A Place to Call Home
Making the Choice to Support Crown Center:
Jody & Mickey Waldman
For Jody and Mickey Waldman, supporting Crown Center was an easy decision as soon as they experienced the impact firsthand.
What began with sponsoring Shabbat meals quickly evolved into a deeper commitment.
Jody’s passion for enriching the lives of older adults, paired with Mickey’s hands-on involvement and volunteer spirit, allowed their contributions to reach well beyond financial support — touching many corners of the Crown Center community.
And becoming part of that community has been a meaningful chapter in their philanthropic journey.
“When you come here and you can interact with the residents, it is remarkable,” Mickey shared.
“And what you want is what’s the best for them. And they deserve it. So if we can help out to make it a better place, I’m 100% on board.”
The couple first began their work with Crown Center when Jody joined the board in 2022.
“Working with an older population has been my calling” Jody shared. “During my career, I worked with senior adults, so it was easy for me to say yes when asked to join Crown Center’s board. And I’ve loved every moment of it.”
Jody credits her parents, Sidney and Bobbi Guller, with shaping her approach to giving.
Jody shared that she’s been involved in philanthropy in some form since she was young with Mickey echoing that sentiment — recalling how, for him, giving back started at an early age as something enjoyable.
“I started, when I was in high school, doing charitable work with a group. And we did it because it was a lot of fun. And not really realizing the effect that it would have on the organizations that we were doing work for.”
Mickey gives back for the joy of it — regularly volunteering to serve Shabbat meals at Crown Center, explaining, “it’s not just writing a check but now with a deeper understanding of the impact.”
”I’ve witnessed that everyone at Crown Center is treated with dignity and independence,” Jody emphasized. “There are social services that benefit the residents and programs that are educational and engaging.”
“Crown provides trips to cultural attractions and also bring plays and musicians into the community to make it easily accessible to the residents.” Mickey said. “It’s just a real happening place that’s doing so much good for the residents.”
Jody also praised Crown Center’s dedication to making safe, affordable housing accessible to the seniors who need it most. “I feel like there’s injustice in this world when it comes to things like housing,” she shared. “And everybody should have an opportunity like the one that Crown Center provides.”
For the Waldmans, Crown Center’s Jewish roots make their support even more personal. But it’s Crown’s diversity
that to them, makes the community even more extraordinary.
“I love that Crown Center is Jewishbased. It has Jewish values, but it’s very inclusive,” Jody explained. “I love that there are so many ethnicities here. I love the different languages that are spoken. I think they learn a lot from each other.”
The couple shared that they’re especially proud to be passing on their passion for philanthropy to their grandchildren, making their work through the Sidney and Bobbi Guller Family Foundation a family affair that spans generations.
”My parents would just be so thrilled about this,” Jody emphasized. “I really
Phase II of the Capital Campaign at a Glance
$6M philanthropic support goal
68 new affordable apartments planned for Phase II. 50%+ of the effort was committed by 7/1/25.
Mickey (left) and Jody (right) Waldman have become dedicated volunteers at enriching programs like Crown Center Shabbat dinners.
believe that they would be extremely happy about what we’re doing.”
Their support has grown to include Crown Center’s capital campaign — an expansion they believe is crucial for the future, as it will add 68 affordable apartments in a brand new building.
“For us, it was very hard not to give to the campaign. We want this to continue to grow,” Jody shared. “There’s a long waiting list for Crown Center. They definitely need more apartments, more housing for these residents. And with all that, they’ll need to increase services.”
She continued to share the importance of allowing Crown Center to thrive for years to come, adding, “I think everyone likes the idea of being proud of where they live, and this is a place that they can be proud of. If we can help make it, sustain it, and keep it that way, that’s important.”
“I want to see Crown Center grow within its new beautiful buildings and continue to be a wonderful place to live,” Jody shared, “But it’s really what happens inside these walls that is most important.”
“From the day I moved in here, it was like a new beginning. I have friends here. This community means so much to me. Crown Center is a home rather than a building. I cannot thank the supporters of Crown Center enough.”
LOIS LIBRACH Crown Resident
Campaign Chairs
Lauren & Darryl Sagel
Crown Center Board of Directors
Todd Goldenhersh
President
Andy Thorp
Executive Director
Amy Bender-Levy
Scott Bernstein
Lisa Bornstein
Emily Caine
Dan Cohen
Pamela Dern
Ava Ehrlich
Sheldon Harber
Josh Hutkins
Judy Mange
Estelle Rochman
Mark Rubin
Darryl Sagel
Erin Schuver
Michelle Schwerin
Irl Scissors
Ann Spector
Clifford Tager
Jody Waldman
Cindy Lander Wallach
AHAP Credits
Council of Life Members
Sally Altman
Les Borowsky
Jeffrey Cohen
Keith Cohen
Ted Flom
Betsy Garland
Nikki Goldstein
Randall Green
Petie Karsh
Joe Marchbein
Merle Miller (z”l)
Jeffrey Rosenblum
Steven Rosenblum
Richard Tallin
Miriam Wilhelm
To help meet our mission, qualifying donors may maximize their contributions by utilizing Missouri’s Affordable Housing Assistance Program (AHAP) credits, which offer a 55% state tax credit to eligible donors making gifts for the construction prior to April 30, 2026. Call Andy Thorp at 314-991-2055 to learn more.
Mission
8350 Delcrest Drive
St. Louis, MO 63124-2166
Phone: (314) 991-2055
www.crowncenterstl.org
Crown Center is dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality living and services to enable residents to flourish independently, creating inspiring programming to enable both residents and other community seniors to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, and honoring Jewish values and traditions.