Page 16 - Demo

THE SUMMIT SPORT AND FITNESS CENTER
Just like across the world, the past year at the Summit Sports Center has been defined by a new reality. The social and entertainment world in Israel suffered greatly from the crisis: cultural events were cancelled, gyms closed and there was almost no “one on one” sporting events (other than events defined as “essential).
Essentially our daily lives were changed dramatically.
We very quickly realized that everything we had enjoyed until that point, and the way we had managed the sports center and its related programs (the performing arts center, sessions in the Eitanim and Kfar Shaul hospitals, and our elders programs, among others) - all that would no longer be possible.
We had two options: to surrender ourselves to this new reality and just wait until the pandemic passed, or to re-invent the wheel- quickly and under unprecedented circumstances.
With the support of our incredible staff we all came together: the professional counselors, our event coordinators and me, and we set up an in-person program that with a new format allowed for a large percentage of our existing program to go ahead as scheduled.
But it’s well-known that crises also create opportunities. In light of the fact that many rehabilitation facilities and hostels were required to house their residents for all hours of the day without any specific activities in place, we created a working partnership with 13 such facilities in Beit Shemesh andofferedthemaseriesofin-personactivities- allwithinthe relevant guidelines. This allowed these residents exposure to professional and high-quality activities in a variety of different fields, without the need to leave their homes.
We were blessed that most of our activities within the hospital settings were allowed to go on as planned. Even during the lockdowns, our dedicated team members were able to come to the hospitals and run activities – dressed from head to toe in protective equipment.
One can only imagine the extent of the challenges we faced over this year as we remained committed to ensuring our programs went ahead.
But we were motivated by the recognition that social and athletic activities are critical for tour personal health– and certainly those we are here to help who faced deep emotional and mental health challenges - even before the onset of the pandemic.