Home | Tag:Nonprofit

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 Named a Community Champion

2023-11-28T14:31:04-05:00November 28th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

WJCS helps seniors throughout Westchester County to help them stay engaged in their communities and age in place safely with dignity. We are thrilled that WJCS has been recognized as a Community Champion by the Westchester Public/Private Partnership Membership Fund for Aging Services. Among the many programs and services offered by our Senior Care program, supervised by Judy Fink, LCSW, are: Care and Case Management which involves our staff assisting clients, families, and caregivers by providing them with the information and assistance they need, whether it is via phone calls, emails, or home visits. “We ensure that seniors obtain ...

Lauren Candela-Katz is appointed Chief Advancement Officer at WJCS

2023-10-19T13:38:33-04:00October 15th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

  Westchester County Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lauren Candela-Katz as Chief Advancement Officer, effective October 9th. Candela-Katz has dedicated her career to supporting organizations that are deeply invested in improving the lives of those experiencing life’s most difficult challenges. Most recently, she served as Chief Development Officer at Lifting Up Westchester, an organization that serves the homeless in Westchester County. Previously, she was the Chief Development Officer of Abbott House which serves those with intellectual and developmental needs. Candela-Katz began her career at the Jewish Federation of Stamford and spent a decade ...

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 ...

The DD Diagnoses and Community Mental Health 2023

2023-09-15T14:30:27-04:00September 15th, 2023|Categories: , |Tags: , , , , , , , |

The DD Diagnoses and Community Mental Health Dates:  10/31/23 & 11/7/23              Time: 9:00 – 10:30 Enrollment Limited to:  20                   Contact Hours:  3                    CEU’s:  3   Almost all clinicians who are in a general practice setting either in the community, or a school or hospital are finding they need skills in recognizing developmental disorders and adapting treatment strategies to meet the needs of individuals who are either on the spectrum or have cognitive challenges.  This course is designed to review the fundamental aspects of these diagnoses, including changes in the DSM 5-TR.  The course will address ...

WJCS Presents Fashion & Compassion Luncheon at Neiman Marcus at The Westchester

2023-06-12T14:41:34-04:00June 12th, 2023|Categories: Feature, Featured Homepage|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

WJCS Presents Fashion & Compassion Luncheon at Neiman Marcus at The Westchester to Raise Funds for WJCS Mary J. Blige Center Food Pantry in Yonkers Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), one of the largest human service organizations in Westchester County, hosted a “Fashion & Compassion” Luncheon at Neiman Marcus at The Westchester on May 11th. Ten percent of the sales made after the fashion show luncheon were donated by Neiman Marcus to WJCS and directed to support the food pantry at the WJCS Mary J. Blige Center, which helps under-resourced families in Yonkers. “Food insecurity has become a signficant ...

WJCS Annual 2024 Gala

2024-02-08T10:32:57-05:00May 31st, 2023|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Connect, recharge & be inspired at our annual WJCS 2024 Gala as we honor Meira Fleisch & Stephanie Marquesano. REGISTER NOW! Purchase your JOURNAL AD by Friday March 22. Become a corporate sponsor! Contact Lauren Candela-Katz, Chief Advancement Officer, at 914.761.0600 x2219; [email protected].

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 ...

Thank You to our Journal Donors!

2023-04-03T15:00:59-04:00April 3rd, 2023|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Contributing to the Gala Journal is vitally important to raising critical funds for WJCS programs. Thank you to all those who purchased ads in our 2023 Gala Journal, recognizing our remarkable honorees Michele Brettschneider and William Shirley and the work of WJCS. Watch our WJCS 2023 Gala! Please Give for Good

WJCS 80th Anniversary Gala: A Huge Success!

2023-04-20T10:25:58-04:00March 31st, 2023|Categories: Gala, Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

WJCS Gala honorees Michele Brettschneider and William Shirley (right) with CEO Seth Diamond Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) welcomed 250+ guests to their 80th Anniversary Gala on March 28th. WJCS Board members Michele Brettschneider, a Scarsdale resident, and William Shirley, a longtime Larchmont resident, were honored at the Brae Burn Country Club event. The evening was especially celebratory as WJCS, now one of the largest human services organization in Westchester, is commemorating its 80th anniversary. "We were founded in 1943 as a small organization that served a few families who were struggling in Westchester. WJCS now has over 80 programs and ...

WJCS 2022 Gala: A Huge Success!

2022-06-08T11:58:26-04:00January 3rd, 2022|Categories: Gala, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

WJCS-Westchester Jewish Community Services hosted our annual Gala on April 5th, 2022 at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, New York. Attended by more than 200 philanthropic, community, and political leaders from throughout Westchester County, the evening marked a triumphant return to in-person events after two years of virtual galas. The money raised will provide much-needed funds for our agency's 80+ programs that serve 20,000 Westchester residents every year. "It was wonderful to have so many members of our community together to celebrate this year's honorees—New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and WJCS Board President ...

