A Possible Reprieve For HL

Hello Kendra.

Thank you for setting this blog up so that we can all express or vent our feelings about what's happened.

I know that Marble and others are going to be speaking with Sandra to go over some options on keeping HelpLine alive. What is official is that Marble is allowing HL to stay on the 10th floor through January and that they've asked that the volunteers continue doing their good work. My concern is that Sandra Cohen may not be the person to speak with and it may have to be with someone at the Jewish Board proper.

It may be that we may all need to meet in January, somewhere neutral, a cafe, diner or something, so that we can exchange some ideas and combined with what we've learned then, figure out a strategy to keep HL alive.

Somehow, though, I'm not certain that HL will go under. I wonder if there's anyone from HL that would be interested in meeting after I've learned where things stand in January to figure out our options.

James

The Press

I have decided to put out a press release to see if anyone in the media is interested in taking up our cause.

Does anyone have any contacts in the media (preferably local) that they can pass on to me?

Another way to help would be to provide quotes I can use in the release about how much you love the Helpline, what you have gotten out of your experience there, why you think the program should continue, or anything else relevant. If you have anything to say about this and don't mind my using the quote, speak up! (The sooner, the better, as time is of the essence.)

You can email me at kendralevin@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Meeting

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and support. It's really good to hear what you all have to say and to share these feelings about the Helpline closing.

Based on various things you have said, and the strong commitment many of us feel toward Helpline, I believe that we are capable of somehow preserving, restarting, or continuing the organization's work. For those who are interested, this might be best discussed in person by holding a meeting. It makes sense to wait until after the holidays, so watch this blog for a post the first week of January setting date, time, and location. (Or if you have a large space to offer where we could hold this meeting, please let me know!)

In the meantime, please write to the JBFCS to let them know how you feel. I think it would have a more powerful impact if each volunteer writes his/her own letter, as opposed to a mass petition. You can send/email your letters here: http://www.jbfcs.org/contact/dcontact.htm

If you feel that you can't sit by and let the Helpline disappear, join me in January to figure out what we can do. And in the meantime, please continue to share thoughts, feelings, and ideas on this blog. United, I believe we have the power to turn this unfortunate situation into something positive.

jsussman

I've been a volunteer at HL for 25 years. Marble ran Help Line from the beginning (1970) until they transferred it to the Jewish Board about three years ago. I was on the Help Line board for the last few of the Marble years. When Marble decided to get out, they solicited offers from other charities and there were at least three other offers besides the Jewish Board at the time (I don't remember who they were or if that's even relevant now). I recommend that we appeal to someone at the Jewish Board (maybe Sandra can give us a name) and ask them for their assistance in helping us find a successor organization to run it, hopefully with the space to do so. It would be unrealistic to expect to the Jewish Board to run it themselves; they have a hiring freeze, have made their decision, etc., but maybe we can point out the history and importance of the line and appeal to the better instincts of that person to assist us in finding a new home. I would help as a spokesperson for our group.

Thanks, Kendra for helping me get on to this new-fangled service.

Helping Helpline

Kendra, thank you for starting this blog.
Since Sandy's original email I hadn't heard anything and was starting to feel really isolated.
Hopefully this forum will be a productive way to share our collective sadness at the loss of such an important service. The city of New York has not only lost a wonderful program, it has also lost a very special group of dedicated and passionate volunteers.

I think a letter to the board expressing our sadness is a really great idea. Even if we cant save Helpline, we can at least let them know how important Helpline was to us and by proxy, the callers.

Someone told me the Bill Gates Foundation gives away money to almost any worthy charitable organization and it doesn't take much to qualify. If they were contacted with Helpline's tax exempt charity status and circumstances... it's possible.

Another thought is Mayor Bloomberg. I've read more than once that he gives his personal money to important NYC charitable organizations and does it under the radar, without publicity. A direct appeal to him might be another option. But it'll all be too late to stop the closing in 2 weeks, this would have to be done next year. There would have to be a point person spearheading this, finding a new office space, knowing the operating budget of Helpline, etc. A lot of work.

George

Petition?

Do you guys want to send a petition to the JBFCS?
At the very least, it would send a message. Who should we send it to? The only contact I know there is from their website: admin@jbfcs.org. They also list this number: Volunteer Services: (212) 397-4090. I'd be happy to call it, but I'm not sure what to say.

Another possibility is to ask the JBFCS for a temporary reprieve and then see if we can do something to "save the Helpline."

Answers, sort of

Here's what I gleaned from my conversation with Sandy, who sounded upset but resigned.

The JBFCS has been indicating that they are struggling financially, so Sandy began to suspect they might cut a program but had no idea what program. This past Friday, they informed her that it would be Helpline. She said the guy who started Helpline (I forget his name) is retiring in 2007 and thinks that may have something to do with why they chose Helpline among all their programs-- plus the fact that Helpline is completely non-profit and has zero income.

She also said that Marble Collegiate was planning to take back their space soon and that Helpline would have had to find a new space.

I asked if there was any way we could raise enough money for the Board to stop this from happening, but she said they need "millions." I asked if there was someone volunteers could contact at the Board to express our unhappiness with their decision but she declined, making it sound like a done deal.

Given this, I think the only way to "save" the Helpline would be on our own, without JBFCS. That would mean finding a space and private funding. I have no idea how much it costs to run the Helpline (or a mini version of it with only one phone) but am willing to look into this possibility, or at least get Sandy's opinion on it, if others are onboard. I feel so strongly about Helpline and can't stand the thought of it just disappearing entirely.

Yes, is there anything that we can do? Can we petition the Jewish Board to reconsider their decision?

Does anyone know why?

Does anyone know exactly why the Helpline is closing? From Sandra's email, it sounds like it came from the higher ups at JBFCS, but it didn't give a reason.

From Leah Davidowitz

Hi Kendra, Thank you for putting together this blog. Im really sad about this and I too enjoyed and learnt a lot in the short while that I was at Helpline. Im wondering if there is anything that we can do to 'save' the Helpline... any suggestions?

Helpline Closing

I imagine everyone is upset about the recent news that Helpline is closing. Though I have only been a volunteer there since the summer, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and I am deeply saddened by the loss of this organization that does such important work.

This blog is intended as a forum for volunteers to post anything (feelings, thoughts, etc.) that they want to share with other Helpline volunteers. The fact that we don't all meet face-to-face makes it difficult to express our frustration with what is happening and to connect with one another about what to do next. I hope that this blog can provide a resource for us to vent, compare notes, find alternative volunteer opportunities, and/or whatever else might be helpful to you.

The Helpline has created a community of caring, sympathetic, and motivated people who truly want to help others. The loss of the Helpline does not mean we have to lose this community.