If you’ve ever experienced a flat tire as you’re rushing to the airport to make a flight or your car not starting as your kids get ready for morning carpool — then you can certainly appreciate the importance of the work Chaverim does.

Chaverim is comprised of a group of 25 dedicated volunteers, including 4 dispatchers, who are trained and ready to be of service for just about any and all non-medical emergency situations that may arise. From giving “dead” cars a boost, to delivering hospital equipment to those needing it at home, to helping set up a shivah home, Chaverim is on call 24/6 to assist the community out in whatever way they can.

This past year alone, Chaverim has responded to 300 boosts, over 100 lock-outs (home and car), and over 120 flat tires. They average about 60 calls a month, with the highest call volume being in December, when they received over 75 calls. As of 2014, they have logged a whopping 200 calls so far.

“We’ve gotten multiple calls from people traveling on the 80,” says Dovid Malcmacher, University Heights Coordinator of Chaverim of Cleveland. “They’ve either run out of gas, or have been stranded there after a car accident, or are stuck there for a variety of other reasons.” Whatever the case, Chaverim is only a phone call away, ready to service anyone when they need them.

Paci Elbaum, Cleveland Heights Co-Coordinators says with great pride “When we began a little over two years ago, it was just a dream that we would be able to help people with what we assumed would be mostly car issues. Now 2 years later, it’s amazing to see that we have cleared well over 1,400 calls ranging from cars to home emergencies. So I would say Chaverim of Cleveland is definitely a success story.”

Tzvi Turner, President & Co-Coordinator in Cleveland Heights adds “In the past two years we never had a call where we didn’t have someone respond to and I think that’s amazing. The success of this organization is really due to the selflessness of our extremely dedicated volunteer members and dispatchers.

Cleveland is blessed with numerous chessed organizations, ranging from Bikur Cholim, Kemach and the Chevra Kadisha; and many of these organizations rely heavily on Chaverim’s services to continue carrying out their own chessed activities.
Chaverim also works in tandem with the local police force, maintaining a great working relationship in particular with the Cleveland Heights Police Department.

As its third year of community service commences, Chaverim keeps an eye out for the future, always looking for ways to enhance and expand the unique role it plays within our community. For this dedicated cadre of individuals, there’s no resting on their laurels. There’s always someone out there in need, someone they can help, and someone who’s counting on Chaverim.

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