When Joe Harowitz died in late 2018 at the ripe age of 98, he left behind a legion of admirers at Beth Sholom Village where the Richmond native and longtime Hampton Roads resident lived out the last years of his life.

But that wasn’t all.

When staff cleared out Joe’s room, they found four composition books filled with poems, many of which Joe himself had composed in the 1940’s, before, during and after World War II.

Joel Rubin happened to be in the social work director’s office a few weeks later when she showed him the poems, many of which were quite romantic in nature, odd it seemed for a man who never married. “Apparently Joe was a confirmed bachelor, but I learned he was still quite a ladies man in his youth, and the poetry certainly indicated that he longed for a mate,” said Joel. “His niece later told me Joe didn’t want to burden a wife with his emphysema so he stayed single for life.” Ironically, Joe Harowitz, who worked in auto parts for 25 years but never had a driver’s license, probably outlived every woman he ever met.

Joel told the staff that he was confident he could convince a reporter for The Virginian-Pilot to write a story about Joe for Valentine’s Day. The newspaper agreed, and Katherine Hafner came to Beth Sholom, interviewed the niece and staff members and published a beautiful profile, complete with excerpts of Joe’s verses….on February 14.

Timing is everything when it comes to media relations. But so is creativity and relationships, which Rubin Communications Group put to work on behalf of client Beth Sholom Village.

It was, in the words of the mayor, the worst day in the history of Virginia Beach. On May 31, a former city engineer, who resigned his post that very day, shot and killed 12 of his co-workers in a major municipal building before dying himself in a shootout with police.

The news stunned the world and prompted an outpouring of grief in the local community as well as donations to support the families. Our client, the exceptionally philanthropic TowneBank, stepped up first, agreeing to provide $500,000.

So soon after the tragedy, it was not clear exactly how to allocate it, and although there was some internal sentiment to start a separate fund, Joel Rubin advised that it should go into one the city had just established with United Way of South Hampton Roads. “It just made sense to allow the city to be the intermediary with the parents, spouses, children and siblings of those who were killed and injured,” said Joel. “In addition Towne Retail and Private Banking President Dawn Glynn is the chairman of the board of the local United Way.”

Once the decision was made, Joel drafted a release and circulated it among the local media, not just to promote Towne’s leadership but also to encourage other companies to join the effort. Within days the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund had eclipsed three million dollars. Towne asked that the first call on its donation be designated to cover funeral costs.

A few days later, a Towne branch near the site of the massacre hosted a banner where residents could sign their names and write a brief message to survivors. No amount of money or sentiment will ever fill the void felt by the families and colleagues of the slain employees in public works, utilities and other departments. We are happy, though not surprised, that TowneBank did not wait to do its part.