FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YACHAD, PREMIER JEWISH ORGANIZATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, PLANS TO RAISE $1 MILLION WITHIN 24 HOURS ON DECEMBER 20TH
NEW YORK, NY – Yachad, the Orthodox Union’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities, announces its first online crowd-funding campaign through Charidy.
At 1pm on December 20, Yachad will kick off its 24-hour campaign with a goal of $1 million. All donations will have four times the impact, Yachad staff confirmed, thanks to matching donations committed by generous benefactors.
“We are excited to partner with Charidy, the premiere crowdfunding source, for the Jewish world to help us reach the broader community,” said Ken Saibel, Associate Director of Yachad. “Our goal is to further spread the word about all of the meaningful programs Yachad has to offer. Through this effective vehicle, we hope to garner additional support in order to provide additional services to all of our constituents.”
Since its establishment in 1983, Yachad has been a leader in the disability community, dedicated to addressing the needs of all Jewish individuals with and without disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in all aspects of Jewish communal life. Touching thousands of Jews with disabilities every year, through inclusion opportunities such as Shabbatons (weekend retreats) and summer programs, to vocational education and placement, Yachad’s staff educates and advocates for greater understanding, acceptance, outreach and a pro-disability attitude.
Jeff Lehman, a parent of a Yachad child in the New England chapter, encouraged the wider Jewish community to participate: “Those who donate to Yachad and don’t happen to have somebody in the family who is a participant: To me, those are more special people than those of us who are parents. Because those are people who can relate to others and see some of the benefits of Yachad without experiencing them directly.”
Yachad locations participating in the crowd-funding campaign on Tuesday include the New York metro area, North Jersey, New England (Boston, Rhode Island and Connecticut), Chicago, Los Angeles and South Florida.
“Yachad is life,” said Pamela Shulman, a parent of a Yachad child. “It took an empty shell of a child and brought her to life.”
For more information, contact Becca Zebovitz at zebovitzb@ou.org / 212-613-8156.
Learn more about Yachad at https://www.yachad.org/.