Andrew H. Banoff addresses donors and friends of Jewish Senior Services at the Grand Opening.

BRIDGEPORT – On Thursday, August 4, more than 200 donors and friends joined the leadership of Jewish Senior Services, as well as local dignitaries, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, for the Grand Opening Celebration of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus on Park Avenue in Bridgeport. The official opening of Jewish Senior Servies’ new campus marked the culmination of five years of planning.

While unable to join Jewish Senior Services in person, Rachel Garbow Monroe, president of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the foundation’s trustees, sent their greetings on August 4.

“The foundation is dedicated to helping low-income and vulnerable older adults age with maximum dignity, autonomy and purpose. We thank Jewish Senior Services for its shared dedication in that regard, and congratulate Jewish Senior Services on the dedication of this project,” she said.

All of the residents — over 300 seniors — moved from The Jewish Home campus on Jefferson Street into their new home in June. The state-of-the-art campus is the state of Connecticut’s first and only Household Model skilled nursing and assisted living community.

“The opportunity to change forever the way we all view nursing homes is remarkable,” said President and CEO Andrew H. Banoff.  “Our board of directors and this community invested in creating something that is unique – which established an intergenerational campus on the site of the former Jewish Center for Community Services.”

(L to R) Bridgeport Chief of Police Armando Perez, Bridgeport City Council President Thomas C. McCarthy, Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, Andrew H. Banoff, Senator Tony Hwang and State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey.

In addition to The Jewish Home (skilled nursing) and Goldstein Rehabilitation Center and Assisted Living Residences, the campus will host all of the programs and services of Jewish Senior Services as well as the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy. The innovative Household Model of skilled care will allow small groups of individuals to share all of the amenities of home. Each “house” is comprised of 14 private bedrooms with private bathrooms and showers that are situated around their own shared kitchen, dining room, living room, den and balcony.

“The dramatic transformation of resident life in the new home was visible as soon as we moved in,” said Banoff. “The goal all throughout the planning of this community was to enhance the lives of seniors not only with the environment they live in but by bringing the community into the campus.”

Bonnie Slyn, chairman of the board of Federation for Jewish Philanthropy noted, “We are thrilled to be part of this beautiful campus. It provides endless opportunities to engage our community and we are already hard at work to make that happen.”

Mayor Joseph P. Ganim presents a certificate of recognition to Jeffrey Radler, chairman of Jewish Senior Services.

All of the Federation and other programming and events will be available to people who live on the campus as well as the community-at-large. The Fitness Center, Child Development Center, Kosher Courtyard Café and synagogue are open to families in the community. Other services include home care, hospice, outpatient therapy, Institute on Aging, Center for Elder Abuse Prevention, Senior Choice at Home® and adult family living and foster homes.

The project was funded with tax-exempt bonds issued through the city of Bridgeport and purchased by People’s United Bank, as well as The Journey to Home capital campaign, which raised approximately $27 million.

For further information, please visit www.jseniors.org.

Photo credit: Regina Madwed, Capitol PhotoInteractive

CAP: (L to R) Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Andrew H. Banoff, president and CEO of Jewish Senior Services.