Marlene Adler - a volunteer behind the scenes at the Jewish Pavilion

The Jewish Pavilion has many volunteers who go into the facilities and visit with our seniors but those volunteers are just the tip of the iceberg. The Jewish Pavilion's volunteers aren't just those seen at the facilities. There are a lot of them working hard behind the scenes to help our operations run smoothly. Marlene Adler is one of those volunteers working hard for the Jewish Pavilion.

Marlene is a Brooklyn native who at 22 got married and moved to New Jersey. A move that she has never heard the end of from her family. Her husband, Dr. Lee Adler, is a retired entomologist. She is a graduate of Brooklyn University and earned a master's degree in psychology from Villanova. She and her husband have two children, Lauren and Wolfie, and three grandchildren. Her youngest grandson calls her every few days.

Marlene and Lee have lived in Philadelphia, Cleveland, New Haven and Lemont, a suburb of Chicago. Lemont had a small Jewish population. However, having been an apartment dweller her entire life she finally bought her first house there at the age of 32.

One day three women showed up at her house and invited her to a NSO meeting. And with that she became an active member in the community - and she has been active ever since, serving in her synagogue and on various boards.

While her profession on the JP board list is "retired corrections officer" that is not quite what she did in the prison system. For over 20 years she worked coordinating doctors with varying specialties to visit inmates in prison. This was all set up by her husband who saw a need for it. Marlene went to weekly meetings for 20 years and never felt uncomfortable or afraid. She knew the importance of the services they were providing.

When asked why she started getting involved with the Jewish Pavilion she said that she had close friends who were volunteers and they couldn't say enough good things about the organization. She loves the organization, loves the enthusiasm and joy of those involved with the Pavilion. It is a lot of fun to work with the people she serves with on the board and enjoys their time together. And of course she loves the mission of the Jewish Pavilion. She has been with the Jewish Pavilion for five years now and has no plans of "retiring."

During the past five years, Marlene has been the president of the Friends Board and now is president of the Jewish Pavilion Board. According to Marlene, a sense of belonging and community comes through in the events held by the Pavilion. She wants to make sure that comes through in all that the volunteers do.

Marlene loves denim. She discovered it years ago and has just been off to the races with it. She buys denim anywhere from yard sales to flea markets. Many people also donate denim to her. Her denim creations are sold at many of JP's fundraisers. And this year was no different. She made masks in many different designs to sell. She made a jean jacket for the auction. She creates beautiful things that people want to buy while it brings her joy just to create. If she wasn't behind the scenes she wouldn't be able to create these things to help raise money for the Jewish Pavilion.

You may not see Marlene Adler in the facilities but you can find her backstage making sure that everyone has what they need to make the Jewish Pavilion a success. The friends that Marlene has made through the Jewish Pavilion she sees as family and she wants her friends and family to be happy and successful.