Community Services

NCJW’s powerful voice resonates throughout the community. Through advocacy, education and community service efforts, NCJW members work every day to amplify the voices of those without a microphone.

Take a look at what we have to offer! Learn how to join our group of dynamic volunteers and activists, who truly make change happen.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS 2024-25

ACE – Alzheimer’s Care and Enrichment – In conjunction with the Jewish Community Center, this program provides stimulating activities for Alzheimer patients. For more information or to sign up to volunteer contact Leslie Fischman at lesliecfischman@gmail.com or (504)240-8210

Civic Co-operation – NCJW volunteers provide services throughout the Jewish Community. These activities benefit the Jewish Community Center’s Adloyadah, Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council, the Holocaust Memorial Program, Israel Independence Day and Jewish Family Service’s Passover Baskets.

Covenant House – Covenant House builds a bridge to hope for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking through unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. Located just outside the Frenqh Quarter,its doors are open 24/7, and and its high-quality programs are designed to empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future. Contact Ina Weber Davis at inanew@me.com or (504)919-2559

Familias Unidas en Accion was founded in 2018 with the vision of providing immigrant families in the New Orleans Metropolitan area and Louisana with the necessary resources to thrive in a new community. Contact Ana Gershanik at anagersh@aol.com or (504)931-9456

Fox 8 Defenders – NCJW volunteers offer consumer advocacy by responding to problems on the Consumer Help Line, in association with WVUE, Channel 8. For Fox8 Defenders questions and concerns, please contact either (877)670-6397 or (504) 485-NEWS (6397) only or email stramontana@fox8live.com. You can complete a Complaint Form by Clicking Here. For more information or to volunteer, contact Loel Samuel at lwsamuel@gmail.com or (504) 782-4091.

Geaux Girl! – a non-profit print and on-line magazine created for and with New Orleans teenage girls to inform, inspire, engage and empower. Geaux Girl gives girls access to meaningful health information and encourages them to make their voices heard. Volunteers are needed to proofread magazine content, deliver magazines and organize interfaith dialogue. To get involved, contact Tamie Bressler at lbressler@cox.net or (504)723-9544.

Girls on the Run – Girls on the Run New Orleans (GOTR NOLA) inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. For more information or to volunteer, contact Lillian Gross at lilliann.gross@discoveryhsf.org or (727)919-3290

Literacy Alliance One Book One New Orleans works with adults who have completed their GED requirements and provides adult education graduation ceremonies. Contact Robin Goldblum at robingoldblum@gmail.com or (504)343-0801

Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights is a nonprofit law office that defends the right of every child in Louisiana’s juvenile justice system to fairness, dignity and opportunity. Contact Diane Africk at dkafrick@yahoo.com or (504)234-0484

New Orleans Family Justice Center – NOFJC is a partnership of agencies dedicated to ending family violence, child abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through prevention and a coordinated response that provides comprehensive, client-centered, empowerment services in a single location, with onsite legal, law enforcement, healthcare and social services for survivors and family members. For more information, contact Susie Jernigan at suejern@gmail.com, (504) 251-8152.

No Place for Hate is a project of the Anti-Defamation League focused on ending bullying. No Place for Hate is a self-directed program helping all of the stakeholders take the lead on improving and maintaining school climate so all students can thrive. Contact: Allyson “Al” Page at apage@islaimmigration.org or (513)484-1466.

Ochsner Israeli Patient Care-giver Assistance Program supports Israeli organ transfer patients and their family members/care-givers while they are temporarily living in New Orleans. The program provides supportive assistance, including welcome baskets. Contact Lis Kahn at liskahn@gmail.com or 504-812-1223

Scholarship Programs

The Irma M Isaacson Memorial Scholarship Fund provides need-based academic scholarships to local Jewish students.

The Clara and Roy Schwarz Memorial Book Fund provides monies to assist in the purchase of textbooks for Irma M Isaacson Memorial Scholarship recipients.

The Sara B Stone Educational Enrichment Fund provides grants for additional educational expenses.

The Vera Klein Scholars Program provides scholarship dollars for education primarily to benefit recipients who are returning to the workforce or redirecting their careers.
The Oscar J Tolmas Charitable Trust Scholarship provides scholarship funding each year for local Jewish students who will be named Oscar J. Tolmas Scholars.

For more information about scholarship or to receive an application, contact Nancy B. Timm at (504)722-8414 or Nancybtimm@gmail.com

Silence is Violence provides direct services to victims, creates youth engagement and engages in public advocacy on victim safety with the mission to work toward a safe and equitable New Orleans. Silence is Violence advocates for the establishment of a witness protection program in Louisiana. Contact: Baty Landis at sblandis@longuevue.com or (504)208-8376.

SisterHearts Exit Reentry Organization (S.H.E.R.O.) is a community reentry program for formerly incarcerated women. S.H.E.R.O. is the only organization in the state predominantly owned, operated and developed by, with and for, female ex-offenders. To get involved, contact Ina Weber Davis at inanew@me.com or (504) 919-2559.

Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR) provides free literacy tutoring to students in the Greater New Orleans area and surrounding parishes since 1985. Partnering trained volunteer tutors with lower elementary public school children, STAIR’s model focuses on the one-on-one relationship between the tutor and the child. A complete listing of the tutoring sites can be found at http://stairnola.org/our-program/tutoring-sites.html. To get involved, contact Carol Newman at caroln08@gmail.com, (504) 416-5011 or STAIR Volunteer Coordinator Margo Price at margo@stairnola.org, (504) 899-0820. To learn more, please visit STAIR online at www.stairnola.org.

Together New Orleans is a broad-based coalition of congregations and community-based organizations in the greater New Orleans area, with the capacity to address community problems large and small. NCJW volunteers will serve as ‘Super Block Captains’ to deepen civic engagement and voter turnout. Contact Barbara Kaplinsky at kaplinskyb@gmail.com or (504) 982-6259.

Training Grounds takes a unique approach to creating quality-learning experiences for parents, caregivers and children (birth to 5) in a supportive environment. At the We PLAY Center parent educators model appropriate adult/child interactions and facilitate learning opportunities that stimulate healthy brain development for children (birth-3) that foster social emotional, language, cognitive and school readiness skills. Through real time one-on-one coaching by parent educators, parents and caregivers increase their knowledge of ages and stages of child development and nurturing and responsive parenting practices that prepares them to be their children’s first teacher. For more information, contact Robin Giarrusso at rmgiarrusso@gmail.com or (504)400-7011