Local News
Nancy Hughes to retire as executive director of Shalom Residences after 31 years in that role
By BERNIE BELLAN The longest-serving current executive director of any of the Jewish Federation’s beneficiary agencies will be stepping down as of April 1, when Nancy Hughes, the executive director of Shalom Residences, will be retiring. Into her role will be stepping Michael Goldberg, who is someone who brings with him a great deal of experience in the fields of gerontology and palliative care.
With 31 years as executive director of an organization that opened its first residential home back in 1980, Nancy has seen many changes in Shalom Residences, including presiding over a doubling of the number of homes operated by the organization during her time as executive director (from three to six).
There were 15 residents altogether when Nancy first stepped into the role of Shalom Residences executive director, she told me told me during a phone conversation I had with her and Michael Goldberg on Thursday, March 17.
The very first Shalom Residence was on Cathedral Avenue, Nancy explained. (That home was later sold and a different home on McAdam Avenue was purchased.) Other homes are on Enniskillen Avenue, Hartford Avenue, Seven Oaks Place – all in West Kildonan; on Daffodil – in Garden City; and the newest home, on Oxford Street, in River Heights.
“Most of the residents were younger when I started,” Nancy observed. “Now, most are over 40.” Sadly, a number of the residents who had been living in Shalom Residences when Nancy began her tenure as executive director have passed on. Three of the original residents of Shalom Residences still remain as residents, however, Nancy told me.
Although most readers are probably familiar with what Shalom Residences offer, here are some points taken from the organization’s website about its goals, which are:
“To support people with intellectual disabilities in the mainstream of community life so that they may conduct their lives in a meaningful dignified way.
“To enable people with intellectual disabilities to become as self-sufficient as possible.
“To create and maintain Judaic oriented programs for people with intellectual disabilities which reflect the philosophy of Shalom Residences Inc.
“To develop community awareness of, and increase community acceptance of, people with intellectual disabilities as full and equal citizens.
“To enable the persons in Shalom Residences’ programs to achieve their potential as contributing members of our community, and to become as self sufficient as possible.”
Currently Shalom Residences have a total of 31 individuals receiving some sort of assistance, ranging from helping individuals still living at home with their parents who are not quite ready to take the step of living in another home (four individuals); to individuals living in apartments (eight); to individuals living with other residents in one of the six homes operated by Shalom Residences (19 currently).
(By the way, one needn’t be Jewish in order to qualify for residency in a Shalom Residence.)
There are currently vacancies in three of the homes operated by Shalom Residences, Nancy noted. Although it is not unusual for Shalom Residences to have vacancies at any given time, Nancy explained, with the onset of Covid in 2020 a number of parents who might otherwise have wanted to place a child in one of the homes drew back from doing so out of fears that their loved one might contract Covid.
As a result, when I asked Nancy whether there are any plans to acquire more homes, she said that “the priority would be to fill our existing vacancies.”
And, while Covid has certainly had a long lasting impact upon just about everyone, the dampening effect it has had upon individuals with intellectual disabilities had been particularly hard felt.
(I noted, in talking with Nancy and Michael, that I had actually been in attendance at the last social event in which residents of Shalom Residences were all able to mingle together in one place when I was at a Chanukah party held at 1010 Sinclair on December 18, 2019. Who would have thought that we were about to enter into a long period of social isolation soon thereafter?)
In Michael Goldberg, however, Shalom Residence has lucked out in being able to recruit an individual with outstanding credentials.
The son of Mark and Catherine Goldberg, Michael attended Ramah Hebrew School, Gray Academy, and the University of Winnipeg Collegiate, he told me.
Michael added that he attended university in South Carolina, where he obtained a bachelors degree in Psychology. (He noted that he had actually gone to university on a golf scholarship!)
Later, Michael said, he obtained his masters degree in Gerontology.
For the past seven years, he said, he had been working at Deer Lodge Palliative Care. Beginning in March he started with Shalom Residences, becoming acquainted with his new role under Nancy’s tutelage.
Even before coming to Shalom Residences, Michael says that he had developed a familiarity with the program, as he “was able to facilitate courses in compassionate care for Shalom Residences staff members.”
