Congratulations to Jim Staudt, a stalwart supporter of United Hebrew, recognized by the Westchester Jewish Council with the Julian Y. Bernstein distinguished service award!
Jim has volunteered over 500 hours over the past seven years on our campus. On our board of directors, he serves as a member and past chair, and current co-senior chair. He has provided strategic vision, guidance, and hands-on support to help us expand to serve a greater number of seniors in need of compassionate care.
A partner in the law firm of McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, Jim was introduced to United Hebrew while providing legal services. It did not take long for him to become personally involved in our work. During an early visit to our nursing home, he observed the receptionist having a pleasant conversation with a resident, followed by another interaction between a maintenance worker and a resident.
He recalls, “Their conversations were kind and unrushed. I saw this play out again and again. I thought to myself, ‘This is quite a place, with a tremendous culture of kindness and caring.’” From that point on, he resolved to help uphold that culture, and, ever since, has helped us to carry out our nonprofit mission of caring for the region’s most vulnerable citizens.
In 2014, Jim joined our board of directors. He became involved in our finance committee, eventually assuming the role of committee chair. His financial analysis, business acumen, and advice were instrumental in ensuring United Hebrew was operating with the resources it needed to provide the highest level of services to the community. In 2018, we elected him to serve as chairman of our board of directors. He also volunteered for board roles at Willow Towers, our assisted living community, and Willow Gardens, our freestanding memory care facility.
Jim’s leadership and strategic counsel have been critical to our growth. In the three years he served as board chair, he helped us to advance the services we provide to individuals and families dealing with an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis. He guided us through the financial and regulatory process required to expand our memory care services, desperately needed by so many families struggling to care for loved ones at home, especially during the pandemic. In spring of 2022, we’ll be opening a new floor at Willow Gardens, due in no small part to Jim’s stewardship. While a new board chair is now in place, Jim continues to be an active member of our board and community at United Hebrew.
What sets Jim apart is his deep appreciation for our mission. He cares about providing a high quality of life for the elderly. In addition to the leadership and advice he provides at an administrative level, he spends personal time attending our events and getting to know our staff members and residents. More often than not, he would take time at these events to ask our residents about their health and well-being. He inquired after staff to see how they were coping with the stresses of the job. Throughout the pandemic, he helped us to ensure that our residents were cared for and safe.
Simply put, Jim Staudt’s volunteer spirit is outstanding. He has selflessly given his time and enthusiastic energy over 500 hours and seven years. His extraordinary volunteerism has directly impacted our ability to care for our residents like family — now, and for generations to come.
