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On Thursday,
May 1st,
The Blue
Card, a
national
non-profit
organization
dedicated to
aiding over
2,000 needy
Holocaust
survivors,
held its
annual
fundraising
social
event, Pong
on the
Terrace, on
the Sunset
Terrace at
Chelsea
Piers. The
event was a
huge
success;
raising
$18,000 for
needy
Holocaust
survivors.
Featuring a
competitive
ping pong
tournament,
open bar,
silent
auction and
panoramic
views of the
Hudson River
at sunset,
the event
was graced
by Aviva
Sufian, The
White
House’s
First
Special
Envoy for
U.S.
Holocaust
Survivor
Services who
will provide
opening
remarks.
The Blue
Card,
established
in 1934
in Germany and
organized in
the U.S. in
1939, is the
only
organization
whose sole
mission is
to provide
critical
financial
aid for
emergency
medical,
dental,
housing and
food needs
to survivors
of Nazi
persecution.
While the
Holocaust
seems like a
long ago
nightmare,
for
survivors it
is a
continuing
one. Of the
75,000
Holocaust
survivors in
the U.S.,
one-third
live at or
below the
federal
poverty
level. For
many, the
losses they
experienced
decades ago
are
compounded
by their
current
struggles to
subsist on
meager
incomes and
threadbare
or
nonexistent
support
systems.
Studies show
that
Holocaust
survivors
have higher
incidences
of mental
illness,
cancer, and
other
debilitating
diseases.
“The Blue
Card is
delighted to
bring
together
young
professionals
committed to
raising
funds and
heightening
awareness of
the pressing
needs of
Holocaust
survivors,”
stated The
Blue Card’s
Executive
Director,
Masha Pearl.
“We are
most
grateful to
Special
Envoy Aviva
Sufian for
participating
in this
important
event.”
About The
Blue Card
Established
in Germany
in 1934 as a
grassroots
effort and
re-established
in the
United
States in
1939 to aid
refugees
resettling
in America,
The Blue
Card
continues
today to
provide
direct
financial
assistance
to needy
Holocaust
survivors
who live at
or near the
poverty
line. As
this
population
ages, with
many now
living into
their 80s
and 90s,
their needs
have
dramatically
increased
and changed,
giving rise
to the need
for funding
of essential
needs. Funds
raised from
this event
are used to
finance our
many diverse
programs
including
stipendiary,
medical/dental,
cancer,
vitamin/nutrition
and holiday
as well as
other
initiatives
for this
frail and
often
neglected
population.
The Blue
Card has
distributed
over $24
million to
date, with
100 percent
of
individual
donations
going
directly to
survivors.
For more
information
on The Blue
Card, please
visit www.bluecardfund.org
or
call The
Blue Card at
(212)
239-2251.
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