Jake's Chesed Fund
Donation protected
Dear Friends,
For several years we have had the privilege to be staff on Camp Simcha, the residential camp of Chai Lifeline in New York for children with life-threatening conditions to enjoy the summer of their lives in a happy, safe and exciting setting, away from the stress and concerns of their daily lives. Staff become intimately involved in caring for all their campers physical, emotional and other needs. What many people do not realise is that, in addition to many health issues campers may have, they also suffer from many other issues at home that may be exacerbated by poor health.
Jake**, 15 years old, has been our camper for many years and suffers from a rare form of cerebral palsy (CP). CP prevents a child from controlling their muscles and results in poor walking, spastic muscles, difficulty in speaking, uncontrollable drooling and many other side effects (however all mental functions remain intact). This makes all aspects of life for a teen living with CP extremely difficult. Jake is a beautiful beautiful kid with exemplary middos - he is the first to jump up and help a friend, offer assistance, cheer someone up or support a friend in need - all whilst totally ignoring his own very burdensome challenges. Life at home for Jake is extremely difficult. Although both his parents work multiple jobs, they struggle to make ends meet. This means that Jake has no choice but to wear soiled or drool-soaked clothing because they cannot afford to purchase new clothes and have no time to regularly do washing. Because Jake must wear therapeutic orthotics (plastic leg supports) he is constantly wearing-away the cheap shoes he receives from Goodwill and will always be seen with torn shoes. Despite his challenges, Jake recently decided to take on a part time job on weekends in order to support his family. In addition to these examples, Jake unfortunately does not receive adequate care for his condition because of the financial constraints on the family. Living out of town in a small community, their friends and family cannot support them sufficiently. For the last few years several counselors have got together to purchase him clothes for the year ahead - however this year we want to do more. Jake always puts others before himself and we believe that it is time he and his family live the lives they deserve, with dignity and respect, as well as high quality care for Jake.
We are looking to raise $10,000 to cover clothing, shoes, groceries, physiotherapy and equipment, tuition and other needs required to alleviate the financial burden on the family. We have very carefully calculated the costs involved, co-ordinating all payments and will ensure all donations are maximised to give the greatest benefits directly to Jake and his family.
Please support us this week in changing this deserving kid and his family's lives for the better.
With love,
Jake's counselors and staff
**Jake's name has been changed for confidentiality reasons
*** the funds will be withdrawn by Rabbi Abraham Cohen, Executive Director of Chai Lifeline
For several years we have had the privilege to be staff on Camp Simcha, the residential camp of Chai Lifeline in New York for children with life-threatening conditions to enjoy the summer of their lives in a happy, safe and exciting setting, away from the stress and concerns of their daily lives. Staff become intimately involved in caring for all their campers physical, emotional and other needs. What many people do not realise is that, in addition to many health issues campers may have, they also suffer from many other issues at home that may be exacerbated by poor health.
Jake**, 15 years old, has been our camper for many years and suffers from a rare form of cerebral palsy (CP). CP prevents a child from controlling their muscles and results in poor walking, spastic muscles, difficulty in speaking, uncontrollable drooling and many other side effects (however all mental functions remain intact). This makes all aspects of life for a teen living with CP extremely difficult. Jake is a beautiful beautiful kid with exemplary middos - he is the first to jump up and help a friend, offer assistance, cheer someone up or support a friend in need - all whilst totally ignoring his own very burdensome challenges. Life at home for Jake is extremely difficult. Although both his parents work multiple jobs, they struggle to make ends meet. This means that Jake has no choice but to wear soiled or drool-soaked clothing because they cannot afford to purchase new clothes and have no time to regularly do washing. Because Jake must wear therapeutic orthotics (plastic leg supports) he is constantly wearing-away the cheap shoes he receives from Goodwill and will always be seen with torn shoes. Despite his challenges, Jake recently decided to take on a part time job on weekends in order to support his family. In addition to these examples, Jake unfortunately does not receive adequate care for his condition because of the financial constraints on the family. Living out of town in a small community, their friends and family cannot support them sufficiently. For the last few years several counselors have got together to purchase him clothes for the year ahead - however this year we want to do more. Jake always puts others before himself and we believe that it is time he and his family live the lives they deserve, with dignity and respect, as well as high quality care for Jake.
We are looking to raise $10,000 to cover clothing, shoes, groceries, physiotherapy and equipment, tuition and other needs required to alleviate the financial burden on the family. We have very carefully calculated the costs involved, co-ordinating all payments and will ensure all donations are maximised to give the greatest benefits directly to Jake and his family.
Please support us this week in changing this deserving kid and his family's lives for the better.
With love,
Jake's counselors and staff
**Jake's name has been changed for confidentiality reasons
*** the funds will be withdrawn by Rabbi Abraham Cohen, Executive Director of Chai Lifeline
Organizer and beneficiary
Zak Kanter
Organizer
Glen Spey, NY
Abraham Cohen
Beneficiary
Inspired to help? Start a fundraiser for someone you know
