ChesedNet
The Internet has revolutionized the world of communication, and charitable organizations are taking advantage of the opportunity to achieve a higher profile. There are so many helpful groups that one can get lost trying to find them.
Enter ChesedNet, an Internet referral service for the Jewish community. ChesedNet’s primary goal is to bring together people requiring specific services with the organizations that offer these services. ChesedNet provides a link to a wide variety of medical and social service organizations. The eclectic listing includes: A T.I.M.E., a resource on infertility; Haazinu, which provides help for hearing-impaired children; the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies; the Aleph Institute, which assists Jewish inmates and armed forces personnel; K.A.Y.A.M.A., which educates unaffiliated Jews about the necessity to give a get during divorce; and Yad Eliezer, which helps provide food for Israelis who are in dire poverty.
But there is much more. ChesedNet provides a list of Bikur Cholim societies around the world and information on free or low-cost medically necessitated travel. There is helpful material as well on household safety, fund-raising, and eldercare. And so much more.
ChesedNet’s web address is www.chesednet.org. Send questions to info@chesednet.org.
Hospital Help
A hospital stay can be a lonely time, and patients frequently find themselves cut off from the world outside their window. Yad Chaim Tzvi is a charity that helps hospital patients and the homebound use their time productively, by lending computers and handheld computer games to patients in Israel.
Yad Chaim Tzvi was founded in memory of Chaim Tzvi Markowitz, who passed away last year after a long battle with kidney disease. When he was in a Pittsburgh hospital, someone lent him a laptop computer, making his stay much more pleasant. He was able to stay connected with the world and with his friends via e-mail and the Internet. After his death, his parents built upon his experience by founding Yad Chaim Tzvi.
The address of Yad Chaim Tzvi’s website is www.geocities.com/yadchaimtzvi. Its e-mail address is chairman@actcom.co.il.
Buy a Book, Help a Dream Come True
Here’s a chance to read a great book and, at the same time, turn a child’s dream into reality. Sharing Grandma’s Gift is an endearing story of sharing, caring, and the passing of generations, expressed through the metaphor of a quilt. Shelley Berlin Parrish’s narrative, lovingly illustrated by Kristi Petosa-Sigel, tells of a young girl’s relationship with her quilt-making grandmother.
The passing of Parrish’s mother, Nanette, after a brief illness inspired the story. The great thing is that proceeds go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, which grants wishes to children who have a life-threatening illness.
The book costs $18.00 plus shipping. To date, proceeds from sales of Sharing Grandma’s Gift have helped a number of kids see a part of the world, or meet a celebrity, or do something else that is special to them. Visit www.grandmasquiltstory.com to find out more.