As Chanukah approaches, we look forward to spending time with our families and connecting with our loved ones. We tell our children the story of the miracle of lights. Please help us light the way for the mothers at the Shabtai Levi Home so they can light the way for their children.

Please, help us help them. Donate today.

Chag Sameach!

This has been an exciting year at the Forever Chai Foundation of Canada!

With your help, we have funded renovations and program expansions at the Shabtai Levi Home, engaged our local Toronto community and had successful fundraising events.

Thanks to your support, Phase One of the FCFC Mother/Child Unit renovation is complete, the children’s outdoor play space has been renovated and Shabtai Levi Home’s (SLH) proven, professional programs have been expanded and enhanced. We fund everything from the cost of food and healthcare, preschool, JK and SK, therapeutic programs, facility maintenance and renovations. The list is long and the needs are many.

For over a decade, FCFC has enhanced the care and services at the Shabtai Levi Home and improved the lives of over 3000 children, mothers and families. The Forever ChaiMother/Child Unit, established and maintained by funding from our donors, is a trail-blazer in the �eld of child welfare and boasts a 73% success rate. That’s 73% of mothers whosuccessfuly care for their children, work, build healthy relationships and contribute to society. Most important of all, the mothers and their children have been given their best opportunity to thrive, and now live in safe, nurturing and loving parent-led homes. To maintain and build on our success, we have committed to a new project - a follow-up social worker, who will o�er support and guidance to the mothers who have completed theresidential program at the Forever Chai Mother/Child Unit as they re-integrate into their home communities. The program will encompass 24/7 phone access for the mothers, in-home visits and assistance dealing with their families, community and government agencies. Supporting mothers once they’ve left the security of the Forever Chai Mother/Child Unit bolsters their long-term success. Our Rosh Hashanah, Year-End and recent Night of Hope III fundraising e�orts are focussed on securing funding for this new endeavour.

Cynthia SmallEsther MichaelsEllen Goldstein Marya Grad

INSIDERDECEMBER 2016

FCFC

SINCE 2004, FCFC HAS IMPROVED

THE LIVES OF MORE THAN

3000 CHILDREN, MOTHERS AND

FAMILIES AT THE SHABTAI LEVI

HOME

www.foreverchai.org

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A STUMBLE TO SUCCESS: ALONA & DANIEL

At 24, Alona was pregnant and alone. Several months after escaping a harsh life at the hands of a violent and brutal man, she learned that she was 8 months pregnant, despite being told years earlier that she could never conceive. While surprised and unprepared, Alona saw her unborn child as a miracle and vowed to be a good mother.

Thanks to a referral from the Department of Social Services, Alona was accepted into the 14 month residential program at the Forever Chai Mother/Child Unit.

At �rst she was anxious, frightened and withdrawn. The nurturing given to Alona by the experienced multidisciplinary team at SLH brought her out of her shell and prepared her for an independent life. At the same time, the caregivers at SLH helped Daniel thrive and grow into a sweet and energetic toddler.

After months of therapy, skills training and 24/7 supervision, the sta� at the FCFC Mother/Child Unit believed that Alona was ready to take the next challenge - living independently in her home community. They helped her rent an apartment, connected her with the local social service agency and referred her for more counselling. After an emotional farewell party, Alona and Daniel were launched into the next phase of their lives.

Unfortunately, there was not any appropriate, ongoing support for Alona once she left the FCFC Mother/Child Unit. Ten days after she moved from its safe con�nes, Alona was found drunk. Daniel was with her, but unharmed.

The team at the FCFC Mother/Child Unit took the unprecedented step of re-admitting this small family to the FCFC Mother/Child Unit with one condition: Alona could keep custody of her son if she attended and bene�tted from addiction counselling.

Alona understood and appreciated the gravity of her situation and the incredible second chance that she was given.

Alona is very lucky. She is the only woman who has ever been able to return to the FCFC Mother/Child when she stumbled.

With your ongoing support of the Shabtai Levi Home, funds are being raised to launch a Follow-Up Social Worker Program. Thisexciting new initiative will assist all the graduates of the FCFC Mother/Child Unit, further guaranteeing their success as they live independently and contribute to Israeli society.

Your donations ensure that mothers will continue to receive support from dedicated social workers including:

24/7 Telephone Access • In-Home Visits • Dealing with Government Agencies, Banks, Schools and Courts • Nurturing Healthy Relationships • Vocational Training

Together, we are helping mothers and children like Alona and Daniel build meaningful, happy, productive and sustainable lives!

A mock seder table - Mothers learn to care for their children through Art Therapy Life Skills Counselling in a community setting

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SLH NEWS

In Their Own WordsLong-time donors, Marilyn and David Glick, generously sponsored the Glick Family Baby & Toddler Room at the FCFC Mother/Child Unit. They got a �rsthand look at the incredible transformation of this newly renovated facility last spring, when they enjoyed another warm visit to SLH. Here’s what they had to say:

There’s a lot of love, laughter and joy at SLH. It goes a long way toward helping children and mothers deal with the trauma that they’ve endured. - Marilyn

SLH is a smaller charity. Its staff is so dedicated and devoted to the children. Support goes to program-ming, not administration. - David

of the Shabtai Levi Home to expand the Shlom Hayeled. It is an external unit of the Shabtai Levi Home that cares for at-risk children and extended families in the community. It providesprofessional support, care and strategies to struggling parents and caregivers and aims to keep families together whenever possible. A satellite unit currently operates in Pardes Hannah and sites for a second one are being scouted in the Golan.

