New York – Bikur Cholim Like No Else ‘Mekimi’

New York – Every so often a non-profit organization comes along that not only exemplifies what kindness is all about, it inspires the observer to join in their efforts. Such is the case with the Mekimi organization.

It is an organization that began in 2003, and now has close to 400 volunteers and staff members.

What is its purpose? “Its raison d’etre is to bring the joy of living to the critically and terminally ill in hospitals,” said Shimshon Heskel, president of the Mekimi organization. The organization, among other things, facilitates the visitation of those that are ill and hospital bound with great entertainment personalities. There are celebrity singers, musicians and clowns, and comedians. past and currant singers include MBD, Avrohem Fried, Lipa, Yehuda Green, and various others.

Mekimi’s programs cater to both adults and children. Programs include concerts for children’s wings as well as magic shows and plays and comedy routines. A volunteer graduate of a Far Rockaway high school described a play she performed in a Manhattan hospital with a number of other volunteers, “It was just so amazing and the kids absolutely loved it.”

Shimshon Heskel, spoke to VIN News in an exclusive interview, “Our latest project is called the Live Hookup Service which allows us to show weddings and other events to the terminally ill in hospital beds. The project is a $90,000 and many of the units now are fully up and running.” Most of the major wedding halls in New York now have permanent live hookup devices.

The combination of its many programs and services has had a remarkable impact upon the terminally ill throughout New York and across the country. Another fascinating aspect about this organization is the impact it has had upon its volunteers. “Mekimi helped train us how to entertain and speak with patients,” said one volunteer who had simultaneously enrolled in a clown training program. “It has changed my life in that now I realize that the essential focus of what life is about must revolve around acts of kindness.” Levi Blumenfeld, another volunteer remarked, “When the Mekimi coordinators send in the cheerup squad it has a transforming effect.. I thank G-d that I got involved with this organization.”

Mekimi has amassed quite a formidable DVD library filled with over one hundred thousand entertaining and educational DVDs. Mekimi is stocked with over 2100 DVD players and delivers them to hospitals for use by the terminally ill. The inventory is constantly updated with the latest productions .

“Perhaps the highlight of our year is our annual weekend retreat. We literally created an amusement park inside the lobby of the Rally Hotel and we had seven hundred terminal patients and family and volunteers,” said Mr. Heskel. “There are trips too. This week we are taking cancer patients to Niagara Falls and earlier this summer we had a trip to the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania.”

But as every parent knows what makes a hospitalized child most happy is being with his family. Sometimes a local hotel room is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Mekimi directors have purchased a fully furnished mobile home that can be parked adjacent to dozens of of area hospitals that do not have housing options for families. “When my granddaughter was hit by a bus coming home from school, what made her most comfortable was knowing that her parents would be here in the hospital with her,” said Mrs. T., a Brooklyn resident. Mekimi has two mobile homes – one is a 2008 Ford Georgetown the other one is on loan from another non-profit organization. “At times we even have to rent a third mobile home. We generally rent it from a company in New Jersey,” said Mr. Heskel.

Mekimi headquarters in Brooklyn is stocked with art’s and craft projects, giant yellow helium tanks and balloons and giant stuffed animals. There are shelves stuffed with rows and rows of toys. “The supply house could pass for an FAO Schwartz warehouse,” remarked one observer.

“When Mekimi started the budget was $1000, now it is quickly approaching one million dollars,” explained Mr. Heskel. “We just opened up a branch in NYU hospital.”

Everyone involved in the Mekimi organization is a volunteer. “This is a completely voluntary organization, there is no payroll,” said Mr. Shmiel Leib Zaidman, one of the Mekimi board members. There are a total of five board members. The Chairman of the organization is Chezky Kauftheil, a renowned philanthropist and businessman. Money is raised for the organization through private and corporate sponsors.

Last week a double fundraising event was held in Hurleyville, New York taking advantage of the vacationing businessmen. The event was sponsored and hosted by Aaron and Surie Noe. The event featured an emotional speaker , a parent of a patient, and music. The second event featured a video presentation highlighting Mekimi activities.

“The general director of Live Entertainment, Shloime Reichberg, has managed to handle over 2500 calls of live entertainment this past year, and to manage our formidable volunteer force” reported Mr. Heskel. “Thankfully, we are flooded with applications, and thank G-d we now have 700 to 800 applications,” Mr. Heskel continued.

Mekimi is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and has exported the magic of their programs to fourteen other national and international chapters, including: Lakewood, NJ; Monsey, NY; Monroe, NY; Williamsburg, NY; Far Rockaway, NY; Detroit, MI; Toronto, Canada; Montreal, CA; England and Israel.

All volunteers are selflessly committed to the children and the programs. Thousands of lives have been enriched by this model program.