Donor Profile

DEBORAH GOLDMAN

It is very important to my family to be involved in philanthropic organizations that are meaningful to us and to our larger community. Through my many mutual connections to Sandy Samberg and to my college roommate, Kerri Winderman, I first became involved with SOUL RYEDERS (SR) when I did the Avon Walk in 2009 and 2010 and later participated on the Triathlon team, as well. In September 2019, our youngest son participated in the Kids Tri to support his friend who had recently lost his mom to cancer. The camaraderie among SR event participants is supportive, encouraging and palpable! It is obvious everyone is doing their best to be a part of an organization that is there for them and their community when needed... I felt it. My son felt it. Our family feels lucky to be connected to a part of this community and we want to help educate and encourage other people to support this amazing resource in Westchester and beyond.

Recently, I have witnessed many members of my Northern Westchester community and their family members, who are enduring a cancer diagnosis journey, connect with SR in very meaningful ways. My friend, Fran Samit, was immediately comforted by Sandy’s conversations and resources, the special Big Batch soup deliveries to her home, the yoga opportunities, and then the amazing salon services and camaraderie she found at Mondays with SOUL RYEDERS. I will personally always be so grateful to the women who were in the salon the day that I joined her for an appointment. The environment was so welcoming, friendly, comforting, and supportive—I know that Fran was not only grateful for the amazing services, but also for the opportunity to chat with other women going through her same experiences—seeing her as her chatty friend self in such an understanding and safe environment will always be so memorable and meaningful to me—and an opportunity that I want other people who would benefit to utilize as much as they can.

I have another friend who found great comfort and information from the wig program—she will always

The Goldman Family be grateful for the resource and community of helpful volunteers who made her feel so comfortable. She is now looking to stay involved with SR to pay that feeling forward to others.

Through these few recent experiences, it is even more clear to me that the SR community is welcoming and supportive in a way that is so personal and so special. This organization is obviously an amazing resource no matter where you live, and as an active Board Member living in a community outside of Rye, I hope that I can help spread SR’s outreach wider, in order to increase awareness for those who need it and involvement for those who can and want to help.

Along with some new volunteers in the Northern Westchester community, we have become involved in the TieTheTownPink event and will work to increase awareness and involvement of the kids in our local high school Youth Against Cancer clubs, continue to recruit volunteers for the myriad of amazing SR volunteer opportunities, and simply focus on creating awareness about this special grassroots community organization.

It truly saddens me to think about individuals going through a cancer diagnosis without the resources and support of an organization like SR at their fingertips. I am honored to be a small part of this mission. 