On SelfHelp’s 85th Anniversary, a Look Back

On January 11, 2021, Selfhelp celebrated its 85th anniversary. 

It’s a milestone worth celebrating. When Selfhelp first took root in 1936, it was a grassroots effort — a small group of German refugees who were determined to support and protect fellow émigrés who managed to make it to New York. It was a time of unprecedented crisis; World War II was visible on the horizon and anti-Semitism smoldered across much of Europe. Fear of Nazi persecution drove Jews from their homes and families. But despite the overwhelming uncertainty they faced, many were able to find supportive communities on new shores thanks to organizations like Selfhelp, who stepped up when few others would. 

Selfhelp’s mission has long had personal significance for me, which is why it means so much to be able to celebrate the organization’s 85th anniversary. I am a daughter of Holocaust survivors; I have seen firsthand how difficult it can be to age without a well-rooted family network in place to support you. Selfhelp’s supportive services are invaluable for those who are isolated, alone, and uprooted from their family’s homes. The support, love, and care — it means the world, especially during times such as these. 

Covid-19 was a shock to all of us. No one expected a global pandemic to disrupt our lives so thoroughly, nor put the lives of our eldest and most vulnerable at risk. Selfhelp worked overtime to protect Holocaust survivors and fragile seniors from the risks of the pandemic. It provided one-month stipends for rent relief, purchased life-saving PPE for healthcare workers, and offered caretakers access to alternative forms of transportation and payments for childcare. 

In 2020 alone, Selfhelp served 5,384 Holocaust survivors, provided housing to 1,480 seniors, distributed 2,328,360 PPE items from the Benjamin Rosenthal-Prince Street Innovative Senior Center, offered 3,828 classes via its Virtual Senior Center, and saw a 100% increase in Virtual Senior Center enrollment. 

The organization further introduced the Melamid Institute for Affordable Housing, which now seeks to increase the availability of affordable senior housing. As Selfhelp organizers recently described in their 2020 retrospective, “The Institute will support the development of new housing, provide enhancements to our current buildings, ensure that that SHASAM services (Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model) continue to help our residents live independently with dignity, and advocate for investments in housing with services.”

Beyond those accomplishments, Selfhelp has also expanded its efforts to promote Holocaust education by launching several new initiatives. These include a live and virtual art exhibition of work created by survivors (Holocaust Educational Arts), as well as Cooking with Holocaust Survivors, a video series that follows survivors as they prepare recipes that recall memories of pre-war life. 

Selfhelp’s 85th anniversary marks decades of persistence through challenging times, and reminds us of what we can achieve when we come together. 

For more information on Selfhelp’s 2020 initiatives, please visit the organization’s annual report.

This article was originally published on DebrahCharatan.org

Debrah Lee Charatan On Why Fundraising for Selfhelp Gave Her Hope

“It was a silver lining in this dark time,” says Charatan.

This post was originally featured on Patch.com

Before the pandemic sparked upheaval in New York City, Debrah Lee Charatan had been looking forward to Selfhelp’s annual gala.

The event was going to be beautiful. The nonprofit had reserved space at New York City’s Pier Sixty, a glittering event venue with breathtaking views of the Hudson River, and planned for an evening of conversation, celebration, and good company. The fundraiser was going to be perfect; it had to be, given the importance of the nonprofit it supported.

For over 80 years, Selfhelp has promoted independent living by providing a range of community-based services to New York’s most vulnerable seniors. The organization currently offers home health care services, affordable housing, and a comprehensive network of community-based programs to over 20,000 clients, 4,800 of whom are Holocaust survivors. It strives to reduce hospitalization, promote community wellness, and avoid institutional care — but like many nonprofits, Selfhelp requires outside support to accomplish its mission.

This year, Debrah Lee Charatan was going to co-chair Selfhelp’s annual fundraising gala. However, she and the nonprofit’s leaders soon realized that their original vision wouldn’t be feasible.

