UJA-Federation of New York’s Scarsdale Freebirds, a new initiative launched by Stephanie Brody, Vivian Sklar and Rochelle Waldman, all of Scarsdale, held its first day mission to benefit the residents of the Jewish Board’s Jerome M. Goldsmith Center, a core partner of UJA-Federation, on Dec. 5.
The Scarsdale Freebirds, a group of vibrant and caring women who choose to devote their time and talent outside the home, spent the day brightening the living space of the Goldsmith Center, a residential treatment facility that serves emotionally vulnerable adolescent boys age 12 to 21.
Prior to the event, Brody, Sklar and Waldman met with some of the residents to find out what kind of enhancements they would like. The day of the event, nine women rolled up their sleeves and helped refresh the space by decorating the walls in the common areas of the cottage with sports decals, organizing the kitchen with new supplies, and setting up the game room with several new games – all purchased and donated by the Freebirds. The women also wrapped gifts and wrote cards for the boys to enjoy this holiday season.
The group revealed the spruced up cottage when the boys returned at the end of the school day. The boys were excited by the new look of their space and were grateful for the gifts and generosity of the group.
In addition to the Jewish Board, UJA-Federation supports a network of more than 75 core partners and hundreds of other nonprofit organizations, large and small. These nonprofits provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, independence for the elderly, jobs for the unemployed, as well as stimulating education programs for people in New York, in Israel, and in nearly 70 countries.
