Jewish Pavilion Senior Services Featured Volunteers

By Samantha Taylor

Chloe and Layla

What started as a bat mitzvah project for Chloe has blossomed into so much more.

Layla and Chloe with one of their honorary grandmas at Oakmonte Village

Chloe and her sister Layla have always loved spending time with their 98-year-old great aunt, so when their mom Sarah suggested attending a Jewish Pavilion Senior Services (JPSS) Shabbat at Oakmonte Village in Lake Mary, the girls were all in. That night, Susan Bernstein, JPSS program director, introduced Layla and Chloe to some of the residents, and Chloe decided to build her bat mitzvah project around JPSS volunteer service at Oakmonte.

Not only did it make a great project, but the girls now have a dozen honorary grandparents.

Some of those honorary grandparents even attended Chloe’s bat mitzvah. The girls have taken some of them shopping and to lunch.

“We took one of our friends shopping for a dress for her son’s wedding,” says mom Sarah. “It’s been so wonderful for our family. What started as a bat mitzvah project became personal, and now it has become a Bright Futures project.”

That means Chloe, who just started high school, can use the hours she volunteers with JPSS toward her Bright Futures scholarship requirements.

“This is a lovely way to show kids it’s not just about their generation,” says Sarah. “Let’s hear these seniors’ stories and see what they have to offer. This is a wonderful experience to give your children. When we walk into Oakmonte, it’s like walking into the Cheers bar – everybody knows our names. The girls love it.”

This story was originally published in print in Fall 2024.