“Once the pandemic took off in New York, we knew that an in-person event would be impossible,” Charatan recounted. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been frightening for most Americans — but for the elderly, immunocompromised, and vulnerable, it looms particularly large. Selfhelp serves the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19 so we had to think about what we needed to do to protect and support them.”

While the feasibility of the gala had dropped, Selfhelp’s need for funds remained real and pressing. The organization faced unprecedented challenges; a significant portion of its clients faced financial hardship and needed assistance with the basics — food, housing support, and medical care. Selfhelp’s 1,600 frontline home health aides and guardianship workers required PPE resources to care for those most in need of compassionate support.

“With the circumstances being what they were, we decided not to do a virtual gala,” Debrah Lee Charatan explained. “We couldn’t justify putting resources towards an event — digital or not — when so many of our clients and staff had such pressing needs.”

In the end, Selfhelp’s leadership team opted to launch a virtual fundraising campaign that riffed on its foregone gala in its name; they titled it GALA, or Giving Assistance, Leading with Action.

“At first, I was hesitant to solicit donors. There was so much uncertainty, and a lot of people were — still are — struggling financially,” Charatan admits. “But the response we received startled me; it gave me hope for our community, even in this dark time.”

In the end, Selfhelp’s GALA campaign raised over two million dollars.

The funds received are both deeply appreciated and well-applied. So far, GALA contributions have been used to provide essential relief to Holocaust survivors and other at-risk elderly, cover one-month rent stipends to ease financial burdens, purchase lifesaving PPE for Selfhelp’s healthcare heroes, and enable home care workers to take alternative forms of transportation and pay for childcare.

The GALA campaign began in early April and ended June 30th — however, Selfhelp is still raising money to help their clients and staff.

Perhaps Debrah Lee Charatan put it best when she said, “Anything that we can do, we should do. This is a time to pull together — even if we can’t show our support in person, we can show up for Selfhelp’s seniors.”

The Lincoln Center Announces A New Cohort of Emerging Artists

On November 13th, the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts officially announced the members of its Emerging Artists cohort for 2020. The annual class sources its members from the Lincoln Center’s 11 resident organizations and recognizes the incredible talent and potential that the rising stars bring to New York City’s artistic community. Over the past several decades, the Emerging Artist award has highlighted over a hundred promising artists from a broad span of disciplines. This year’s cohort includes singers, composers, dancers, musicians, and filmmakers alike — all of whom were individually nominated by the Lincoln Center’s artistic leadership. 

The soon-to-be-awardees will receive their honors and an additional $7,500 in career development prize money at a gala, which will be held at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, February 26th. Many of the recipients will perform during the celebration, and all will be present during the festivities. 

The celebration is more than a party for the Lincoln Center’s leadership. As Henry Timms, President and CEO of the Lincoln Center for the Performance Arts, commented for an article published in Broadway World, “The arts are fundamental to our world, and it is Lincoln Center’s responsibility to support the voices of diverse, fearless, and extraordinary artists.”

This year’s gala will be co-hosted by the Lincoln Center Awards’ current presenting sponsor, the Movado Group Foundation. The Foundation is the charitable arm of the eponymous American watchmaking firm. The organization provides considerable financial support to the Lincoln Center’s artistic efforts and will additionally give each award recipient a Movado watch. 

The Emerging Artist awards won’t be the only accolades delivered at the gala. Two recipients will also accept the Martin E. Segal Award, which has spotlighted two exceptionally talented rising artists every year since 1986. Another artist will receive the Hunt Family Award, which is traditionally awarded to the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts’ Emerging Artist nominee. 

The upcoming gala has two intentions — first, to recognize the accomplishments of the Lincoln Center’s artistic community, and second, to celebrate the five decades that the organization has provided support to its 11 constituent organizations. The money raised from the event will go to support the emerging artists’ future productions, support new artistic programming, and allow the Lincoln Center to host free performances on its campus. 