And, while Michael may not have had first hand experience dealing with budgetary matters until now, he’s sure to become acquainted with the pressures that come with having to provide services under tight constraints.
Although Shalom Residences receive funding from a variety of sources, including the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Foundation, “90% of the funding comes from the provincial government” Nancy explained. (Also, a certain amount of money is raised by the Shalom Residences Foundation. Prior to Covid there was an annual in person fund raiser held by that foundation. Nancy says the plan is to have one once again this year.)
But, “funding from the government has become tighter and tighter,” Nancy noted.
In fact, the trend of late has been for the government to prefer offering “respite care” for individuals within their parents’ homes rather than having them placed in a Shalom Residence, Nancy said.
Aside from that trend, I asked Nancy whether there are any noticeable changes that she’s seen in terms of providing care for adults with intellectual disabilities during her 31 years as Shalom Residences executive director?
“There’s been a lot more emphasis placed on respecting rights and the right to make choices,” she answered.
And, as far as staffing goes, I’ve witnessed the dedication of many different staff over the years in different Shalom Residences. Currently there are 30 full time and 40 part-time staff, Nancy said.
But, as the longest serving member of Shalom Residences staff, Nancy Hughes has definitely left her mark on an organization that has been filling a vital role within the Jewish community for 42 years now.
Local News
Winnipeg-born Elliot Lazar to star as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” at Centennial Concert Hall
By BERNIE BELLAN Elliot Lazar’s career has long been chronicled in the pages of The Jewish Post & News. Do a search for his name in our “Search Archives” button and you will find a multitude of stories about Elliot from the time he was five years old.
A talented singer, musician, and musical arranger, also a graduate of Gray Academy, the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, and the Boston Conservatory, Elliot has appeared many times in Winnipeg, including most recently last summer in Rainbow Stage’s production of “Rent.”
He’s been constantly busy – as a review of some of his past acting credits reveals. Last season alone, in addition to his performing in “Rent,” Elliot also appeared in the National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “The Band’s Visit” (Huntington/Speakeasy Stage).
We’re excited to announce that Elliot will be appearing in Winnipeg for one night only, May 21, starring as Paul Simon in “The Simon & Garfunkel Story.”
Here’s Elliot’s own story about his growing up in Winnipeg:
“I grew up in Garden City, attended Gray Academy (K-12) and majored in vocal performance at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music. I lived in Winnipeg until I was 22, so I’m pretty connected with the arts scene there still. The venue we’re playing, the Centennial Concert Hall, I was last seen in Guys and Dolls in concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Rainbow Stage (2019), and before that I sang with the Manitoba Opera Chorus in 3 productions there. My last performance in Winnipeg was in Rent with Rainbow Stage this past summer. Other local performing arts companies I have a history with there are Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Winnipeg Studio Theatre, Dry Cold Productions, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Manitoba Underground Opera, Little Opera Company, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I grew up going to see shows at the Concert Hall, so it’s a wonderful full circle moment for me.”
About “The Simon & Garfunkel Story”:
Nostalgia-inducing unforgettable hits! The internationally-acclaimed hit theater show The Simon & Garfunkel Story (www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com) returns to the road in 2024 with a North American tour to more than 25 cities. Kicking off in Richmond, Kentucky on January 28, 2024, the immersive concert-style tribute show will recreate the magic and authenticity of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel on stage and chronicles the amazing journey shared by the iconic, GRAMMY-award winning folk-rock duo. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry, to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60s, and to their dramatic split in 1970. The Simon & Garfunkel Story culminates with the pair’s famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 which had more than half a million fans in attendance. Tickets are on sale now.
The show features a set list of nearly 30 songs and uses state-of-the-art video projection, photos and original film footage. A full live band will perform all of the hits including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more complete with the unmistakably perfect harmonies that will transport audiences down memory lane.
With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable songs and poetic lyrics poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 GRAMMY Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, the Brit Awards honored their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album with Best International Album. In 2003, Simon & Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Local News
Ida and the late Saul Alpern have donated 2 ambulances and a scooter to Magen David Adom in past 4 years
By BERNIE BELLAN Saul Alpern passed away in 2022, but before he died he and his wife Ida had decided to make Magen David Adom a major recipient of their generosity.
