DOROT, Inc.

Vision: DOROT will be an innovative leader in mobilizing volunteers of all ages to improve the lives and health of the elderly, addressing the challenges of an aging society.

Mission: DOROT alleviates social isolation among the elderly and provides services to help them live independently as valued members of the community. We serve the Jewish and wider community, bringing the generations together in a mutually beneficial partnership of elders, volunteers and professionals. Our work provides an effective model for others.

Since 1976, DOROT's programs have assisted older adults live independently in the community and helped alleviate their social isolation. Frail seniors who can no longer shop and cook for themselves receive weekly deliveries of nutritious frozen meals through Kosher Meals for the Homebound. Trained volunteers call weekly to take meal orders and ensure that clients are doing well and do not require additional services. DOROT offers educational opportunities and support groups to seniors from the comfort of their homes through our teleconference programs—University Without Walls (UWW) and Russian University Without Walls (RUWW). Classes are designed to promote interaction, enhance brain function, and ease loneliness and isolation. Our program staff fosters a sense of emotional connection among the participants, who develop friendships as they explore educational and health-related topics over the phone. Door to Door provides professional and volunteer travel companions to accompany seniors to medical appointments of all kinds, take seniors grocery shopping and on walks, and shop for seniors who cannot shop for themselves. Friendly Visiting matches homebound older adults with volunteers who commit to weekly visits and help seniors with small tasks. Holiday Package Deliveries provides homebound seniors with traditional foods and gifts and visits from volunteers at the holidays.

DOROT's strategic plan, an ongoing process, outlines three strategies to serve as the framework for the organization's future.
1. Programmatic Growth
The first priority of the Strategic Plan is to expand DOROT's reach through increasing the number of older adults we serve and programs we offer. In so doing, we will also expand our volunteer opportunities. In the coming years, we will seek to grow nearly all of our programs, namely: Lasting
Impressions, Door to Door, University Without Walls, Friendly Visiting, Package Deliveries, Synagogue Partnerships, and Cemetery Visits. Simultaneously, we will establish a new Technology Response Team, as well as secure additional space in Manhattan and Westchester.

2. Broadened Impact
Though marketing, education, and raising visibility of the issue, DOROT will broaden our impact on social isolation. We have already begun developing marketing and educational campaigns, and plan to present at a range of conferences to share the findings we glean from studying our own work.

3. Operational Excellence
DOROT will continue our decades-long pursuit of operational excellence. We are widely known for the quality of our programming and intend to
maintain our high levels of client and volunteer satisfaction in the midst of program development and organizational expansion. A large part of
operational excellence is furthering our focus on program impact and evaluation. By using program data and metrics, we will identify and act upon opportunities for improvement. Operationally, we will use technology to support programs, adopt best practices when instituting changes, and continue an active program innovation pipeline, all while continuing to strive for outstanding performance. In 2017, DOROT
received the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence, an award which nationally recognized DOROT's pioneering work in alleviating social isolation by bringing the generations together.

DOROT staff exhibits a culture of service, a positive attitude, and a thoroughness and attention to detail. The staff goes beyond what is expected to ensure the safety and comfort of its senior clients and provide volunteers and seniors with meaningful experiences. Staff members reflect the support and recognition they receive by their commitment and loyalty to the agency. The average length of service among our 78+ staff members is 10 years, with 10 staff members serving for more than 20 years.

DOROT identifies and prioritizes its programming according to expressed need. DOROT works closely with other agencies and with its own clients to identify and prioritize new programs and develop existing programs. We seek to avoid duplication of services and to meet gaps in services. Our expansions to the Upper East Side of Manhattan and to Westchester County are examples of programming that developed in response to expressed need and Board interest.

Our senior clients have varying levels of abilities, which we take into consideration when we plan and implement programs. For example, approximately one-third of our seniors are visually impaired; all of our teleconference classes are designed to accommodate the visually impaired, and our IN-SIGHT program on University Without Walls is specifically designed for the visually impaired. Onsite Wellness classes are designed to accommodate individuals with varying physical abilities. Seniors who are not mentally able to participate in onsite Wellness classes are referred to Kol DOROT, our senior chorus, which has no audition requirements and accepts any senior who wants to sing. It has been demonstrated that choral singing helps prevent depression and creates a sense of community. We also offer Memory Tree, a program run for seniors with mild memory impairments. We make every attempt to offer a variety of programming for seniors with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.
Since its inception, DOROT has recognized that individuals have different needs and abilities to volunteer their time to organization. We offer a broad range of volunteer opportunities beyond the intensive commitment of Friendly Visiting (one hour a week for at least a year), including more occasional volunteer efforts such as holiday and birthday visits, and museum and cultural trips. Occasional volunteers receiving comprehensive training and ongoing support; opportunities include regular visits with seniors, computer tutoring, response team (providing short term assistance to seniors who need immediate assistance), and other programs.

Our college and teen internship programs reflect our commitment to engage young people, teach them about the needs of the elderly, and open possible future careers in the field of aging. Our volunteer visiting programs – at the heart of DOROT – remain relevant and essential in 2014.

DOROT always seeks to enhance the lives of vulnerable older adults by recruiting and training caring volunteers.