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the February 26th event are currently available on the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund’s website. These funding slots are available at several price points. Levels include the Friend Ticket ($1,500), the Award Underwriter ($7,500), the Supporter ($15,000), the Benefactor ($25,000), and the Gold Sponsor ($50,000). According to the Fund’s website, over 450 corporate organizations currently enjoy the benefits of sponsorship. These include but are not limited to: “use of Lincoln Center’s premiere ticketing concierge service; invitations to donor events and open rehearsals; listing in the Annual Report, website, and all Lincoln Center Playbills.” 

The gala will undoubtedly be something to look forward to — both for the celebration itself, and what it represents for New York’s artistic community. 

Below, find a full list of the 2020 Award recipients and their nominating organizations.

Lileana Blain-Cruz 

Lincoln Center Theater

Stella Chen 

The Juilliard School

Tessa Clark 

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 

Hunt Family Award

Emily D’Angelo 

The Metropolitan Opera

Ruby Lister 

School of American Ballet 

Martin E. Segal Award

Sebastian Manz 

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Riley Mulherkar 

Jazz at Lincoln Center 

Martin E. Segal Award

Akosua Adoma Owusu 

Film at Lincoln Center

Unity Phelan 

New York City Ballet

Ellen Reid 

New York Philharmonic

Jennifer Ashley Tepper 

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

This post originally appeared on Debrah Lee Charatan’s Philanthropy blog.

How the 1964 New York World’s Fair Helped Create the Lincoln Center

When the New York World’s Fair opened in 1964, its long-lasting influence would not only extend to the far reaches of the nation, but it would also leave a lasting impact on one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks: Lincoln Center. 

Although the World’s Fair was stationed in Flushing, Queens, Lincoln Center served as the official performing arts venue during the exposition’s run. Many may be surprised to learn that the arrangement itself was the impetus for creating Lincoln Center’s New York State Theater, later renamed the David H. Koch Theater in 2008. 

While Lincoln Center and the World’s Fair became an important alliance in the history of the city, the story of the center’s creation also begins with an equally important relationship.

A Valuable Partnership

The partnership between the Fair and Lincoln Center can be traced back to September 1959. 

Robert Moses, then Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Parks, suggested to John D. Rockefeller, the president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA), that the center’s campus would make a more convenient locale for some of the festival’s performances — more so than the temporary buildings at Queen’s Flushing Meadows. 

One reason to establish LCPA as a satellite site was to accommodate visitors while also offering theater-goers superior acoustics and the convenience of city nightlife. At first, Rockefeller seemed apprehensive about the proposal because Lincoln Center was only 113 days old with a campus that was still largely a field of turned dirt.

Fortunately, Rockefeller saw the mutual benefit in supporting supplemental programming for both the Fair and Lincoln Center. As a result, Reginald Allen was appointed Operations Director to oversee plans for the development project, which would eventually create Lincoln Center’s now-famous theaters that hosted the World’s Fair programming. While not completed until the late 1960s, the Metropolitan Opera House and The Juilliard School were constructed in anticipation of the event.

Funding a Future Cultural Center 

By 1960, the New York State Governor, Nelson Rockefeller, saw the advantages of constructing new performance buildings and started to seek state funding for the project. LCPA itself sought $15 million in grants, which New York state was ready to approve as long as the city matched its contribution. The investment would cover the cost of construction for the Theater for Dance, while the residual funds would be later applied to the Library Museum.

In 1961, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to provide funding for the Theater for Dance, now called the David H. Koch Theater, and by mid-April the World’s Fair Commission and the LCPA officially agreed that Lincoln Center would be the Fair’s main host for opera, symphonies, ensemble music, ballet and theater.

However, the project still had one more obstacle to overcome. During the announcement for the state legislation, General Maxwell D. Taylor, the LCPA’s president, lamented that New York City had not yet established the support to match the state’s contribution. Luckily, his hopeful speech fostered the diligence and patience needed to generate the City Council’s approval in August 1962.

A Landmark is Born

With this new funding, a cultural center was born that would help to advance New York as a theater city, differentiating it from the cabaret and Broadway shows it had so closely been admired for over the previous decades.

During the World’s Fair, the center hosted programs that marked William Shakespeare’s 400th birthday and featured an impressive lineup of international and domestic performances. 