What We Stand For

2022-06-08T12:03:04-04:00January 3rd, 2022|Categories: Featured Internal, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Founded in 1943, Westchester Jewish Community Services has grown to be one of the largest nonprofit human service organizations in Westchester and the largest provider of licensed outpatient community mental health services in the county. Our values guide our work—the state-of-the-art programs and services we offer with compassion to more than 20,000 people of all ages and backgrounds throughout Westchester County. WJCS is driven by the spirit of “tikkun olam”–repairing the world. By providing care and support, we work to help Westchester residents of all ages and backgrounds who are struggling to heal, develop skills, build resilience, and lead ...

Teen Mental Health First Aid

2022-02-18T15:27:16-05:00December 6th, 2021|Categories: General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The statistics are staggering. One in five teens has had a serious mental health disorder at some point in their young lives. Fifty percent of all mental illnesses begin by age 14. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-24year-olds. WJCS is proud to offer training in Teen Mental Health First Aid, a nationally certified course which teaches high school students how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders among their friends and peers. It gives students the skills to have supportive conversations with their friends and get a responsible and ...

Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

2022-02-10T16:16:29-05:00December 4th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his life to seeking equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and all victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind watershed events, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Dr. King's message is as vitally important now as it was when he lived. While we remember him on Martin Luther King Jr. Day—this year ...

Remarkable Summer Accomplishments

2021-09-10T15:02:38-04:00September 10th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As we head into fall, we'd like to look back at some of WJCS's many achievements during the summer. Despite the stresses from the pandemic, we're proud of our clients’ resilience and the dedication of our staff, as they have continued to deliver programs and services for thousands of Westchester residents who have a critical need for our help. Here are just a few of our many accomplishments this summer. Thirty-five girls from Yonkers enjoyed fun, social, and enriching activities, including a visit from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins at our Wiener Academy for Young Girls Summer Camp. WJCS ...

WJCS Appoints New Board Members

2021-07-30T19:12:38-04:00July 30th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage|Tags: , , , , , |

WJCS, one of the largest human service organizations in Westchester, is proud to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Joel Beckman, Steven Beckman, and Julian Gomez. Joel Beckman co-founded Greenbriar Equity Group, L.P. and, before that, was a Managing Director and Partner at Goldman Sachs. Now retired, he has been actively involved in numerous philanthropic causes, including UJA-Federation of New York, the University of Rochester, Yale Law School, the JCC of Budapest, Stepping Stone Day School for handicapped children, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, and the Chordoma Foundation. He lives with his wife Shari in Scarsdale ...

Preventing Summer Learning Loss

2021-07-19T16:57:02-04:00July 19th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The average student loses 17–34% of the prior year’s learning during the summer break, according to a study published in the American Educational Research Journal, We're several weeks into the summer, a perfect time to make sure that you are making the most of your children's free time. Fortunately, there is an abundance of entertaining and enriching library programs throughout Westchester which children and teens will enjoy and benefit from as well. Eastchester Public Library: Reading challenges, a coding club, trivia challenges, and a creative writing workshop are just a few of the children's and youth activities the Eastchester ...

WJCS Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

2022-07-20T11:44:59-04:00June 15th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

WJCS Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) in Peekskill and Mount Vernon Clinic provide integrative services to clients who are living with a variety of behavioral health conditions, including but not limited to serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and serious emotional disturbance. The CCBHC Services include the following: • Screening, assessment, and diagnosis, including risk assessment • Patient-centered treatment planning, including crisis planning • Comprehensive outpatient mental health and substance use services • Case management • Community-based recovery supports, including peer support, counselor services, and family supports • Crisis mental health services, including 24-hour mobile crisis team emergency ...

A Note from Our CEO Seth Diamond for 9/11

2021-09-27T16:35:26-04:00June 10th, 2021|Categories: Featured Homepage, General|Tags: , , , , , |

Twenty years ago I was heading for my job at the city's social services headquarters in lower Manhattan. A typical morning. As I got closer to the office I started to hear sirens and listening to the radio heard about a small plane having hit the World Trade Center. At that point it sounded more strange than tragic.  I got my usual spot on Pearl Street and got out of my car at 9:03. How can I be so sure of the precise time? Because at that instant I heard a huge explosion and even more memorably, felt a ...

WJCS Addresses Disparities in Digital Access

2021-08-06T13:41:43-04:00June 2nd, 2021|Categories: General|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

The inequity that individuals in financial need experience in regard to digital access became glaringly apparent once the Covid pandemic hit. Lack of access to the internet was clearly an obstacle that would have long-lasting ramifications for youth now required to log on the internet in order to learn remotely from home. WJCS could not ignore the problem. At WJCS, we are committed to ensuring that all children have the information technology needed for school participation and learning, an essential ingredient to their academic and future success.  Thanks to our partnership with the STEM Alliance and funding from the ...

Sign-up For Our Newsletter

 
WJCS Headquarters | 845 North Broadway, White Plains, New York 10603-2427 | 914-761-0600

Stay Connected

Contact us
Go to Top