Congratulations to One Good Deed on a huge milestone; celebrating 15 years of making matches between older adults and volunteers. Founded in 2006, and led by Sharon Spiegelman, Program Manager, and Vivienne Kurland, Volunteer Coordinator, One Good Deed, a program of Aviv Older Adult Services, has made more than 500 matches. Every match is inspired by the original mission of the program to help older adults live independently by providing support from friendly and compassionate volunteers. Each match is unique and is meant to enhance the quality of life for older adults.

Sharon Spiegelman, Program Manager

Vivienne Kurland, Program Coordinator

Sharon Spiegelman, Program Manager, and Vivienne Kurland, Program Coordinator

Each volunteer is vetted, trained, and carefully matched with an older adult. The success of each match is at the heart of the program. “I am passionate about making a difference in the lives of older adults – one match at a time. I love learning from their wisdom and experience and touching as many lives as I can,” said Spiegelman.

The strength of One Good Deed was tested by the challenges of the Pandemic. Spiegelman and Kurland quickly shifted focus from twice monthly in-person visits to weekly phone calls and video chats, realizing that providing companionship for older adults was more important than ever! At a time when older adults are spending all day, every day, inside their houses to stay safe, One Good Deed volunteers provide invaluable connections to the outside world with regular phone calls, hand-delivering (at a safe distance) goody bags, groceries and supplies to their older adult friends.

“During Covid, we have been able to recruit many willing community volunteers who rose to the occasion of service- and we have been able to grow our program and provide support to a larger geographical area with phone calls and other virtual ways to connect,” said Kurland.

In 2019, Spiegelman won the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta's Max and Mary London People Power Award for her work in creating the One Good Deed program. Her work and dedication to the program has grown in importance and impact, as the number of older adults living alone continues to increase.

New Branding for One Good Deed

This year, in honor of their 15 year anniversary, One Good Deed has a new logo and tagline that reflects the importance of connections and friendships.

Looking to the future, Sharon and Vivienne remain strongly committed to the One Good Deed model of helping older adults remain living independently with support from their volunteer matches. Enduring friendships, have developed from many of the matches made over the last 15 years. Whether the need is companionship, help with a household task or a connecting them to other community resources, this unique program serves as a gold standard for providing connection, support, and friendship for older adults.