Words from our President
As I enter the second year of my term as President of Na’amat Canada, I marvel at the amazing accomplishments of our organization.
Despite the ongoing stress of the COVID 19 pandemic, we have continued to work hard to support the important work of Na’amat.
We have an amazing executive who bring great skills and talents to our board. Our Membership, Engagement and Leadership Development committee led by our Na’amat Canada national Vice President Susan Inhaber of Calgary has been active in supporting our existing members while working diligently to attract new membership. We recognize the challenges we have had to face not being able to meet in person over much of the past year and know that now more than ever we need to let our members be made aware of how much they are valued. Our members are the heart and soul of our organization and we sincerely appreciate all the hard work done by them on an ongoing basis.
Our Education Committee led by Marian Lederman of Ottawa has been involved in keeping our members, donors and the general public up to date with regards to all the facets of the important work that Na’amat does in Israel and in Canada. Whether through our social media, website, zoom programs and regular updates from Na’amat Israel, the important work of Na’amat needs to be acknowledged, celebrated and publicized.
Our Fundraising and Social Advocacy Committees led by Brenda Fayerman of Montreal continues to explore ways to continue to raise funds to support our important work. We have been creative at raising funds through virtual fundraisers and partnerships with our chaverot from Na’amat USA and Na’amat International. Social advocacy is important and Na’amat does strive to respond to important issues of the day that align with our core mission.
The Financial Committee led by Terry Dykopf of Toronto continues to steward our finances with our ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility in sending as much of the funds we raise as possible to support the work of Na’amat in Israel where it is so greatly needed. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been successful in able to send funds on an ongoing basis to support Na’amat Installations.
Our capital campaign for 2020-2023 focuses on 2 areas.
We have continued to support Kanot Youth Village in raising funds for a new wing to support students in Grades 7 and 8. Kanot helps at- risk youth change the trajectory of their lives by offering support emotionally and academically. Kanot has been innovative in finding new and unique ways to reach out to these students. Despite the added stress of the COVID 19 pandemic, the students at Kanot have been able to maintain a high level of achievement. In fact the successful matriculation rate at Kanot far exceeds the national rate. With our current capital campaign we will be able to serve at risk youth with state of the art facilities.
Domestic violence continues to be a great concern worldwide and increased during the pandemic. The Glickman Centre for family violence prevention has provided care for women and children in need due to domestic violence for years. Our second area of focus for the capital campaign has been to support a new initiative, the Abba (Father) program.
Research has shown that by supporting fathers to have appropriate relationships with their children, domestic violence can decrease. The Abba program provides individual, family and group counselling to support families in need. Through outreach this program has been able to expand to provide services to fathers throughout Israel.
I am so privileged to work with all our members, donors and supporters. Their dedication is inspiring.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me at sandi.seigel@naamat.com
Sandi Seigel
Na’amat Canada, President