Teens make an impact with refugees

Alice Fraser, 101, with the contents of her AJR care package

THE ASSOCIATION of Jewish refugees joined forces with teen volunteering organisation Project ImpACT to distribute care packages to more than 300 elderly people. The collaboration was aimed particularly at AJR members who are not online and thus unable to join its Zoom activities.

AJR’s Carol Hart said: “We often get messages from our members telling us how much they enjoy and value our online events. But we realise there are many who are not online and are missing out.

V“I asked Project ImpACT if they could help and they had over 60 volunteers sign up within minutes.” AJR member Vera Schaufeld spoke to the teenagers about her life in a digital presentation while they were assembling the packages, which included handwritten cards.

Among the many messages of gratitude from recipients, Marianne, 97, said: “What a lovely gesture. Please thank Sol from Project ImpACT for his card. He is the same age [14] I was when I came to England on the Kindertransport.”

Project ImpACT founder Chayli Fehler said its members were “a credit to the community, volunteering every week for different charities — and they are always eager to do more. This project, which bridged the generations, is exactly the sort of meaningful engagement we love to support.”