Honoring Marion Morgenthal
Co-Founder of POINT
Marion Morgenthal is the mother of two sons, one of whom has significant learning disabilities. In managing his education, Marion and her husband, Lance Lynford, navigated various special education programs, a boarding school for neurodiverse students, and a vocation-focused post-secondary program. It was when they were facing the end of formal education that Marion, Lance, and families they had met along the journey realized there were no existing communities that served the needs of their children, who did not require group homes, but did require some support to live independently.
Marion served as founding chair of the group of families that created POINT (Pursuing Our INdependence Together), an independent living community for young adults with developmental disabilities in White Plains, NY. In 18 years, the community has grown from 15 participants to near 60, all of whom live, unsupervised, in their own apartments in a dozen apartment buildings, with support from two non-sectarian human services agencies—Westchester Jewish Community Services and JCCA. After a nine-year hiatus, Marion returned to co-chair the parent group for the community from 2019–2021 and began a third stint in 2024.
Marion is an accomplished Executive Leadership / Career Coach and facilitator, with experience ranging from C-suite to mid-level employees at career inflection points. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies including JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and IBM.
Marion was an Adjunct Associate Professor in the undergraduate and MBA programs at NYU Stern School of Business, where she designed and taught several courses in the Information Systems department for more than 20 years. She began her career as a high school Biology teacher, where she honed many of her facilitation and coaching skills.
Marion holds a BS from Cornell University, an MS from Hunter College, and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. Marion and Lance live in Brooklyn, NY (where they moved before it became hip).
Recognizing Joe Torre Safe at Home
For their partnership with WJCS Margaret’s Place program
The award will be accepted by a representative of Safe At Home
Joe Torre, together with his wife Ali, started Safe At Home in 2002 to help end the cycle of domestic violence and abuse through education, aiming to create a world where every young person feels safe, supported, and empowered. Joe is known the world over for his 60-year baseball career and as a nine-time All-Star, Hall of Famer, Broadcaster, Executive, and Manager of the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees, and Dodgers. Yet, despite his unparalleled success, he carried a heavy and secret burden—the childhood wounds of domestic violence. As Joe and his family came to terms with his experience, he and Ali wanted to ensure that no child grew up as he did: feeling alone, afraid, and ashamed.
Safe At Home focuses on early, school-based intervention and prevention so that young people can not only recognize unhealthy behavior, access support, and build healthy relationships, but serve as leaders in disrupting the generational cycle of abuse. Through the groundbreaking Margaret’s Place program, Safe At Home creates safe spaces in schools which offer both trauma-informed intervention and prevention services promoting empowerment, education, and understanding. Today, Safe at Home operates 30 Margaret’s Place sites in schools throughout New York, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Tahiti, reaching 58,000 young people, family members, caregivers, and educators a year. Safe At Home is extremely proud of our 10+ year partnership with Westchester Jewish Community Services in operating the Margaret’s Place programs at Peekskill Middle School, White Plains High School, and Cross Hill Academy.
In addition to our school-based work, Safe At Home equips parents, caregivers, and educators with resources that extend learning and healing into communities, and partners with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and Little League Baseball to share life-changing messages of education, prevention, and support with families nationwide.
Young Leadership Award presented to Yael Friedland
WJCS Share Shabbat Founder
Yael Friedland is a dedicated community leader whose work centers on service, connection, and strengthening the fabric of Jewish life. Yael founded and leads Share Shabbat, a WJCS program that connects volunteers with Holocaust survivors to deliver monthly Shabbat meals, share stories, and build lasting relationships. She also organizes holiday meal deliveries for survivors across Westchester, ensuring that they feel supported, remembered, and valued. At her synagogue, Bet Torah, Yael serves as a board member and Gala Chair and leads initiatives that strengthen community life, including organizing the distribution of baby bags for new families through the Caring Committee. Yael is the Lower School Vice President of the Parent Teacher Organization at The Leffell School, where she creates meaningful opportunities for families to connect and engage. In this role, she organizes Parents’ Nights Out, school spirit wear, community building events, and works closely with faculty and parent leaders to cultivate a warm, inclusive school environment. She also serves on the Swag Committee and the Outreach Committee, further enhancing school spirit and community engagement.
Yael also serves on the board of the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC in Cedarhurst, where her late father, Mark Ramer z”l, was a devoted leader. In his memory, she continues his legacy of chessed by helping to coordinate impactful programs, including holiday meal distributions for Holocaust survivors and Chanukah gatherings for single-parent families. She is also actively involved in the broader community, where she runs the Family Activities Tent at the annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show, creating engaging experiences for hundreds of local families.
Through these efforts, Yael remains committed to strengthening community, inspiring volunteerism, and bringing compassion into action. She lives in Armonk with her husband, Adam, and three children, Jack, Teddy, and Sophie, and their Morkie, Harley.
