At 90 years old, Charlotte Holstein has fulfilled her parents’ commitment to lend a helping hand whenever and wherever they can.

Holstein’s Russian immigrant parents often used a Russian phrase,“Tzedakah,” which she said loosely translates to “charity,” but the real meaning of the term is “justice.”

“As a child, I was required to give Tzedakah, and my earliest memories of that was giving my bed (and) my favorite part of a chicken to visiting fundraisers of a Jewish educational institution,” Holstein said. “I also had to give them the pennies I saved to their fundraising efforts.”

It wasn’t until much later in her life, Holstein said, that she began to understand what her parents were teaching her and what she was supposed to be absorbing.

Now, Holstein, who will turn 91 in September, doesn’t see age as an obstacle in her leading role as founder and executive of Forging Our Community’s United Strength Greater Syracuse, or F.O.C.U.S.

Holstein, who is often called “Chuckie,” spoke about citizen engagement and the missions of F.O.C.U.S. at Dineen Hall on Wednesday. She is the second speaker for The Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics and the Media (IJPM)’s eighth annual speaker series.

F.O.C.U.S., Holstein said, is a citizen-driven organization that uses citizen creativity and citizen engagement to impact change in central New York. The organization enables citizens, organizations and the government to work together to enhance the quality of citizens’ lives and their economic futures, she said.

“A vibrant democracy needs engaged citizens who understand the rights and responsibilities of being an American,” Holstein said.

She said she thinks government should work harder on engaging more citizens in decision-making.

Holstein said F.O.C.U.S. achieves citizen engagement through six c’s: celebrator, convener, clearinghouse, capacity, communicator and catalyst.

F.O.C.U.S. members are “celebrators” because every year they name someone who has been active in the communities and works with citizens as a F.O.C.U.S. Wisdom Keeper, Holstein said.

She added that the F.O.C.U.S. members are “conveners” because they bring groups together. They are “clearinghouse” because they will often have contracts with government agencies to find out what citizens want to know about certain issues.

“We’re capacity builders,” she said. “We’re not only building capacity with people who work at the government, but those who want to learn about government.”

As “communicators”, Holstein said F.O.C.U.S. members have hosted forums every month for the past 18 years. They are “catalysts,” she said, because they took their thoughts and ideas out to the public 18 years ago when F.O.C.U.S. was originally formed.

In partnership with University College at Syracuse University, F.O.C.U.S. also offers a free, 8-week interactive course of study on how local government is organized and how services are funded and delivered, Holstein said.

Published on February 24, 2016 at 11:54 pm

Contact Siyu: sliu122@syr.edu