25 THE ANSWE LADY Norma Silver and her 30 volunteers at the Jewish Information Service have the answers to your questions. BY DAVID M. MOSS Special to The Jewish News I f you've got a question, chances are that Norma Silver and her volunteers have the answer. The questions for them at the Jewish Information Service (JIS) telephone hotline range from sum- mer camp for kids to meals for the elderly. From the Jimmy Prentis Morris Branch of the Jewish Community Center in Oak Park, Mrs. Silver works with a staff of volunteers trained to answer questions about Jewish agency services. Whenever possible, JIS refers callers to local organizations and agencies that can be of assistance. Since its inception ten months ago, JIS has received more than 1,000 calls. Many inquiries have fo- cused on care for the chronically ill or elderly, like the man seeking in- formation on local nursing homes for his mother. Other callers want to know about study. scholarships in Is- rael, about infant day care, about a latch-key program for the children of working parents. The woman behind JIS is Norma Silver. A health care profes- sional for more than 40 years, Mrs. Silver retired as associate adminis- trator at Sinai Hospital in 1982. She then joined the Jewish Welfare Fed- eration as a planning consultant to the Task Force on Community Based Services to the Non-Institutionalized Elderly. When the Task Force cited the need for a phone-in information 1 4.tesmr ..=:;--.;;•r : service, Mrs. Silver accepted the position of director, while remaining a consultant to Federation. "The unique thing about us," says Mrs. Silver, "is that we follow up, we call back, and we keep cal- ling back until we are convinced Jewish Information Service 967-HELP .that the people are linked to appro- priate services." "An elderly man who wanted to move out of Detroit called us re- cently because he felt that he was being taken advantage of. He wanted to sell his house, but his real estate agent would not offer him a fair price for it. We arranged for an ethical real estate agent. We called back, and he said he needed transpo- rtation, so we arranged for that. We've been in touch with his agent to make sure he got a fair price for the house. When it came time for him to move, we found a volunteer to help him pack." To serve a greater number of people, JIS networks with other Jewish federations and agencies across the United States. Some cal- lers planning a move to Detroit want to know the different services and programs this Jewish community has to offer. "We also help adult children whose parents live in other states locaie proper services and facilities (for their parents)," adds ..Mrs. Silver. "We're in the 'mitzvah' busi- neis," she says. "Doing good deeds is what we're all about." Some good deeds require a special effort as was the case of a woman from Indiana *wlfo , wanted help finding her mother's grave. The caller was eight years old when her mother died and was buried in Detroit. Soon afterward, her father moved the family to In- diana and she lost all contact with her mother's family. When her father died, the woman decided to find her mother's grave and her lost relatives. The In- diana Jewish federation referred her to JIS. It took Mrs. Silver and her staff of volunteers three hours to lo- cate the grave. And the following day, the woman was speaking to her mother's sister for the first time in 29 years. While some calls are unusual, Mrs. Silver says that most are for services that are needed by everyone. "Years ago, people didn't worry about transportation and child care. Today they do and the agencies must meet the need." Running an information service is no easy task. Mrs. Silver is as- sisted by 30 part-time volunteers who answer phone calls and make referrals. "We couldn't function without our volunteers," she says. She characterizes them as "enthusiastic, innovative and con- cerned," adding, "They use their hearts, as well as their heads." In turn, one volunteer describes Mrs. Silver as "one of the brightest, most energetic people I know." Aside from working with the volunteers,. Mrs. Silver has built up a Jewish Information Service adver- tising campaign with the cooperation: of the Jewish Welfare Federation's Public Relations Department and The Jewish News. Articles and ads have appeared, posters have been placed in libraries, synagogues and temples, and public service an- nouncements are currently running on cable television and 11 radio sta- tions. Mrs. Silver maintains, though, that "the best publicity is a satisfied customer. Many of our clients are word-of-mouth referrals and second- Continued on next page . _ . . - . - .. ... •-.rd1V,ten.rras,Z17....SELIMWIT=./.."..VCr« -.....1.. - . . 1.2161111 '