After the event, the bulk of the programming between 1964 and 1965 was credited to the New York City Ballet, which opened with a performance of Stars and Stripes in the New York State Theater (Koch Theater) on April 23, 1964.

Today, the David H. Koch Theater has stood for over five and a half decades, bringing in 5 million visitors each year and hosting some of Lincoln Center’s main attractions that serve as a nexus for excellence in dance and performing arts. From traditional Chinese dances to jazz and gospel performances, the venue continues to showcase the global heritage originally promoted during the 1964 World’s Fair. Thanks to the advent of this major historic event, we have a permanent icon that offers a rich artistic heritage and identity for New Yorkers and a cultural touch point for audiences all around the world. 

The Women’s Leadership Council Brings Support To NYC’s Performing Arts

New York City’s performing arts foundations help support a unique culture that can’t be found elsewhere and it’s imperative that local groups are effective in helping the culture’s expansion. The Women’s Leadership Council is doing just that and I’m proud to be part of a movement established through the collaboration of powerful female leaders who support such an incredible community.

The Women’s Leadership Council is a group of active female business leaders who are passionate about supporting this artistic culture and influential in raising funds for eight performing art organizations at the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund. Our team has achieved an astronomical impact as it raises funds for the entire Lincoln Center campus. Since the Leadership Council’s inception in 2013, we’ve surpassed our fundraising goals each year and are eager to continue helping the growth of such a vibrant foundation.

The Women’s Leadership Council’s focus is around the eight performing arts organizations and two professional performing arts academies in residence at the Lincoln Center. Our impact has helped them establish their foundations and grow their brand by way of not only funding initiatives but other routes as well. Raising unrestricted funds is just the forefront of the our interests but community involvement is a major focus we share as well. The council engages in creative educational programming, presenting exciting new productions, and mounting free music performances.

Since our group’s inception in the beginning of 2013, we’ve reached all of our fundraising goals by a long stride and our success seems to have translated well through our events in production.

We were a driving force behind the Fashion Gala that is soon approaching its 3rd annual show at the Lincoln Center in December. The Gala is a great way to bring together like minded investors and industry supporters to an event that honors the achievements of globally acclaimed fashion designers. We’re proud to announce that this year’s Gala will feature Valentino.

The approach our council took to igniting the Fashion Gala series is the same model we have in mind in the progression of our own organization. We’ve done a great job expanding this event’s audience and the fundraising of such. But our intent with all projects involves the idea of bringing different leaders of the business community together.

As a group, we’re passionate about growing the individuals involved in both the residencies of Lincoln Center as well as this organization.

As a member of the Women’s Leadership Council you’re expected to uphold your annual membership contribution, attend quarterly Council meetings, but we take a special interest in the Council’s younger generation with our mandatory mentorship program of Junior Council Members.

Every one of us is very invested in helping develop these young business women through the beginning of their careers. Since the winter of 2014 we’ve been internally promoting this mentorship program that ultimately builds fruitful relationships between the Junior Council and tenured Council inductees.

Junior Council Members choose a mentor that they think would be a good fit for them because of the knowledge and advice they could provide. We’ve seen that relationships connect because members are within similar industries or personal networks. But garnering the relations of powerful minds from top to bottom helps expand our networks.

The group of leaders I’ve been able to be a part of here is such a strong foundation for the growth of the performing arts culture at the Lincoln Center. The Women’s Leadership Council creates a channel for our board to put our savvy business experience, connections, industry insight, and knowledge to initiate programs in the LC Corporate Fund through fundraising.

Having business minded individuals collaborating together is great but the fact that we’re passionate about expanding the culture is ideal. All of the supported organizations by the Council are NYC based institutions with an international presence. Seeing as our impact is global, our overseas ties have shown in our programs as well. We plan to continue establishing our local leadership through the raising of unrestricted dollars for the 10 constitute organizations and someday solidify a global stature.

This article was originally published on DebrahCharatan.org

About The Author

Debrah Charatan is the founder of BCB Property management. She is a 35-year veteran of the New York real estate industry with a knack for multi family, acquisitions, and development.

