JFSLA Honors Its Family of Volunteers
Jewish Family Service LA’s annual Volunteer Appreciation brunch, held on June 11th at the Gunther-Hirsh Family Center, brought together more than 90 volunteers, staff, board members, family members, and friends to honor the people whose steady presence helps JFSLA serve vulnerable Angelenos across the city.
This year’s honorees were Michael Ullman, recipient of the Charlotte Kamenir Volunteer of Distinction Award; Peter Golden, recipient of the Special Recognition Award; and Mali Polus, recipient of the Leadership Award.
Presenters and honorees shared a deep feeling of gratitude, reflecting on what volunteering means, why it matters, and how it changes both the volunteer and the person being served.
JFSLA Board Chair Tami Kagan-Abrams shared the numbers that illustrate the impact our volunteers make. JFSLA has 638 volunteers across 13 programs, contributing nearly 3,000 volunteer hours each month — the equivalent of 17 full-time staff members. “So, I’m not exaggerating when I say how vital our volunteers are,” she said.
“Volunteering at JFSLA is an opportunity to block out the chaos, bad news,
— Tami Kagen-Abrams, JFSLA Board Chair
and anxiety and devote our time and our focus to helping JFSLA fulfill its’
mission and be of service to Angelenos who really need our help.”
JFSLA President & CEO Eli Veitzer deepened that invitation by naming what many people feel in this moment: fear, division, bitterness, economic strain, mental health struggles, and the sense that our problems are too large to change.
He described volunteering as an “antidote to despair”— a way to build bridges, break down barriers, and take action. “You can make a concrete difference in someone else’s life,” Veitzer said, “and you can help build a community of caring. A community of giving. A community of healing.”
That spirit could be heard in every honoree’s story.
Michael Ullman began volunteering at the SOVA Valley food pantry in 2009, while working full time as an immigration attorney. The experience was so powerful, he later brought his wife, Charlotte, neighbors, and friends to volunteer at SOVA. During COVID, he delivered groceries to homebound individuals. Today, he is also one of JFSLA’s most active Volunteer Ambassadors, meeting new people, hearing their stories, and sharing the work of JFSLA with others.
Introducing Michael, SOVA Volunteer Coordinator Felice Resnick made clear how essential volunteers are to sustain this essential program. “SOVA wouldn’t exist without our volunteers” she said.
Michael said that volunteering goes beyond acts of charity. “I don’t feel I’m giving to charity when I volunteer,” he said. “I’m supporting my community and helping people in need on their hardest days.”
Peter Golden was honored for his work with CONNECT, a program that matches volunteers with isolated seniors and adults with disabilities. After 23 years at CBS, Peter came to JFSLA looking for a meaningful next act. He found Jess, an 82-year-old “larger than life Texan.”
Mali Polus received the Leadership Award for her service across several programs supporting Holocaust Survivors. In her remarks, Mali shared, “My volunteering is not simply an act of community service,” she said. “It is a family value and a personal mission.”
Nina Reinis
JFSLA Volunteer Director Joyce Williams spoke to the growing reach of JFSLA’s volunteer program and recalled how volunteers stepped forward during a recent government shutdown, when more people needed services and anxiety was high. “This reflects JFSLA values at their best,” she said, calling it “a powerful example of community.”
Charlotte Kamenir, a longtime board member and volunteer whose name is carried by the Volunteer of Distinction Award, brought warmth, history, and gratitude to the morning. Celebrating her 102nd birthday this year, Charlotte was surrounded by her children daughters Sandi, Janice and Barbara, and son David, whose piano accompaniment brought a joyful, personal note to the celebration.
The Volunteer Appreciation event offered a gentle invitation: Join us. Start anywhere that interests you. A pantry shift. A call to an older adult. Help at a senior meal site. A few hours can become something meaningful and life changing.
“I hope every time you volunteer at JFSLA, you leave feeling better than when you arrived,” Tami Kagan-Abrams told the volunteers.
And Eli Veitzer closed the event by encouraging and praising volunteers with the Hebrew phrases “Yasher ko’ach” (May your strength be enriched) and “Chazak u’baruch” (Be strong and blessed). He offered them not only as praise, but as a wish: that volunteers be strengthened by the good they have done, and that this strength carry them forward to do more.
To JFSLA’s volunteers: may your work continue to build bridges, create moments of safety, and help Los Angeles become a community of care, giving, and hope.
If you’d like to volunteer at JFSLA, please visit www.jfsla.org/volunteer.
