Rita Messner Gives Her Time, Talent, and Treasure to Benefit Her Community
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With a heart of gold, Rita Messner has dedicated her life to giving back to others. Growing up in Brooklyn, her claim to fame was graduating alongside classmate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After that, she worked for several accounting firms before retiring at the age of 50 and moving to South Florida.
Upon moving to South Florida, Rita became involved with the Jewish Federation of Broward County beneficiary agency, JAFCO. JAFCO’s mission is to care for abused, neglected, and at-risk children and those with developmental disabilities in the Jewish community and work in partnership with families and the entire community.
Rita became a JAFCO godparent and then sponsored a bar mitzvah for one of the JAFCO children who had lost his birth mother due to a drug addiction and then had lost his adoptive mother due to cancer. Rita’s compassion for helping others goes beyond measure. She has become the heart of their volunteer program, visiting JAFCO every week.
She expands, “I hold the babies in the shelter, help with administrative tasks, but, most important, I get to know the children and the staff. My life has become more fulfilling since I met Sarah Franco, the executive director of JAFCO. She heard I wanted to volunteer with children, and after I took a tour of the facility, I knew I found something significant for me.”
JAFCO is near and dear to Rita, and spending time with the children is something she is most accustomed to. She fondly remembers spending time with a close friend whose daughter had cerebral palsy. She would help her friend while she worked and developed a strong connection with the child even though she didn’t speak. It was an influential moment in Rita’s life and one she is most proud of.
Since her involvement with JAFCO, Rita has created The Rita Carole Messner Endowment Fund in loving memory of her parents, Rose and William Messner, benefiting the Ability Center Summer Camp. She adds “Summer camp is a treasured childhood memory that my parents gave me.”
In addition, Rita funded the Rita Carole Messner Serenity Elevator, located at the JAFCO Children’s Ability Center, to show her love and support for the parents of children with developmental disabilities. Her Serenity Elevator takes parents to the center’s second floor, a private, quiet, and serene space reserved only for parents—allowing them to relax or connect with other parents. At the same time, their children enjoy the fun activities or have therapy on the first floor. And lastly, she funded the Rita Messner Britto Boomfish Sculpture and the Rita Carole Messner Guest House Screened Patio. And, most recently, she funded the brand new lounge at Illuminate in the new Grand Ballroom at the Ability Center.
Outside of her tremendous efforts with JAFCO, Rita became a Legacy Society member of the Jewish Federation of Broward County enabling her to become eligible for the Chai Care program, thanks to Kenneth Arnold, her financial advisor, who recommended the opportunity. The Chai Care program helps our donors on an individual basis depending on their needs through initial and ongoing assessment and monitoring, planning and problem-solving, education and advocacy, and caregiver coaching and support.
Rita is grateful for this program and exclaims, “You don’t wait, do it. Chai Care is a protection for me and my future and assures me that someone will be there for me in a time of need.” For those interested in giving back to the Jewish community, Rita elaborates, “It is essential to give as much money as you can afford to help others besides giving your time to volunteer.”
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