How Selfhelp is Changing Elderly and Immigrant Lives Here in New York City

New York City sits as one of the top five cities for millennial growth. Trends in both infrastructure and technology are shifting to better cater to that crowd. There are also a handful of  organizations that are committed to establishing those luxuries upon a different audience. Selfhelp assists in bringing that revolution to the elderly and immigrant population here in New York City and virtually across the nation.

Selfhelp is unique in the sense that it places an emphasis on creating a stable living experience for every member with the use of a variety of programs.

Where Selfhelp began

Selfhelp is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. The organization was built on volunteer efforts in 1936 to help those who were fleeing Nazi germany shortly before the Holocaust began. The goal was to help these transplants start stable lives here in the United States.

As more immigrants found their way to the US, it grew tough for men to find jobs because of the lack of training and language barriers. Female immigrants could work almost instantly in home care roles and Selfhelp sought to capitalize on those needs for women. Now Selfhelp has created a home aid training program; partially funded by the Robin Hood program.

The home aid training program was the first learning initiative offered to members. Over time, Selfhelp started to identify more causes that their in-house programs could help with. They also branched out to not only assist Nazi Germany immigrants but the elderly population as well.

The Future of Affordable Housing Starts with Selfhelp

By broadening its audience, Selfhelp has been able to quickly expand. Selfhelp has accommodated more members but they’ve grown to establish new programs too. A good amount of Selfhelp’s resources has been directed towards expanding their affordable housing program. As leaders in affordable housing, Selfhelp wants to further improve the living experience in these buildings as well. They provide a rolodex of services on call: social worker assistance, nurses assigned to each building, health and wellness services, homecare services, and advanced technology usage.

In it’s earliest days, Selfhelp’s affordable housing program was made up of two buildings in Queens, NY built for Holocaust survivors. Now, the affordable housing program is made of nine of these buildings located all across New York City. A major part of Selfhelp’s approach to improving the experience and safety of their homes is through technology. Selfhelp focuses on four main areas of housing technology:

• Sensor technology – Selfhelp uses in-home sensors placed where people tend to interact most in their homes. These sensors learn the resident’s patterns of behavior over a three week period. Any irregularities in this behavior will be noted and alert the prearranged contact person (in the bathroom for an irregularly long time, detects falls, etc).
• Teller Health – Teller Health is a way for tenants to self monitor their health. Kiosks stand in each building lobby to collect data and notify the dedicated nurse if anything is out of the ordinary.
• Computer classes – Classes are available through Selfhelp meant to teach the elderly how to use new software.
• Virtual Senior Center – The Virtual Senior Center is a virtual portal connecting homebound residents with the senior center in an interactive way. Now hundreds of people across the nation can access this virtual senior center where they can take classes from home. They can tour museums, book reading classes, and more. Selfhelp plans to expand into international classes in the virtual senior center class as well.

The 10th affordable housing building under the Selfhelp program is scheduled to open in 2017. I am more than honored to soon announce the title of the 10th building that will be built in my recognition. I’ve been very passionate and active in Selfhelp’s mission and I hope our next building can continue to expand that vision to those in need.

The new housing unit is extraordinarily sophisticated from a technological standpoint. Expected to house 75-90 tenants, it serves as a community for low income seniors in an area that lacks senior housing. The elderly will even have access to a recreational roof as well as the common housing services that all Selfhelp buildings offer.

With 10 affordable housing buildings soon to be functioning throughout NYC, you can imagine the impact that Selfhelp has had among the elderly and vulnerable population. Not only is this organization creating opportunities for members but we’re also are passionate about improving these lives for years to come.

Selfhelp’s commitment to establishing independent lives has been its mission for 80 years now. As the organization continues to grow, so do the programs and services that members can utilize. The affordable housing program is a major component of Selfhelp and they hope it will continue to flourish with their newest addition.

Originally published on DebrahCharatan.org

About The Author

Debrah Charatan is the founder of BCB Property management. She is a 35-year veteran of the New York real estate industry with a knack for multi family, acquisitions, and development.