As Myron Love noted in an October 2020 article the Alperns had been contributing small amounts to the Canadian Magen David Adom for some time, but it was in that year they decided to donate $160,000 for the purchase of a Mobile Intensive Care Unit for Israel’s Magen David Adom.
As Myron wrote in that 2020 article, an MICUA (which is larger than an ambulance, is staffed by paramedics, and responds only to the most medically serious cases) was donated “to the people of Israel in memory of Saul Alpern’s parents and siblings who perished in the Holocaust.
“It is an expression of my love for my family and my love of Israel,” Saul Alpern said at the time.
In early 2022 the Alperns donated yet another $170,000 for the purchase of a second MICU for Magen David Adom.
Saul Alpern passed away in November 2022, but Ida Alpern has now continued the legacy of giving to Canadian Magen David Adom that she and Saul had begun several years before. Just recently Ida contributed $39,000 toward the purchase of an emergency medical scooter. According to the CMDA website, “the scooter, which is driven by a paramedic, can get through traffic faster than the Standard Ambulance or MICU and provide pre-hospital care. It contains life-saving equipment, including a defibrillator, an oxygen tank, and other essential medical equipment.”
I asked Ida whether she wanted to say anything about the motivation for her and her late husband’s support for CMDA. She wrote, “Having survived the Holocaust, and being a Zionist, Saul felt that supporting Israel was of the utmost importance.”
On May 7, CMDA will be honouring Ida and Saul z”l Alpern at a dinner and show at the Centro Caboto Centre. Another highlight that evening will be the announcement of the purchase of an ambulance for CMDA by another Winnipegger, Ruth Ann Borenstein. That ambulance will be in honour of Ruth’s late parents, Gertrude and Harry Mitchell. The evening will also commemorate the late Yoram East (aka Hamizrachi), who was a well-known figure both in Israel and here in Winnipeg.
For more information about the May 7 event or to purchase tickets phone 587-435-5808 or email sfraiman@cmdai.org
Local News
Simkin Centre looking for volunteers
We received the following email from Heather Blackman, Simkin Centre Director of Volunteers & Resident Experience:
Happy Spring Everyone! Hope you all are well. We have a number of upcoming volunteer opportunities that I wanted to share with you. Please take a look at what we have listed here and let me know if you are available for any of the following. I can be reached at heather.blackman@simkincentre.ca or 204-589-9008.
Save the date! The Simkin Stroll is on June 25th this year and we need tons of volunteers to assist. This is our annual fundraiser and there is something for everyone to help with from walking with Residents in the Stroll to manning booths and tables, event set up and take down and much more. Volunteers will be needed from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on this day. Come and help for the full event or for any period within that timeframe that works for you.
Resident Store – This tuck shop style cart will be up for business shortly. Residents will be assisting to stock and run the store for 2 hours 2- 3 times per week in the afternoons. Volunteer support is needed to assist residents with restocking items and monetary transactions.
Passover Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to assist with plating Seder plates for Residents (date to be determined for plating)
Volunteers are needed to assist Residents to and from Passover Services and Come and Go Teas.
Times volunteers are needed for services/teas:
April 22cnd – First Seder 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 23rd – Passover Service Day 1 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 23rd – Second Seder – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 24th – Passover Service – Day 2 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th – Passover Service – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
April 29th- Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
April 30th – Passover Service – 9:30 -11:30 a.m.
April 30th – Passover Tea – 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Admin/Paperwork Volunteers – Volunteers are needed to assist with filing and other administrative duties. A monthly volunteering job is also available to input information on programming into Recreation activity calendars. Support would be provided for this.
Adult Day Program – A volunteer is needed to assist with the Mondays Adult Day Program Group. A regular ongoing weekly commitment on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Assist with Recreation programming and lunch supervision for our Adult Day Program participants that come in from the community for the day.
Biking Volunteers – Take our residents out for a spin on one of our specialty mobility bicycles. Training is provided and volunteers will be needed throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall.
With summer coming there is also opportunity to assist with outings and other outdoor programming! Please let me know if you are interested!
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