These past few months have been difficult for all charities and we know that the challenges are far from over. It feels like a really important time to be joining the trustee board of Camp Simcha to play our part in helping them through the difficult period ahead, so that they can continue to do their vital work supporting families with a seriously ill child. We are looking forward to working together again, joining the wider group of committed and experienced trustees who already bring so much to this incredible charity.

Elaine: “For many years I have worked alongside Camp Simcha with growing respect and admiration for the empathetically supportive and unrivalled work it undertakes. I am excited to be joining the board and hope my extensive experience in health and social care, developed through numerous board and CEO posts – including two in the Jewish community, Norwood and Chai Cancer Care, will enhance my understanding of the issues Camp Simcha, and the families it supports, face.

Professionally, I am still working in the health and social care sector and I know just how much heart-breaking pressure there is on families supporting sick children;  this has increased enormously during the current pandemic. Needless to say, I was truly delighted to have the opportunity to work with Simon again.  We bring different skills and knowledge to the charity, but our motivations are the same – to do whatever we can to assist families going through unimaginably difficult times. It is rare to find people who make the effort to understand the sector with a view to assisting. Simon is such a person as during his tenure at the JLC he deliberately engaged in learning, supporting and advising our communal providers.”

Simon: “In my seven years as CEO of the JLC, I developed a wide understanding of the Jewish community and the Jewish charitable sector. I am thrilled to now have the chance to use this experience to help Camp Simcha further develop its future strategy.”

When I was CEO of the JLC and Elaine was CEO of Norwood Ravenswood, we used to work together closely and speak often. I admired Elaine’s calmness, wisdom and insight, and we enjoyed the work we did together. Only a few months ago, we spoke about how nice it might be if we could work together again. It was a very pleasant surprise for both of us to learn that Camp Simcha had approached us each independently to be trustees. Now we are really looking forward to both being part of the Camp Simcha family. I have supported the charity for over a decade and look forward to helping them drive forward their strategy so they can provide even more support, making a difference to families with seriously ill children.

A full article was also featured in the Jewish News online here.

The JC featured the article here.