The residents of Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation may be elderly, but they’re engaged in the world and care what happens to it. So when the month long Earth Day celebration kicked off recently, they decided to have a fundraiser for the Arbor Day Foundation.
“Our residents are very connected to the outside world and involved,” said Jacob Berlin, director of therapeutic recreation at the institute, located at 271-11 76th Avenue in the New Hyde Park section of Queens.
According to Berlin, having small auctions on the floors had been done before but the idea of a fundraiser in the common room was new. “Catherine Mercadante got the idea and the residents really loved it,” he recalled.
Arbor Day reportedly began in the U.S. in 1872 and has spread throughout the world, being celebrated on every continent except Antarctica. For every $1 donated to the foundation, a tree will be planted in America’s Parks, according to Berlin.
In the “auction room” on Thursday, April 29, there was all the electricity of a day at Christie’s or Sotheby’s. Sharp eyed bidders examined the offered merchandise – much of it donated by staffers – and many items were bid up to the maximum of $5.
“They’re buying for themselves and for gifts for their grandchildren,” explained Mercadante, the Institute’s Supervisor of Therapeutic Recreation. “Although there are two people here buying gifts for each other,” she added.
Al Gordon and Regina MacKay are card partners, and wanted to get something nice for each other Mercadante said. Once each had successfully bid on that perfect something, the auction was halted for a moment so they could exchange gifts.
“We’re friends,” Gordon said.
The residents are also friends – of the environment. The auction raised $180, meaning 180 trees will be planted thanks to the generosity of the Parker Jewish residents.
