Success Stories: Starting Anew

From left, Linda Moss, Aviva Degu, and Ben Gilkarov who made a new start with support from UJA-Federation of New York. Photo Credits: Left to right Greg Moss, Zion Ozeri, Bonnie B. Chernin

“From the moment I met the social worker at Connect to Care, I felt like my life was going to be all right. The amount of information, resources, seminars, and legal advice helped me tremendously….I’m moving forward. I’m not in limbo anymore.”
— Linda Moss, client of UJA-Federation’s Connect to Care center at Westchester Jewish Community Services. The initiative helps people affected by the economic downturn, and also helped Moss find a part-time job.

“I appreciate all the support I received to help me succeed. It gave me the chance to fulfill my potential and allowed me to dream about my future.”
— Aviva Degu, client of Birth to Bagrut, an initiative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency, that offers academic support to Ethiopian-Israeli children. Aviva will attend Hebrew University in Jerusalem before she enlists in the army.

“I’m learning a lot. The lounge raised my awareness about different issues, from autism to poverty in America and personal finances.”
— Ben Gilkarov, client of the Bukharian Teen Lounge, a program of the Jewish Child Care Association of New York, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency. The program helps at-risk teens, whose families immigrated to New York from Central Asia, adjust to American life and explore their Jewish heritage.