Under the leadership of campaign chairs Lisa and Steve Ruben, Village Shalom is pleased to announce a successful Ages of Excellence campaign benefiting its Financial Assistance Program.
“Our family has a decades-long connection to Village Shalom. It has been an honor to chair this year’s campaign,” the Rubens said.
The 2021 campaign was the most successful campaign on record, grossing just below $300,000.
The success, in large part, is due to the commitment and dedication of the Village Shalom Board of Directors. All the directors made a personal gift and collectively reached out to their peers and the community, sharing their commitment to the cause and requesting support. These efforts led to 97 new campaign donors and 88 increased gift amounts compared to the previous year.
One in four healthcare residents at Village Shalom have exhausted their financial resources or come to Village Shalom with no resources. The annual Ages of Excellence campaign raises money to help fund the Village Shalom Financial Assistance Program, which provides 24/7 nursing care, therapies, prescription management, programming, individualized and group wellness opportunities, customized meals per dietary restrictions, and a safe and secure place to call home to residents who can no longer afford the cost of their care.
“Village Shalom remains one of our most important community treasures, as it provides a safe and welcoming home for some of our most valued Jewish community members,” said Village Shalom Board Chair Frank Lipsman. "We are so grateful for the deep and broad support for the Ages of Excellence campaign throughout the community, and so grateful for the leadership of Lisa and Steve as campaign chairs, and also of Steve as a member of the board.”
“Village Shalom exists to serve the entire Kansas City community,” Steve Ruben said. “Thanks to the hard work and generosity of Village Shalom’s supporters, board members, and staff, the total dollars raised for the Financial Assistance Program far exceeded our goals. It is especially gratifying that 97% of every dollar raised will go directly to help those in need.”
The Village Shalom Financial Assistance Program is a point of pride for Village Shalom. No resident has ever been asked to leave due to the inability to pay for the cost of their care.
The annual cost of the Village Shalom Financial Assistance Program is $1.7 million. Two-thirds of the annual gap created between the cost of care, the reimbursement rate received by third parties, and the residents’ ability to pay is covered by Village Shalom’s General Operating Budget.
Only one-third of the gap is paid by charitable gifts. Support raised for the program bolsters the sustainability of the program, and it fulfills the mitzvah of honoring the aged.