First Person
Southern Hospitality Helps Fulfill Dreams
For 20 years, Lynda Wachsteter has been a driving force in support of the Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled
Last November marked the 20th anniversary of the Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled( JSDD) in West Orange. To celebrate this milestone, JSDD held agala atthe Morris Museum tohonor Lynda Wachsteter, two-term past president and Short Hills resident, and Lois Rose, another past president who lives inLivingston. The event was aspectacular success; Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul & Mary, sang to asold out crowd ofmore than 300 guests and the event raised $ 300,000. Wachsteter has been part of the organization since its inception in 1996. JSDD supports both aresidential component and the WAE Center, which offers alternative learning to developmentally disabled adults through wellness, art and enrichment.
From Atlanta to Short Hills
I’ m from Atlanta, Georgia, so when my husband’ s career uprooted our family from North Carolina to the New York area, I came with trepidation. With two young sons in tow, we chose Short Hills because of its close-knit reputation and proximity to the city. That was in 1976 and we have been in the same home ever since. With one connection to the Jewish community through a friend in North Carolina and a membership at Temple B’ nai Abraham in Livingston, I formed the building blocks to what is now a community I cherish.
In My DNA
Ihavealwaysbeen adoer – it’ sinmyDNA. Mymaternal grandparents were immersed in philanthropy in Savannah and they instilled in me a life of giving to others – it’ s what makes me tick. My sister, Diane, is developmentally disabled and now at 66 years old lives in a Jewish homein Atlanta. Through love for my sister and my humanitarian interests, I began my journey with JSDD. What started with the first home in Millburn, todayhas growntoelevenprograms in nine communities in three counties. JSDD residents have hopes, dreams, special gifts and spiritual connections, but need assistancewith daily living. In 2004, theWAE Center came to fruition with a $ 110,500 seed grant from The Healthcare Foundation of NJ. The Center, originally housed in rented space at B’ nai Shalom in West Orange, today serves 150 adults per year, with programmingincluding cooking, jewelry making, print making, yoga, weaving and meditation. After six years, we outgrew the space and found a larger rental home across from our officeon Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange. The growth of the program has led us to embarkonaCapital Campaign to securea larger, more permanent facility within the next fiveyears.
Using Southern Hospitality to Develop Relationships
Using my southern hospitality, I find the most effective way to bring JSDD to the forefront is by developing relationships. After two terms as president, my focus is on growth and fundraising. Because we make lifelong commitments to the people we support in our residences, we need an endowment to assure that the quality of our programs is sustainable into the future. For the past two years, we have actively pursued Legacy commitments from members of the Boardof Trustees, family members of our residents and friends of the agency. To date, we have secured 38 commitments from donors who remember JSDD through their estate planning. We have big plans for the future – the organization is literally bursting at the seams. ■
– ASTOLD TO NANCY COHEN
COURTESY OFROBERT SCHNEIDER
16 SPRING 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE