Throughout our lives, we often meet people who have made it their life’s purpose to help others and, specifically, communities who need it most. For longtime St. Andrews residents, the Sandler family, philanthropy and making a difference in their community have been something that has been passed down through their family for generations. However, it all started with Phyllis and Harvey Sandler, who dedicated their entire lives to giving back through acts of service for others and more specifically through Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (JFS). JFS was created in 1979 to offer people of all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds, access to programs like food and financial assistance, senior services, counseling and mental health services, career and employment services, as well as family and children's services.

Throughout JFS’ many years of servicing people and families in need, Phyllis and Harvey Sandler and their family have played a major role in the success of this outstanding organization. “The Sandler’s and their children have been strong supporters of JFS for decades and this is truly something to be celebrated,” said Danielle Hartman, president and CEO of JFS. “Robin Rubin sits on our executive committee and board, and she and her sister have co-chaired several key JFS fundraising events. For JFS, it’s important to maintain strong family relationships throughout the generations, and the support we get from the Sandler family is a wonderful example of this commitment.” Today, even though Harvey has since passed away, Phyllis and the couples’ children have continued to show their unwavering support for the organization through both monetary donations and volunteering their time.

“Our parents have always instilled in us from a young age, the importance of giving back no matter what you are able to give. So, it has been incredibly important to us as a family to continue working with such an amazing organization as JFS as well as passing down the importance of giving back to our children as well,” said Robin Rubin, Phyllis and Harvey’s daughter. Talking with the couple’s three daughters, Robin Rubin, Amy Ross, and Andrea Schumacher, we learned more about their family’s generational drive to help those in need, why they feel it’s important to pass down philanthropy to future generations, and most importantly the impact they feel JFS is making on destigmatizing taking care of our mental health.

Q: Can you tell me more about why your family became involved with JFS?
Robin: I think of JFS as being a pillar of our community. It's such a critical agency because it offers so many different services. JFS provides an outlet for many of our elderly people in the community, they feed so many people in the community, and they truly make people feel like they are being seen and their needs are being addressed. Especially all the kinds of mental health services they provide to people regardless of socioeconomic status. JFS is and always will be an organization that is near and dear to our family because of those reasons and more.

Andrea: While I may not be their daughter by blood, I became a part of this family when I was about 12 or 13 years old. Phyllis and Harvey are extremely philanthropic and have always given back to our community. However, we as the next generation, really took to JFS because it's such a feel-good charity. It helps so many people with so many different aspects of life and it offers its services to people of all backgrounds and I rarely meet people who don't want to be a part of it in some way.

Amy: When it came to this next generation of our family, which includes Andrea and Larry, Robin and Gary, and David and me, something that always resonates with me about this organization was how they really do the work to give back to the community. There are people who simply write a check and then there are people who really do the work. This organization and our family are the type of people who really have dug in and worked hard to make a difference. We do a lot of fundraising for many different charities and participate in a lot of events for those charities. However, this is the only charity that when we ask someone to participate, they always say yes, because they feel good about being a part of the JFS family.

Q: Has philanthropy always been an important aspect of your family dynamic?
Amy: Yes, it goes back as far as to our grandparents who were also very, very philanthropic. They were the ones who taught our mom about charity work and they always used to say, “To those who are given much, much is expected,” and that was their motto that they lived by. My grandmother worked in what they called bazaars in the basements of elementary schools raising money and awareness for causes like cerebral palsy and charities like Hadassah and she used to take us with her when we were little kids. So, this has been something that's been in our blood and in our family, for our entire lives. My mom learned from my grandma, and we learned from both of them, and now we're passing it on to our children.

Andrea: Our children have been surrounded by this as a lifestyle. It's just what we do, as a family, and it’s who we are. We have and will continue to pass this on to our children for generations to come and we hope they will continue this tradition as well.

Q: Over this last year, mental health has become a major topic of conversation. How do you think JFS in particular sets itself apart when it comes to providing affordable mental health services?
Robin: As I mentioned before, JFS is really a pillar in our community but especially when it comes to providing mental health services regardless of if you can or cannot afford it. So many people do not have access to comprehensive mental and psychiatric health services and JFS provides that. One program, in particular, that I believe sets them apart is the Welcome Home program, which is a program that assists people who are living with persistent mental illness to improve their life skills, social skills, and employment skills. So, it's actually a place where adults with developmental disabilities can go or be dropped off by a family member or caregiver and professionals come in to teach them those skills. They also have services like pet therapy, art therapy, psychoeducation, and more which are all located within the Weisman Center. Also, all of these programs are directly funded by the Reflections of Hope luncheon which we are involved with. The luncheon raises money to help support these programs and many more of their mental health services.

Q: Lastly, can you tell me more about the Reflections of Hope luncheon and any other fundraising events you are a part of through JFS?
Robin: Yes, so the Reflections of Hope luncheon aims to end the stigma of mental illness. Last year, it was virtual and the speaker was Glenn Close who spoke about her struggles in her family with mental illness and hoped to normalize mental illness through sharing her story. This year our speaker will be Marie Osmond and she’ll be talking about her experiences with mental illness and luckily this year the luncheon is scheduled to be in person. Typically, we have as many as 500 guests who attend and this is one of the events that, as Amy was saying before, people not only want to attend but they often say it's their favorite luncheon because it has so much depth and meaning to it.
Amy: The other fundraising event that has become something special to me is our golf tournament which I have been on the committee for, for years now. It’s been a joy to combine two things I love, golf and JFS. We usually host it here in St. Andrews and our community here are big JFS supporters and they love being a part of the JFS family as much as we do.

For more information on Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services and ways to get involved, you can contact the organization at 561.852.3333, email them at info@ralesjfs.org, or visit their website www.ralesjfs.org.