Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?

Jackie has not only unselfishly dedicated her life since 2005 to providing a temporary home for homeless women and children, but she has helped hundreds of women move on with their lives by providing case management and teaching them life skills. The program's provision of temporary housing coupled with case management and supportive services provides a unique opportunity for homeless women to have the time and support to actually plan their future life, develop additional educational capabilities, learn important life skills to assist them in effectively dealing with typical day-to-day issues and to make positive decisions about their future. She raised community awareness of the homeless problem in New Orleans and motivated Congregation Gates of Prayer to get involved in numerous ways. Prior to that, all the synagogue's tzedakah efforts had been focused on Jewish causes.

What problem did your nominee identify in the community that needed to be solved? How has your nominee's efforts made a difference for others?

Before Katrina, Jackie worked at Jewish Family Service in case management with the elderly. After Katrina, Jackie volunteered at JFS handling returnee grants for several months. Upon completing that task, she looked for someplace else to volunteer to aid in the city's recovery.

Her son introduced her to Common Ground's Women's Shelter in the Upper Ninth Ward where he had been volunteering. She soon recognized the lack of leadership and support coming from Common Ground and worked to help the director of the shelter find resources within the Jewish community. In 2006, Jackie asked her synagogue to adopt the shelter as a social action project. Gates of Prayer families donated toys and clothes for Christmas and the youth group and Brotherhood cooked meals which could be frozen. Sisterhood donated cleaning supplies and non-perishable food items. The GOP Mitzvah Committee became Jackie's main source in getting manual repairs done at the shelter. Gates of Prayer members were asked to donate money or gift certificates to discount stores. Jackie also turned to local businesses for donations of carpeting, bedding, furniture, mattresses and appliances.

By 2007, Jackie was acting as director of the shelter. Jackie soon realized that the house Common Ground was renting was inadequate. That problem was resolved when Jackie and and her husband Dan found a nicer, larger house in the same block that was available for rent. After having the new house painted and refurbished, Jackie supervised the move. Common Ground Relief began to scale back its operations in spring 2007 and decided they were unable to continue to fund the shelter operations and prepared to close the facility. Rather than have the shelter cease operations, In August 2007, the Silvermans incorporated the shelter as the New Orleans Women's Shelter LLC as an interim vehicle to facilitate the establishment of a long-term program. Congregation Gates of Prayer agreed to serve as the fiscal sponsor to facilitate third-party fund raising activities.

In the fall of 2007, NOWS entered into a lease for a suitable and recently refurbished facility and initiated activities for opening the operations. NOWS currently has one fully paid staff person serving as Shelter Manager, whom Jackie hired. There are typically four to six full-time volunteer staff members who are paid modest stipends and provided room and board. NOWS owns one vehicle used for shopping and errands. The 2009 annual budget is $233,000 and is approximately 50% funded at this point. All funding has been from private sources. Jackie and Dan participate on a strictly volunteer basis and receive no compensation for their efforts.Fundraising became Jackie's other profession. She speaks frequently to groups visiting the city and has traveled to New York and Miami to raise awareness of the needs of the homeless in New Orleans.