As FriendshipWorks’ volunteer bookkeeper, Zipora “Zippy” Ostroy has taken pride in dedicating her time to vital, behind the scenes work. Zippy has been a fixture of the FriendshipWorks office. It was not uncommon for Zippy to still be at our office at 9 p.m. tracking invoices and reconciling deposits on QuickBooks, all while Broadway musicals played at full volume in the background. That’s Zippy—dedicated, joyful, and completely herself. She brought not only precision and reliability to her role, but also warmth, humor, and a can-do spirit that lifted everyone around her.
Zippy has been a key figure behind FriendshipWorks’ operations— but what’s behind Zippy?
In 2005, Zippy Ostroy moved to the Boston area with her husband to begin their retirement. They had both worked at Purdue University, and over the course of their careers, three sabbaticals drew them to Massachusetts. As they began to imagine their next chapter, Boston felt like the best fit. Early on, Zippy found that her vision of a happy retirement differed from some of her peers. “Different people have different needs,” she says. “I needed to be doing something that mattered more than myself.”
Zippy later met FriendshipWorks’ Founder Janet Seckel-Cerrotti at her local synagogue, where she was already volunteering and visiting older adults. Soon after, Zippy became a FriendshipWorks Medical Escort, and then a volunteer with the Friendly Helping program. She loved that the opportunities both fit into the rest of her life, allowing her to get to know Boston and be involved in her community.
When she stepped in to cover for a program coordinator who was sick, Zippy realized she loved working behind the scenes and eventually transitioned into the role of FriendshipWorks’ volunteer bookkeeper. She truly enjoyed coming into the FriendshipWorks office. Along with feeling a special sense of community, she has felt respected as an equal. Zippy says, “I know my work was important, and I felt such a connection to the atmosphere, the mission, my friendship with Janet, and the staff.”
In addition to FriendshipWorks, Zippy has volunteered for the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Brookline’s League of Women Voters, and she also travels the world as a courier for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Throughout her life, Zippy has sought opportunities that allow her to make a positive impact on the world while still putting her family first. She has cherished the way that her volunteering can change people’s lives without having to hinder her own. “I didn’t want something where I’d have to organize my life around it,” Zippy explains. “I wanted something that could fit into other things, and FriendshipWorks was perfect for that.”
Zippy has felt driven to help others throughout her life. Though she finds it hard to pinpoint exactly where this came from she has always thought of herself as a caring, people-oriented person. Today, Zippy continues to live by the belief that it’s never too late to make an impact on the world. In summarizing her motivation to volunteer, Zippy quotes Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
As Zippy makes her stage exit from FriendshipWorks, she leaves behind a legacy marked by dedication and an extraordinary commitment to helping others. We are deeply grateful for the countless hours, the late nights, and the unmistakable soundtrack of service and compassion that came with them.
