Scarsdale Residents Make the Holidays Bright for Others

Some 50 women gathered recently at the home of Scarsdale resident Linda Plattus to enjoy lunch and contribute holiday gifts for children served by Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS). A WJCS Board member, Ms. Plattus has organized these luncheons for seven years and the generous donations of Scarsdale families have helped fulfill holiday wishes. At this year’s luncheon, nearly 150 toys and more than $1,800 in gift certificates were collected for the annual WJCS Have-a-Heart for the Holidays Gift Drive. The items will be distributed to families in need served by WJCS, which sponsors more than 70 programs throughout Westchester. WJCS welcomes donations of items all year long. To donate goods or funds, contact Meryl Lewis at 914-761-0600 ext. 222. For more information about WJCS, visit www.wjcs.com

Founded in 1943, Westchester Jewish Community Services provides comprehensive mental health, developmental disabilities, social services, home health care and community- and school-based programs on a non-sectarian basis to people across the life span, and cultural and economic boundaries. A state-licensed, non-profit WJCS serves 17,000 yearly with programs funded through government grants, UJA-Federation, United Way, foundations, corporations and individuals. For more information, go to www.wjcs.com. Follow them on Facebook Westchester Jewish Community Services.

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UJA-Federation of New York's Scarsdale community made the holidays brighter for kids at the Henry Ittleson Center. The Ittleson Center is a Bronx-based residential treatment center and school run by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS), a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency, which helps children ages 5 to 13 who have emotional disabilities or have experienced trauma.

The event, which took place on December 11, 2011, was part of the Gift of Chanukah, a program during which UJA-Federation communities in Westchester share the holiday spirit by collecting and distributing gifts and celebrating at parties with agency clients. Guests brought gift cards to Target that were distributed to the kids as holiday gifts. The event was chaired by Jennifer Fischer, Jennifer Goldfarb, and Ilissa Siegel of Scarsdale and Sue Pearson and Ilysa Rosmarin of Purchase.

Pictured: Riley Meltz, Billie Eichel, and Drew Siegel of Scarsdale take a break from arts and crafts.