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WJCS 2024 Gala: A Resounding Success!

2024-04-18T15:46:28-04:00April 17th, 2024|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , |

(From left) Seth Diamond, CEO; Meira Fleisch, Honoree; Stephanie Marquesano, Honoree; Lauren Candela-Katz, Chief Advancement Officer; Shannon Van Loon, Chief Program Officer Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) held a hugely successful Gala at Brae Burn Country Club on Tuesday April 16th with hundreds of Westchester community and business leaders, government officials, and Westchester residents, all passionate advocates for helping those in need in Westchester County. The event honorees were Meira Fleisch of Larchmont, a child and family advocate and longtime WJCS Board member who was an Early Learning Specialist in the WJCS ParentChild+ program for many years, and Stephanie ...

WJCS Susan Lewen Staff Excellence Fund Award Recipients

2024-02-01T11:55:26-05:00January 11th, 2024|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

We are excited to announce the first recipients of awards from The Susan Lewen Staff Excellence Fund! This fund was established in 2023 to honor the profound contributions and spirit of excellence of Susan Lewen who served as WJCS’ Chief Development Officer from 2013-2023. This fund is intended to enable activities, programs, and services to acknowledge staff who follow in Susan Lewen’s footsteps in being exceptional at their job and in their commitment to the mission of WJCS. Four WJCS staff members are selected annually as recipients of this award based on three criteria; exceptional skills & productivity, team ...

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month

2023-12-20T12:24:40-05:00November 5th, 2023|Categories: Center Lane for LGBTQ+ Youth, Feature, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

On October 14, 2023, a rainy cold Westchester Saturday, in a series of rainy Saturdays, youth from all over Westchester attended WJCS’s Center Lane Youth Pride event, celebrating LGTQIA+ History Month, hosted at Westchester Jewish Community Service (WJCS) headquarters in North White Plains. WJCS Center Lane is the first and still is the only center in Westchester County for LGBTQIA+ youth. The event was originally scheduled to take place outdoors, but the weather brought everyone inside, where two levels of the building were utilized and full of the bright good cheer of the day’s participants. Upstairs, Center Lane staff ...

Response to Trauma in the Face of Attacks Against Israel

2023-10-20T15:49:19-04:00October 20th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Trauma has been described as an overwhelming physiological response in which an individual experiences a loss of control, vulnerability, and immobilization. This week, 75 WJCS employees and board members came together online to share and process their sadness, grief, and anxiety about Hamas attacks against Israel, including the kidnapping of over 200 people. In gathering together as a community and in hope, members of our WJCS staff focused on what experts say about responses to trauma and opened up about their own reactions to recent horrific news reports. We are sharing these insights in the hope that they may help ...

Meaningful Friendships that Promote Mental Wellness

2023-10-19T13:41:06-04:00October 14th, 2023|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , |

This year the WJCS Compeer program, a supportive friendship program in which each volunteer is matched with an individual recovering from mental illness, celebrates its 50th anniversary. By facilitating friendships, Compeer helps mental health clients feel less isolated and more integrated into their communities. Compeer started as a small program in upstate New York and has grown into an international organization with over 40 chapters. Compeer volunteers commit to spending time with a mental health client for a year or more. Research has shown that most Compeer clients see improvements in multiple areas of their lives as a result ...

How WJCS Nurse Practitioners Make an Impact

2023-11-15T12:25:26-05:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

This week, November 12-18, is National Nurse Practitioners Week. Thank you to the incredible contributions of our exceptional nurse practitioners at WJCS. Your hard work, compassion, and dedication to improving the mental health of the clients we serve is truly commendable. Your commitment and skill is appreciated. We are grateful to have such a talented and caring team. At WJCS, our team of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) support both the mental and physical health of our clients. LPNs in each of our clinics meet with all new admissions for Health Monitoring Visits. During these visits LPNs check vital signs, ...

Just Published: Our WJCS Impact Report!

2023-07-26T15:03:56-04:00July 13th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|

2022 IMPACT REPORT We Transform Lives Together. We are thrilled to share with you our WJCS 2022 Impact Report. With the wonderful skills and dedication of our WJCS staff and the support of our donors, we transform lives together. Please look through our Impact Report so you can see the enormous range of programs and services we offer Westchester residents who are struggling with significant life challenges. Please know that we could not provide the care and support Westchester residents need without the help of our generous donors, and foundations, and government grants that support our work. ...

