at South Suburban Hospital - 30-45 minutes. – Anytime Tuesday, late afternoon, a PADS volunteer picks up the clean, bagged laundry at the hospital and delivers it to the Temple for use that evening.

If you have more time to volunteer at PADS, shift workers are always needed. Remember, shift volunteers work ONCE A MONTH from mid-October through April, during the following times:

First Shift: 6:00 p.m. - 10:45 p.m.

Second Shift: 10:45 p.m. - 2:45 a.m.

Third Shift: 2:45 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.

Fourth Shift: 5:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.

SUBSTITUTES are always needed for all volunteer positions. So, even if you cannot commit to being a regular volunteer, at least sign on to be a substitute for any job listed above.

Many of these Mitzvahs are easy things to do, and believe me, PADS makes a huge difference in our own community. When you participate, it will make a big difference in your life, too.

If you are ready to volunteer for PADS or if you have any questions or concerns regarding volunteering for PADS, call Teri at 708-755-7846 or e-mail termanda@aol.com or Elyse Miller at 708-957-2360 or e-mail ElyseKM1@aol.com.

Come and “HELP US TO HELP OTHERS.”

Teri Gaby and Elyse Miller

Temple Anshe Sholom PADS Site Co-Coordinators

PADS

That's all it takes to be a PADS volunteer.  If you don't want to or can't invest a lot of time in volunteer work, you can invest very little of your time and still do a wonderful mitzvah. 

PADS runs from October 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009 and TAS hosts every Tuesday night.  If you choose to work just one Tuesday night just once a month, you can get through our whole season by volunteering only 7 days out of your entire year.  OR, you could work just one Tuesday night out of the entire season and still help us out.  That's just 1 day out of your year.  We need volunteers all the time and unfortunately, because of our volunteer shortage, there is a real possibility that our Temple may not be able to participate in PADS for too many more seasons. 

There are 4 shifts:  

1st shift - 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. (most volunteers can leave by 8 or 8:30 p.m.)      

Second Shift: 10:45 p.m.  - 2:45 a.m.

Third Shift: 2:45 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.       

Fourth Shift: 5:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.

Of course, the most needed shifts are Nos. 3 and 4, but we will gratefully accept your help for any shift that you care to work on!  Thank you, and remember that volunteering for PADS is a wonderful mitzvah and takes very little of your time - just a few hours and never more than 7 days out of a whole season!   

If you can help, contact Teri Gaby at 708-754-212-6383 or by e-mail at:   termanda@aol.com or Elyse Miller at 708-822-4124 or by e-mail at: elysekm1@aol.com

Come and “HELP US TO HELP OTHERS.”

Teri Gaby and Elyse Miller, Temple Anshe Sholom PADS Site Co-Coordinators

Teri Gaby and Elyse Miller

PADS Site Coordinators

Teri Gaby & Elyse Miller, PADS Site Co-ordinators