Dear Friends,
Another exciting NCJW year is coming to a close. We would be remiss to end the year without thanking all of you, our members, and, especially, our Board for making this a year to remember.
For the first time in many years, through the help of so many of our members, we were able to initiate a project that is uniquely ours. The creation of the Kids Community Closet (KCC) program, which provides pants, shirts, skorts, sneakers, school supplies, and personal hygiene items to underserved students in our public schools, is about to expand into a third school. The KCC project helps to level the playing field for all students, encouraging better attendance and self-esteem. Through the perseverance of the chairwomen of this project, Judy Traub and Cathy Einhorn, and their legions of assistants, we have elevated our presence in the community.
This year, too, we expanded our support of Harmony House, the domestic violence shelter run by the Y of the Greater Palm Beaches, to include a Bridge the Gap Special Assistance Program. Through our funding of this program, women exiting the shelter who are in need of drivers’ licenses, registrations, certifications, professional licenses, or even some gas for their car, have found a friend in NCJW Palm Beach Section. We provide funds often unavailable through traditional means, thus allowing the families to have all the necessary resources to move to a safer stage in their lives.
Our Guatemala/Mayan and Caridad tutoring programs continue to flourish and a new partnership with The Achievement Center of Delray Beach has begun.
Our “Healthy Kids” program has provided significant funding to the Alpert Jewish Family and Children’s Services for psychological assistance for children in distress.
Our “Support the Troops” project, chaired by Diane Gorbaty, resulted in the shipment of 82 boxes of requested items to our servicemen and women in Afganistan. We are proud to have had an active role in providing for our troops’ personal needs and showing how very much we appreciate their sacrifice.
We became an Israel Grant Partner to the Jerusalem Battered Women’s Shelter, providing significant funding to assist our sisters in Israel who need to escape the bondage of domestic violence through self-sustaining jobs and financial and emotional freedom.
With the help of many women, led by our Programming and Fundraising VP’s, Rona Goldstein, Diane Wortman, and Carol Lubin, new and exciting fundraising events brought even greater success to our Section. The “Strike Out Domestic Violence” co-ed bowling event was such fun that we’re doing it again! Our Costume World afternoon, our Literary Luncheon, our Game Day, our Military Bridge evening, and our Women’s Seder were all SOLD OUT! Our Women in Power Luncheon was an exciting, uplifting experience. For the very first time, we held a Volunteer Appreciation cocktail party.
Also, under the guidance of Judy Taub, we initiated an Advocacy Film Series, which educates everyone about current issues and allows for great discussion and lunch following the film.
Our extremely successful Annual Giving Campaign and other direct donations, coupled with the proceeds from our many fundraising efforts, have put us on solid financial ground. As a Section, we continue to stand out as proactive, financially stable, generous, and extremely altruistic.
On the administrative side, we revamped our website, bringing exciting new information and communication options to our members and friends. Check us out at www.ncjwpalmbeach.org. We created an e-bulletin, which updates our members regularly about action alerts and upcoming events, along with post-event articles.
We’re on Facebook! Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ncjwpalmbeach. We designed new tribute cards, new certificates, and a new membership brochure. We have taken our branding to a new level.
We are a dynamic, creative, generous group of women doing great things to make the world a better place. For those of you who have been a part of this year’s collaboratives, THANK YOU. For those of you who’ve missed some of our programs or events, join us next season. We’ll welcome you with open arms.
With gratitude and love,
Helene, Gail and Susan
About Us 
