On November 21, 2024, Jerry Rothkoff was honored to receive the Artz Philadelphia Community Catalyst Award in recognition of his service to the Artz Philadelphia Board and the Philadelphia area community to help enhance the lives of those living with dementia and their care partners. The Community Catalyst Award recognizes remarkable dedication to building community through the arts; generosity of spirit and action; and work towards a world in which creative community brings people together in mutual respect and understanding.
Excerpts from Jerry’s award acceptance remarks on November 21, 2024, are included below. For more information, please visit Artz Philadelphia.
“I want to thank Artz Philadelphia and everyone here for attending such a meaningful and beautiful event.
I recently watched the movie The Darkest Hour, which is about how Winston Churchill led Great Britain during WWII prior to the United States’ involvement. He was conflicted in his country’s fight against Nazi Germany. He wanted to continue to fight and stand up to Hitler even though London was being bombed nightly by Germany, and 3,000 of his troops were surrounded by the German army in France. Churchill’s War Cabinet had other ideas. They wanted Great Britain to enter into a negotiated surrender with Germany to end the war and avoid thousands of British young men from being killed. In the movie, he decides to talk with the average British citizen about what to do. He subsequently took a ride on the London Underground subway and asked the citizens of London what they would do. They overwhelmingly wanted to continue to fight Hitler and the Germans.
A few weeks ago, my wife, Erica, and sons, Aitan and Evan, traveled to London and had a tour of Churchill’s underground war room. As it turns out, we were told Churchill’s ride on the Underground never actually happened. However, the Hollywood version gives an important lesson. Never forget what you do and the decisions you make impact peoples’ lives.
Similarly, although I am not by any means comparing myself to Churchill, several years ago, when I was having a bad week at work and questioning the value of what I do, my wife, who always has wonderful advice, suggested I spend a full day visiting some of our clients who live in assisted living and nursing home facilities. As I usually do, I heeded her advice and spent a day visiting our clients. I spent the day talking about grandchildren and great-grandchildren, talking sports with clients, and getting several thanks from spouses of clients and their children.
Artz Philadelphia has allowed me to witness the direct impact all of our efforts have on those living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia and their care partners. It has allowed me to get out of the office and see how people are dealing with dementia and what positive effects our advocacy has.
My first contact with Artz Philadelphia was in 2016, after I returned from a professional trip to the Netherlands, where I experienced a docent trained tour of an exhibit at the Amsterdam Modern Museum of Art for those with dementia and their care partners, modeled after the NYC “Meet Me at MOMA” program. Coincidently, the tour included a video art tour of Philadelphia’s own Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, known as the urban black cowboys. That was certainly an omen of things to come in Philly.
Upon my return from the Netherlands, I searched out similar programs. Certainly, I thought, the Philadelphia Museum of Art must have a similar program. Not to be, the funding dried up a few years earlier. I contacted the Alzheimer’s Association, but no such luck. I then found Artz Philadelphia online and contacted Susan Shifrin. We then scheduled a meeting to discuss how our elder care law office can work with Artz Philly, and the rest is pure joy. Why do I use the word joy? There are many wonderful organizations for Alzheimer’s and related dementia who do great work. However, very few directly address the needs of those living with dementia and their care partners. Research and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease is very valuable, but so too is improving the lives today of those living with dementia and their care partners.
Artz Philadelphia helps to bring joy to those it interacts with. For a few hours, participants in Artz Philly programs can check their dementia at the door, and enjoy what Artz Philly has to offer with their care partners, be it a spouse or child. Music and art, the unspoken word, are very powerful instruments. Artz Philadelphia helps to provide joy in people’s lives. They will not leave the Artz program cured of their chronic illness, but they will go home happier.
This is why I believe so strongly in Artz Philadelphia and its mission. It’s a labor of love.
I want to thank Susan, the Artz Philly staff, and our Board for all you do on behalf of Artz Philly. You are only as good as the people you associate with. The people I tend to be around daily make me a better person. That starts with my family – my wife Erica, our sons, Aitan and Greg, who are here, and our three other children, who are in West Texas, NYC, and London, respectively, for inspiring me to be the best I can be. Thanks to my mom for showing me the value of respecting older adults.
I also want to thank my partner Bryan and the entire team at Rothkoff Law Group for what you do every day to improve the lives of older adults.
Each person hopes they can make some positive impact on society. Artz Philly has allowed all of us to make such an impact. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to continue our labor of love of providing joy to a very deserving population. Thank you once again for honoring me in this way. I am truly humbled by such recognition.”
