Volunteer Spotlight: Earle Marsh
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
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
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
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 ...
WJCS Celebrates 80 Years of Health & Hope
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 ...
What a Year 2022 Has Been!
subscribe to our e-newsletter
Please join us at our 2023 WJCS Gala!
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
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
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!
“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 ...
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Relationship violence affects millions of people, both children and adults, and can leave long-lasting physical, emotional, and psychological scars. WJCS is proud to partner with the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation in our Margaret's Place program, which provides safe spaces within Westchester public schools where middle school and high school students can share their experience with relationship violence, get counseling, and find hope and healing. Margaret Place educates youth and school communities about violence prevention and engages peer leaders in public awareness programs. While most people recognize how dangerous domestic violence is, both ...
Words Have Power: Stand Up, Speak Out, and Make Change
At our Margaret’s Place-Joe Torre Safe At Home program, WJCS created, with the help of our youth Peer Leaders, a special campaign in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to spread the messages that our words have the power to support survivors of domestic violence, ask important questions, and reach out for help. WJCS Margaret’s Place is situated in White Plains High School, Peekskill Middle School, and Cross Hill Academy in Yonkers. It encourages education and conversation about healthy relationships as well as trauma, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Domestic Violence (DV), and counseling for trauma and DV-exposed youth. Cross Hill Academy ...
WJCS Hosts a Holocaust Survivor Sukkot Luncheon
On Wednesday October 12th, WJCS hosted about 70 Holocaust Survivors at a beautiful Sukkot luncheon at Westchester Reform Temple to celebrate the festive holiday. The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is known as a festival of joy, and joy is the perfect word to describe the mood and feelings experienced by our attendees. Guests were thrilled to gather in the beautiful sukkah—a temporary hut covered with branches that represents the divine protection the children of Israel received as they traveled in the desert for 40 years after leaving Egypt. The Survivors, who often feel socially isolated due to their advanced ...
WJCS Hosts A Second Annual Holocaust Survivor Day Luncheon
Dozens of Holocaust Survivors gathered on Wednesday, July 13th for the second annual Holocaust Survivors Day Luncheon, hosted by Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS). The joyous and meaningful event, held under a tent on the grounds of the Young Israel of White Plains, was a tribute to the hope, strength, and resilience of the survivors and the courage and determination with which they build constructive lives and families after experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. Allison Danzig, Coordinator of Holocaust Services at WJCS, welcomed everyone to the event and shared ...
WJCS is hiring!
WJCS helps transform lives every day. Our 80+ programs provide Westchester county residents of all ages and backgrounds with mental health counseling, trauma treatment, vocational and recreational activities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, care management for seniors, support for LGBTQ+ youth, and so much more. We have many positions available. If you or someone you know wants to use their knowledge and skills to make a valuable difference in people’s lives, WJCS is for you! The following are just a few of our job openings. Please review our comprehensive list of job opportunities at WJCS at: https://www.wjcs.com/careers/openings/ ...
Summer is in full swing at WJCS!
Our WJCS programs and staff are having a great start to the summer! Here are some highlights. Opening day of our Summer Fun in Hartley Park program in Mount Vernon was filled with smiling faces of children and parents who are eager to engage in fun, entertaining, and educational activities. Deloitte volunteers dedicated their Impact Day to making care packages filled with family summer activities for children in WJCS programs and did some spring cleaning at the WJCS ParentChild+ Summer Fun in Hartley Park program in Mount Vernon. WJCS launched a Mobile Crisis Response Team in partnership ...
988: New Suicide & Crisis Hotline
On July 16th, a new Suicide and Crisis Hotline is being launched. By dialing or texting 988, people who are experiencing emotional distress, substance use issues, or suicidal thoughts will be connected to an expanded network of mental health professionals. Employees and volunteers staffing the 24-hour hotline will be counselors trained in a wide range of mental health issues, including self-harm, addiction, and suicidal ideation. This New York Times article provides details about this new hotline which is aimed at addressing the mental health crisis in our country. Learn about Mental Health services provided by WJCS. ...
Bruce M. Freyer Named President of the WJCS Board of Directors
We are thrilled to announce that Bruce M. Freyer has been elected President of the WJCS Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2022. Freyer became involved with WJCS in 1997 and has held a variety of Board positions, including Chair of the Development Committee, Chair of the Jewish Programs committee, and Member of the Audit, Budget and Finance, Children and Youth Services, Government Relations, Investment, Managed Care, and Nominating Committees. “Bruce has been invaluable in furthering the mission of WJCS in countless ways,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “He has been integral in developing strategic initiatives, a passionate and ...
World Mental Health Report
The World Health Organization (WHO) just released its world mental health report, drawing on evidence from countries across the globe. Its findings highlight the devastating effects the pandemic has had, with skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety, conditions that even pre-pandemic were at epidemic levels. The world report aims to inspire and inform change Here are some of the key points emphasized: We need to intensify our collaborative effort to integrate mental health and primary health care. Mental health is critically important for everyone, everywhere. Mental health needs are high but responses are insufficient and inadequate. A commitment to ...
Watch our video: Top 10 Reasons We Appreciate Our Staff
Our Annual Meeting is always an opportunity to celebrate WJCS employees & the remarkable work they do to help 20,000+ Westchester clients each year. Watch this video for 10 reasons why we appreciate our WJCS staff!
The Many Faces of WJCS Staff
Celebrating at our Annual WJCS Picnic after a two year hiatus due to COVID was a special treat. Thank you who all who attended and brought your smiling faces!
Our 2022 WJCS Staff Award Winners!
Batkin Award Presented to Rosemarie Stewart, Residence Manager, Claremont House Rosemarie Stewart has been Residence Manager of Claremont House since its inception in 2010. Her dedication to the individuals living at the house, staff, and WJCS has always been apparent and appreciated, especially at the beginning of the COVID epidemic when she worked around the clock to fill in for shifts when her staff and individuals became ill. Rosemarie has respectful and caring relationships with the individuals living in the house and their families, and provides her staff with the support they need to do their challenging jobs. Rosemarie ...
A Note from Our CEO Seth Diamond
Sadness. Horror. In Texas. In Buffalo. In Too Many Places Horrific. This can’t be happening again. Unbelievable. But tragically all too believable. Incredible sadness for the world we are in and the one are children are aging into. Concern for everyone in our lives the moment they leave our side. I am sure we all had our own range of emotions after hearing the awful news from Texas on Tuesday. These were some of mine. Less than two weeks after a horrific shooting in Buffalo, here we are again. Children, in their last week of school, ready for the ...