Technology company that benefits senior citizens partners with Holocaust survivor nonprofit to provide medical alert systems to deserving recipients
Rockville, MD (July 11, 2018) — BlueStar SeniorTech announced today that it has formed a partnership with The Blue Card, the only organization in the United States with the sole mission of providing ongoing support, medical care, rent subsidies, food and other basic needs to Holocaust survivors who are living at or below the poverty level.
BlueStar SeniorTech provides aging-in-place technologies to help seniors stay safe, healthy and connected inside of their homes, connecting them to their loved ones and friends.
As part of its work supporting Holocaust survivors in need, The Blue Card funds medical alert services for needy seniors across the country. BlueStar SeniorTech, a veteran-owned-and-operated company, will provide The Blue Card recipients with personal emergency medical response units.
Since its inception more than 80 years ago, The Blue Card has provided direct financial resources to improve the daily lives of those who escaped Nazi persecution, leading to a more secure future. Today, more than seven decades after the war, many Holocaust survivors living in the United States find themselves below the poverty level, with the majority trying to get by on less than $23,000 a year.
“The Blue Card is proud to be partnering with BlueStar SeniorTech to provide our recipients with personal emergency response systems,” said The Blue Card Executive Director Masha Pearl. “Our guiding mission is to ensure that Holocaust survivors have the means and resources to live their remaining years in dignity. Emergency medical response systems are part of an essential set of services that help these seniors age safely inside of their homes.”
The Blue Card name derives from the original blue paper cards that were issued to the Jewish donors who worked to raise funds for individuals who had lost their jobs. Each time a donation was made, a stamp was put on the card to keep a record.
“BlueStar SeniorTech is honored to be in partnership with The Blue Card,” said BlueStar SeniorTech CEO retired Rear Admiral Robert O. Wray Jr. “Holocaust survivors faced unconscionable horrors and devastation in their lives; The Blue Card is truly a godsend. Every survivor is a reminder of our Greatest Generation – one of bravery, selfless sacrifice, and humility. Like my father, I wore our nation’s uniform for over thirty years to protect and defend our homeland and to ensure the world never again experiences another global atrocity like the Holocaust,” Wray said.
Founded in 2013, BlueStar SeniorTech’s mission is to help aging seniors and veterans – and their family members – safely age in place within the comfort of their homes. Due to strong demand, the company began offering its medical alert systems and its other products to non-veterans in 2015. The company offers a combination of aging-in-place technology products and services to help American seniors stay safe, healthy, and connected. BlueStar is veteran-owned, and it is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). BlueStar is committed to hiring veterans, including disabled and wounded service members, and it donates a percentage of its revenue to veteran causes.
The mission of The Blue Card is to provide direct financial assistance – with the utmost respect and ever mindful of their dignity – to needy Holocaust survivors in the United States. Financial assistance is available monthly for basic needs as well as for emergencies – such as medical and dental care, special equipment, rent and utility shut-offs, along with many other programs. For more information or to donate, please visit www.BlueCardFund.org.
Founded in Germany in 1934 and reestablished in the United States in 1939, The Blue Card has distributed nearly $35 million to Holocaust survivors to date, with 100 percent of annual contributions made by individuals going directly to survivors. The Blue Card is Better Business Bureau (BBB) certified and was named as one of the best Jewish charities by Federal Times.
