Volunteer Spotlight: Ilene Cohen

Throughout the month of June, Ilene Cohen will be tying up loose ends and training staff members about the JMM’s Volunteer Program and her role as Volunteer Coordinator, a role that Ilene established over 12 years ago.   Ilene came to the JMM because she loves museums – she had been a docent at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond and she wondered about volunteer opportunities after moving to Baltimore.  Ilene met with Deborah Cardin and former assistant director, Anita Kassof; she was recruited as Volunteer Coordinator.  She remembers signing in for the first time on February 7, 2004 and since then Ilene has led the JMM in her position as Volunteer Coordinator.  Her duties include volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention, scheduling, interviews, meetings and deciding the “best fit” for each volunteer throughout the various departments in the museum.  Ilene sits at her desk in the education/programs wing, two afternoons a week.  The JMM is so grateful to Ilene for her years of dedication and love for our volunteers and the JMM.

The marvelous and miraculous Ilene!
The marvelous and miraculous Ilene!

Over the past few years, Ilene has been a monthly contributor to the JMM’s blog, highlighting the JMM’s incredible volunteers in her Volunteer Spotlight.  I love this monthly piece because I learn more about our volunteers, their lives outside of the JMM, and the reasons that brought them to the JMM as a volunteer.   I asked to write this month’s Volunteer Spotlight, especially as we celebrate our volunteers and Ilene Cohen’s retirement at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event on Sunday evening, June 5th.

Ilene Gudelsky Cohen was born in Kensington Maryland and attended Montgomery County public schools.  She attended Walter Johnson High School (the only school named for a player on the Washington Senators); and later attended the University of Southern California and received a bachelor’s degree in gerontology.

After college, Ilene moved back to the DC area where she worked as a travel agent.  She met her future husband, Neri Cohen, who was attending medical school in Baltimore on a blind date.   After a year, Ilene moved to Baltimore and this year she and Neri will celebrate 30 years of marriage.

Ilene and Neri moved to Richmond Virginia, where Neri continued his medical career. They started their family, and today they are the proud parents to Dena Cohen Blaustein, who just married on Memorial Day weekend, and Joel Cohen, who works and lives in DC.   They are empty-nesters and moved downtown after raising their children in Owings Mills.  They love living downtown so close to great restaurants and places of interest.

Ilene volunteers at the JMM, because she just loves to just hang out in museums.  She loves the JMM staff and also loves to contribute to the institution. Ilene has loved getting to know all of the volunteers and feels that the role of Volunteer Coordinator suits her perfectly- as she likes to take care of  “all the details and arrangements”.

Ilene was very excited about the possibility of working at the JMM because both of her parents grew up in Baltimore.  As we all know, living in “Smalltimore” everyone knows everyone- and Ilene has enjoyed meeting visitors and making connections to her own family’s past.  Ilene receives instant gratification in her job when she sees the volunteers fulfilled in their volunteer duties at the JMM.  She also loves working on the annual  Volunteer Appreciation Event.  Ilene knows that our organization would not be what it was without the help and support of so many generous volunteers.

Ilene feels a lot of pride in the role that she has created as JMM’s Volunteer Coordinator.  She is proud that the JMM has a dedicated person in the role, and she has enjoyed networking with other volunteer coordinators throughout the ASSOCIATED agencies through the Jewish Volunteer Coordinator Network.

After 12 years of service, Ilene will be moving on.  In her spare time, Ilene volunteers in various organizations throughout the city.

Docent at the Walters Art Museum for the past 11 years.

Reading partner at Francis Scott Key Elementary

President, Charm City Hadassah Chapter

Active in the Jewish Women’s Giving Foundation through the ASSOCIATED.

In addition to volunteering, Ilene and her family love to travel to exotic places and have travelled to places like the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Australia and Istanbul.

Ilene has been invited to be a part of the Docent Executive Committee at the Walters Art Museum where she will work with a corps of over 70 volunteers.  We know that she will do an outstanding job in her new role.

We thank Ilene Cohen for all of her dedication and love for our volunteers and the JMM over the past 12 years.  We wish her happiness and contentment in her next role. We also look forward to seeing her and Neri at future JMM events!!

Every month we highlight one of our fantastic JMM volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with the JMM, send an email to Sue Foard at sfoard@jewishmuseummd.org or call 410-732-6402 x220! You can also get more information about volunteering at the Museum here.

 

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jewish museum of maryland Volunteers

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