Newton Family Receives Service Award From 2Life Communities

NEWTON, MA — A Newton family received a service award from 2Life Communities, a Brighton-based community living organization for seniors, at their annual gala at Temple Emanuel Newton on June 16.

Debra and Gerry Bickoff, who own Commercial Cleaning Service in Allston, and their daughter and son-in-law Alyssa and Daniel Elfman, received the L’Dor VaDor Award, meaning “from generation to generation,” for their work to keep senior residents and 2Life staff safe during the pandemic.

“I don’t think anyone expected Covid to become what it became, but [my dad] thought right away, ‘We need to protect our staff and make sure they are safe and not spreading it to each other,” Alyssa Elfman said. “So at the beginning of March, everyone in our company started wearing masks and taking daily temperatures.”

As the pandemic worsened, Elfman said her family remained in contact with 2life staff and discussed how to keep residents safe, including adding electrostatic spraying in their communities and providing information on the proper way to wash hands and wear and dispose of masks

“There were so many places in Massachusetts that were having a really hard time with that, but 2Life Communities really stepped up to the plate from the very first day and did a ton of research on ways to keep people safe."

According to their 2020 Annual Report, 2Life Communities had a 4.6 percent infection rate during the first year of the pandemic compared to the 8.3 percent infection rate statewide. In addition, the organization had a mortality rate of less than one percent.

“Covid gave a nice opportunity to evolve from just a vendor for our clients to a partner, because a lot of people weren’t sure what needed to be done,” Daniel Elfman said. “We were able to leverage our industry-specific trainings to help guide them."

2Life’s 2022 gala also featured poetry from 2Life residents and Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow Alexis Ivy. In addition, attendees participated in an auction to raise money for activities and healthy meals for 2life residents.

With locations in Brighton, Newton, Brookline, Framingham, and Shirley, 2Life Communities serves over 1,500 residents in the Greater Boston area. For more information or to donate, click here.