I
am a very long-standing member and supporter of CHW, having joined a chapter in Montreal right after university. When I moved to Toronto in 1998, I wasn’t very involved with CHW, but I rejoined after meeting Shayla Gunter-Goldstein in 2008. She invited me to be part of her chapter, CHW Toronto Atid Chapter. I became progressively more involved and started to take on leadership roles within CHW Toronto Centre. My parents also became supporters of CHW in support of me, and later my mom, Marion, increased her commitment because she saw how important CHW is to me. Our family is very philanthropic. My mother serves on the board of two Jewish organizations in Montreal, my sister Andrea in Chicago is the lay President of a Jewish Day School, my late father was very community-minded and imparted in all of
us the desire to get involved and do our part, so it was only natural for me to take on the role of CHW Toronto Centre President in 2022. I was looking for a project to support to mark the end of my presidency in Toronto and the Horse Therapy Program at CHW Nahalal Youth Village really resonated with me. My mom agreed to come on board in support as well because she is a lifelong lover of animals and supports other animal focused causes. I have very fond memories of spending time in the horse barns at summer camp, taking care of the horses, and I became very fond of a lovely gentle white horse named Marshmallow. To care for an animal teaches all sorts of life skills, especially around consistency and commitment, and I am proud that our donation allows CHW Nahalal to impart those skills on their students.