WJCS Hosts 3rd Annual Holocaust Survivor Day Luncheon

2023-09-12T15:27:50-04:00July 13th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Photo at left, from left: Gillian Rittmaster, Assistant Executive Director of WJCS Jewish Programs, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, and Allison Danzig, Coordinator of WJCS Holocaust Support Services. Photo at right: Holocaust survivors and their relatives and caregivers joined hands in celebrating being together. WJCS celebrated the 3rd Annual Holocaust Survivor Day by hosting a festive luncheon on Wednesday July 12th at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale. Eighty people, which included 50 survivors and their support network of family and caregivers, attended the gathering. New York State Shelley B. Mayor choked up with emotion as she spoke to ...

WJCS Awarded Westchester Community Foundation Grant for Gender Affirmation Programming

2023-10-31T11:05:37-04:00June 29th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , |

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is pleased to announce that its Center Lane for LGBTQIA+ youth program has been awarded a two-year grant of $50,000 by the HVCS Legacy Fund in Westchester Community Foundation. These funds will enable the continued development of WJCS Center Lane’s Gender Euphoria programming, a series of community-building events and activities focused on helping our transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth affirm their identities while also having fun. Intended to reflect the joy, happiness, and enhanced quality of life a person experiences upon embracing their true gender identity, Center Lane’s Gender Euphoria aims to provide “gender ...

WJCS Chief Psychologist & Director, Liane Nelson, Ph.D., Presents at NatCon23

2023-06-08T13:51:17-04:00June 8th, 2023|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

WJCS Chief Psychologist & Director Presents at National Conference About Importance of Trauma-Informed Supervision to Respond to the Collective Traumas of COVID-19 and Racism   The National Council for Behavioral Health Conference, typically referred to as NatCon, is the largest mental health and substance use conference in the world. Dr. Liane Nelson, Ph.D, Chief Psychologist at Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) and Director of the WJCS Trager Lemp Center for Treating Trauma and Promoting Resilience, and Reverend Daphne Swinton, LMHC, MPA, gave a presentation on Implementing Trauma-Informed Supervision to Respond to the Collective Trauma of COVID-19 and Racism at ...

10 Tips for Mental Wellness and Self-Care

2023-11-21T15:52:03-05:00May 16th, 2023|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As an agency serving the mental health and wellness needs of individual across the lifespan, WJCS is focusing not just on the mental health of our clients, but also our team members. In order to guard against burnout and vicarious trauma while boosting connections, stress-reduction, self-care, and community spirit, WJCS is hosting Employee Mental Health & Wellness activities such as gardening, fun & games in the sun, and a workshop on stress reduction & relaxation techniques. We’re also reminding our employees of our Employee Assistance Program and sharing 10 tips for Self-Care and Mental Wellness. We’re sharing those tips with ...

WJCS Spring 2023 Highlights

2023-05-09T14:58:20-04:00May 9th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Volunteer Spotlight: Earle Marsh

2023-06-13T13:59:13-04:00April 21st, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , |

Earle Marsh had a flourishing career, working at some of the biggest names in media, including the A.C Nielson Company, NBC, CBS and Showtime. He even wrote an award-winning book that received the American Book Award in 1980: The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-present. It was released in nine editions from 1979 to 2007. When he left Showtime in 1984 Earle bought his first computer and found a new field of fascination and interest. He learned enough, completely self-taught, to run the IT (Information Technology) operation for a law firm in Manhattan from 1991 ...

WJCS Early Childhood Programs Celebrates El Dia de los Ninos

2023-05-04T11:52:36-04:00March 17th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Every April WJCS Early Childhood Programs celebrate the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child. The NAEYC established this event in 1971 to recognize that early childhood years lay the foundation for children’s success in school and in life. We have now expanded the celebration to include El Dia de los Ninos, Children’s Day. Children in many Latin American countries go to school on April 30th and spend the day celebrating with pinatas, and other treats. WJCS will not offer candy at our celebrations, but we will have snacks, crowns, and books ...

WJCS and Y-COP Partner in Mount Vernon

2023-03-13T14:48:00-04:00March 13th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) and the Youth Community Outreach Program (Y-COP) announced their partnership to provide mental health support, case and referral management, and programming for social-emotional development for children, from kindergarten through high school, in Y-COP’s after-school programs. WJCS is the county’s largest provider of outpatient mental health services and Y-COP is a leading provider of youth-focused programs to the Mount Vernon community. Among the programs Y-COP administers are an after-school program, basketball and soccer programs, a girls’ empowerment group, and summer camp. Under the partnership, WJCS will provide staff onsite at Y-COP’s programs. The onsite staff ...

