Improving the lives of others through planned giving
“Our family lived the Jewish immigrant story,” says Jane Rosov. “I’ve lived a blessed life.”
Her family emigrated to the United States from Easter Europe, and Jane was born in Brooklyn then raised on Long Island, New York. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Penn State and her master’s degree from The Catholic University of America, she began her career with the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), serving as an information specialist and managing the library’s data distribution program. In that role, she worked with biological and biomedical data in support of health professionals, researchers, and educators around the globe.
After 30 rewarding years, Jane retired, but she has not slowed her pace for improving the lives of others. As a member of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, she has worked to help Syrian refugees adjust to life in the United States just as she did for Russian Jews in our area years ago. “You’ve got to give to whatever is your passion,” she explains. “You need to know what is important to you. For me, at this time, it’s advocating for refugees and being responsive to the global crisis.”
The Charles E. Smith Life Communities (CESLC) is also important to Jane. “My parents became residents of the Charles E. Smith Life Communities (CESLC), first living independently in Ring House, then followed by stays at the Hebrew Home,” she says. “I began volunteering with CESLC shortly after my mother died because I observed and appreciated the high level of care and concern for the residents.”
It was while spending time with her parents at the Hebrew Home that Jane first observed JSSA’s hospice services in action. Hospice provides individualized support to help enhance quality of life with assistance ranging from pain management and symptom control to emotional and spiritual support to respite care for family members and caregivers. When the time was right for both of her parents, she turned to JSSA.
Jane is now a JSSA Legacy donor and also chose to remember the CESLC through planned giving. “I decided to make JSSA a beneficiary of my Thrift Saving Account, which is the federal retiree equivalent of a 401K or 403B,” Jane explains. “My two children will eventually receive other more tax-advantaged assets. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to give back in this way.”
Jane, who also volunteers with the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Strathmore Arts Center, says that she is able to give by doing. Last Chanukah, one of her gifts to her two oldest grandchildren was a donation in each of their names to the NIH’s Children’s Inn.
“I like exposing my grandchildren to the meaning of tzedakah. I want to instill that in them as part my family’s legacy.”
Create Your Own JSSA Legacy
To learn how you can include a gift to JSSA in your estate, please contact Pam Spears, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving at 301-610-8344 or pspears@jssa.org or click here.
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