,
JBFCS EXECUTIVE VP AND CEO
The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS)
celebrated its 2013 Spring Benefit honoring
Seymour R. Askin, JBFCS Honorary Chair of the Board,
Jerold D. Jacobson, Proskauer, Partner, Jean
Shafiroff, JBFCS Board Member and Paul
Levine, JBFCS Executive VP & CEO on April 24,
2013 at 6:30 p.m. at New York City’s Plaza Hotel.
Melissa Russo, WNBC news anchor, served as master
of ceremonies.
The evening began with a flourish, as New York
City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended the
cocktail hour to address the crowd and thank JBFCS, noting
that “you can’t do it alone” and that the work of JBFCS is a
necessity for the city to help its residents in need. At
the conclusion of the cocktail hour, the attendees moved
upstairs where master of ceremonies Melissa Russo
introduced Tony Mann, the President of the
Board of Trustees. Mr. Mann announced the news to the 375
attendees that some $1.3 million dollars had been raised for
the organization.
After Fred Yerman blessed the bread, Paul Levine,
Executive Vice President of JBFCS, was introduced by John
Herrmann, the former President of the Board of JBFCS.
Outgoing VP and CEO Levine reflected upon his time with
JBFCS and concluded by thanking everyone involved with the
organization and the leadership under which he served.
Chair of the Board Jean Troubh then introduced
honoree Seymour R. Askin, Jr. who outlined his
detailed past with Big Brothers, the Jewish Board of
Guardians, and JBFCS, working with those in need. He said
his mother taught him that “people who are able to live well
have an obligation to pay it back in some way.” Jerald
D. Jacobson, the next to be honored, spoke about his
four decades spent as counsel for JBFCS and the experience
of working with four generations of leadership in the
organization.
Jean
Shafiroff, the final honoree of the evening, was then
introduced by Joyce Cowin. Jean, in
attendance with her husband Martin and daughter
Elizabeth, kept her address brief, noting with genuine
modesty that the actual heroes are the staff, the
volunteers, and the thousands of individuals that JBFCS
helps and houses.
The $1.3 million raised will benefit JBFCS’ 175
community-based programs, residential facilities, and
day-treatment centers that annually serve more than 55,000
New Yorkers-in-need of all faiths, races, and cultures.
JBFCS has been a trailblazer in treating social problems for
more than a century. Today, the organization is one of the
nation’s largest and most respected nonprofit mental health
and social service agencies—every night, more than 1,000
individuals call a JBFCS residence home. The work of JBFCS
is built upon a network of more than 2,200 professionals,
including social workers, licensed psychologists, and
psychiatrists, as well as a cadre of clinical support
personnel in continuing day treatment and residential
treatment centers, and a corps of more than 800 dedicated
volunteers.
JBFCS provides a comprehensive network of mental health and
social services to promote well-being, resilience, and
self-sufficiency for individuals and families in need in the
New York metropolitan area.
As leaders in the field of human services, JBFCS’ mission is
clear— 175 social service programs. 1 mission. To get
help to those who need it.
IN ATTENDANCE:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
Mayor of New York City
Seymour R. Askin, Jr.,
Honorary Chair of the Board, Honoree
Jerold D. Jacobson,
Proskauer, Partner, Honoree
Jean Shafiroff,
JBFCS Board Member, Honoree & Philanthropist
Paul Levine,
JBFCS Executive VP and CEO
Melissa Russo,
Master of Ceremonies, WNBC News Anchor
Tony Mann,
JBFCS Board President
Alice Tisch,
JBFCS Vice President
Thom Hamill,
JBFCS Director of Development and Philanthropy
Carol Davidson,
JBFCS Associated Executive Director for External Affairs
Lynn Korda Kroll,
JBFCS Trustee
David Rivel,
JBFCS Chief Administrative Officer
John Herrmann,
Former JBFCS Board President
Tom Tisch,
Brown University Chancellor, NYU Medical Center Trustee
Chiu-Ti Jansen,
TV presenter, publisher, and writer
Mario Buatta,
Interior Designer
Carole Bellidora Westfall,
Partner, Biddle & Bellidora Communications
Sharon Bush,
Socialite
Ann Rapp,
Socialite
Roy Kean