Being a Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) Volunteer is special. All our volunteers go out of their way to make life for the children and parents at the SACH house, clinic and in the hospital less stressful and more pleasant. The volunteers sit with parents or an unaccompanied child in hospital when they need extra attention or when the pressure of the unknown is getting to them, even if it means being in the hospital on a weekend or at night, and for some reason language is never a barrier; they muddle through. It is just something they do to help someone in distress feel more relaxed. The volunteers give photographs as a remembrance of being at SACH, send emails and photographs to parents who are not here to keep them informed and in short – they help make life a bit nicer for everyone and free the overworked SACH Staff to concentrate on other things that must be done. After all this is what a family does.
This is a partial list highlighting a number of our long term volunteers both in the hospital and in the children's home:
Azur Ladies Circle
The Azur Ladies Circle often have parties with activities in the Save a Child’s Heart children’s home, making all the children and mothers very happy.
Bank Leumi Staff
The local branch of Leumi Bank in Holon visits the children’s home every holiday, bringing lots of goodies for the children and making everyone very happy.
Bruria Gal
Bruria is from Kibutz Lahav in South Israel.
She has been volunteering at the hospital with Dr. Tamir and his team for the past five years. Bruria keeps the SACH Archives for the Pediatric Cardiology Clinic up to date and filed so that the medical records of the children are easily accessible.
Bruria also regularly take children and parents to the airport when they return home after their life saving treatment in Israel.
Einav Barazany
Einav is an Israeli Aeronautical Engineer and world traveller. Einav has been volunteering at the Save a Child’s Heart children’s home for four years. It is great to have a mail volunteer, especially for the older boys in the home who love playing and speaking with Einav. Over the years Einav has taken children on trips as well as befriending and taking to tour many of the volunteers living at the SACH House, the doctors and the nurses who are at SACH for advanced training.
EL AL Social Committee
The EL AL Social committee visits the children’s home every Israeli holiday bringing gifts and chockolates to for the children and mothers.
Eva Gross
Eva joined us eight months ago. She is an Israeli retired dentist who volunteers at the Tuesday weekly Palestinian clinic with Dr. Tamir and his team.
Lea Labi
For the last four years Lea has been coming every week, with a smile, to the children’s home to volunteer and play with the children. The children look forward to her arrival and eagerly await the days' activities. She always has a special treat for the children. Lea keeps the "clothes closet" in order, a daunting job with all the activity at the SACH House.
Lolitta Markus
Lolitta lived many years in Congo. She has been volunteering in the Save a Child’s Heart children’s home for the past six years. Lolita is a Friday regular. Armed with Ice Cream and treats for the children she makes her day a special celebration each week. She also helps keep the clothes, shoes, cupboard stocked to give to the children and mothers.
Maureen Benita
Maureen was born in Britain and has been living in Israel for forty years. Maureen worked at the Catheterization Laboratory at the Wolfson Medical Center and after retiring two years ago she wanted to continue and help the children of Save a Child’s Heart. She joined Dr. Tamir and his team at the Tuesday weekly clinic for Palestinian children and has been part of the team since then.
Sheila Shalhevet
American born Sheila has been living in Israel for the last forty years. She has been with Save a Child’s Heart since 2002. Sheila is an active board member and volunteer and she is the Save a Child’s Heart photographer – takes the photo of each and every child arriving to Israel and writes the profile of all the children. In addition Sheila makes herself available at all times helping out in the SACH house and with visitors.
Tali Shaked
Tali manages a kindergarden in Holon and has been volunteering for Save a Child’s Heart in the last four years. Every week she comes on her singla day off work and helps Dr. Tamir and his team in the Tuesday weekly Palestinian clinic.
Yossef Yacobi
Yossef, or as we all call him – Papa Lemon – lives in Azur and is a neighbour to the children’s home. For the past two and a half years Yossef has been coming to the house to help with gardening and day to day jobs. He speaks to the children and mothers in the many languages he knows and brings a neighbourly feeling to the SACH House coming in evenings with lots of lemons from his garden.