Advice from LGBTQ+ Teens to Other LBGTQ+ Teens

2023-03-10T14:15:18-05:00March 9th, 2023|Categories: Center Lane for LGBTQ+ Youth, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , |

The advice below came from real, LGBTQ+ teens in the local Westchester community. The people interviewed range from ages 13 to 18 and represent a wide array of identities. The advice is organized by topic, with each piece of advice followed by the teen’s age and pronouns. They are identified below by their ages and pronouns, but some of the identities featured also include: bisexual, lesbian, nonbinary, trans, queer, gay, and more! Coming Out/Discovering Yourself: Take your time to figure things out. You don’t owe it to anyone to have a solid label or explanation at any point in ...

Dean Howell Joins WJCS Board

2023-03-08T13:36:32-05:00February 12th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , |

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), one of the largest human service agencies in Westchester county, is proud to announce that Dean Howell, Managing Director at Deloitte, has joined its Board of Directors. Mr. Howell has worked at Deloitte since 2016 and focuses on helping Higher Education and Government clients transform in a digital, cloud-enabled world. Previously, Mr. Howell worked at IBM, AT&T, and Oracle in a variety of technical solution engineering roles. He has worked with Westchester and NYC high school students, mentoring and inspiring their interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) while promoting the importance of higher education ...

WJCS Celebrates 80 Years of Health & Hope

2023-01-12T10:38:57-05:00January 12th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|

WJCS is celebrating its 80th anniversary! In 1943, Westchester Jewish Community Services was founded with the goal of serving a small number of struggling Jewish families. Over the past eight decades, WJCS has grown to become the safety net for people of all ages and backgrounds in Westchester county. Our not-for-profit human service agency now serves 20,000 Westchester residents and provides over 80 programs and hundreds of services related to mental health, trauma, children, youth, and families, senior care, LGBTQ+ youth and their families, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Holocaust survivors, bereavement, health and healing, and so much ...

Please join us at our 2023 WJCS Gala!

2023-04-03T12:40:38-04:00January 13th, 2023|Categories: Gala, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Our 2023 WJCS Gala will take place Tuesday, March 28th, from 6:30-9 pm at the Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY. We are thrilled to honor WJCS Board Members Michele Brettschneider and William Shirley, two remarkable individuals whose commitment to improving the lives of people struggling in Westchester is exemplary. Our 2023 Gala will feature our renowned Give for Good Auction and celebrate WJCS’s 80th Anniversary! It is because of our generous donors, supportive government officials, and dedicated staff and volunteers that WJCS has grown from a tiny agency in 1943 to a human service organization that serves ...

WJCS Staff Recognition Awards

2023-03-07T15:42:27-05:00August 6th, 2022|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , |

Congratulations to the recipients of our most recent WJCS Staff Recognition Awards! Allison Danzig, Coordinator of WJCS Holocaust Survivor Programs, is a tireless advocate and champion for all the participants in her program, which serves over 160 Holocaust Survivors in Westchester county. Emily Fink, Program Specialist for the WJCS POINT program, brings warmth, creativity and skill to her work, thereby enhancing the lives of members of our POINT community. Sarah Fisher, Clinical Coordinator/Director of the Mobile Crisis Response Team, has exercised superb leadership as she developed this new program, trained her team, and offers guidance and encouragement to support ...

Volunteer Spotlight: Steve Cohn

2022-12-05T17:09:35-05:00December 5th, 2022|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: , |

WJCS is privileged to have over 250 active volunteers. Here, Steve Cohn, shares his experience as a WJCS volunteer. "When I ended my 30-year career as Editor-in-Chief of Media Industry Newsletter in July 2016, I answered a "request for volunteers" post on the White Plains Library's website. After going through a background check (made me feel like a VIP), I worked on event information on library flyers. In March 2020, with the onset of COVID-19, the library shut everything down. (The reopened library now posts announcements online-only, with the writing done in-house.) That initial experience put me on a volunteering ...

We’re Expanding Our Parent-Child Programs!

2022-11-16T13:20:46-05:00November 2nd, 2022|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal|Tags: , , , , |

“Play is the work of the child.”—Maria Montessori Westchester Jewish. Community Services (WJCS) is thrilled to announce the expansion of early childhood programming to Tarrytown and Yonkers. Both initiatives are mode possible through generous support for the Westchester Community Foundation. The WJCS Tarrytown Parent Child Center will be a free early learning program for parents and their young children (newborn–4 years old). The program serves families in need, many of them Spanish speaking recent immigrants, and is focused on giving parents the confidence and competence to support their children’s early learning and literacy through joyful play, singing, reading, as ...

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