Grinshpan FamilyThanks to a generous donation from the Grinshpan family, a new Employment Counselling Program for mothers at the Forever Chai Mother/Child Unit has been instituted. Once they have completed this new, 12-session course, these young women will be equipped to join and remain in the workforce. They will be one step closer to achieving their goals of building ful�lling and stable lives for themselves and their children.

BIMAH RenovationThe BIMAH Foundation funded the renovation of the outdoor play space at the Shabtai Levi Home (SLH). One of the exciting new features of the yard is the bright and colourful, state-of-the-art rubber �ooring, which enhances the children’s safety as they play. The yard is

used for both group activities and informal play. It is integral and vital to the day-to-day operations of the Shabtai Levi Home. Our heartfelt thanks to the BIMAH Foundation’s Board for it’s generosity and support.

SLH ExpansionThe Government of Israel has asked the Directors and Board

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Lacey’s GestureIn our last issue, we introduced you to 10-year old Lacey, who had chosen FCFC as the subject of her Project Giveback presentation at school. She introduced her classmates and their families to FCFC and the children at the Shabtai Levi Home, and still wanted to do more.

As a competitive dancer, Lacey has many costumes and outgrows them quickly. When her mom asked what she’d like to do with them, Lacey immediately said, “send them to the kids at the Shabtai Levi Home to play dress-up with.”

And that’s exactly what they did!

Lacey’s beautiful gesture is an inspiration to us all. Let’s follow in her footsteps and bring joy to the lives of the children at the Shabtai Levi Home.

Yeshivat Or Chaim Students Give TzedakahThe students at Yeshivat Or Chaim know that Purim is a holiday �lled with joy andresponsibility. One of our obligations is to give tzedakah to the poor, while another is to listen to the reading of Megillat Esther.

This past Purim, the boys chose to donate all of the money collected during the morning Megillah reading to the children at the Shabtai Levi Home. We’re grateful and inspired by the sense of responsibility that these young men have to our community. Yasher Koach!

Hot Chocolate Fundraiser at AssociatedThe students at Associated Hebrew Schools’(AHS), Danilak Middle School took the lessons that they learn about tzedakah and chessed in the classroom and applied them to their everyday lives.

our logo. Her parents helped Ali do some research and together, they decided that they liked more than our butter�ies!

The Student Council organized a hot chocolate fundraiser in support of the Shabtai Levi Home. All of the proceeds from the sale of the hot chocolate were used to purchase new playground equipment for the Shabtai Levi Home. We couldn’t be prouder!

Ali Chose FCFCAt 10-years old, Ali Belavin decided to have an EchoAge birthday party and donate part of her gifts to charity. She chose FCFC because of the butter�ies on

It all started with my EchoAge party. I just wanted to give and I liked what I learned about SLH and FCFC.

Ali was moved by our support of the children and mothers at the Shabtai Levi Home and donated all of her birthday gifts to FCFC. A year later, she chose the Forever Chai Foundation of Canada as the subject of her Grade 5 Project Giveback presentation at school. She shared information about FCFC and SLH with her classmates and designed an in-classbutter�y-making activity for them.

This past August Ali and her family visited Israel. She asked her parents to please arrange for a visit to SLH so that she could hand-deliver the butter�ies that she and her classmates had made more than a year earlier. Here’s what Ali had to say about the visit:

Amazing! The work at SLH is so special. They help kids, who don’t have many privileges, learn and do things that they couldn’t otherwise.

Ali hopes to maintain her connection to FCFC and SLH by raising awareness about our work in Toronto and visiting the next time she’s in Israel. She’s an inspiration to us all!

KIDS HELPING KIDS - WHAT AN INSPIRATION!

Belavin Family with SLH DirectorRuty Karp and FCFC Mother/Child UnitDirector Ditsa Hatav

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Getting ready for Purim at SLH

Enjoying the outdoors with help from AHS students

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Want to learn more aboutFCFC and the work we do?

Please contact:Deena Nathanson, Executive Director

Tel: 416-695-8885 x 2Email: deena@foreverchai.org

www.foreverchai.org

FCFC COMMUNITY

Grease is still the word!Mother’s Day weekend was celebrated with the performance of GREASE 2016. The original cast, reprising the York Mills Collegiate 1988 production of Grease, sang, danced, doo woped and raised money for charity. Produced by Mandell Entertainment and Lori Pearlstein’s Playworks the two performances were a huge success.

The Forever Chai Foundation was honoured to be their charity of choice and are greatly appreciative of the commitment and dedication shown by the cast and their families, who gave up their evenings and weekends in support of FCFC. Bravo!

Night of Hope III - Halloween Party On Thursday, October 27th FCFC’s Young PhilanthropistCommittee hosted a Halloween fundraiser at the Rosehill Lounge. The party included a silent auction, games, delicious food and an amazing show by the Magen Boys. Guests got into the spirit of the event and raised a signi�cant amount for the Follow-Up Social Worker Program at the Shabtai Levi Home.

Thank you to event co-chairs Sherry Adud and Sue Forberg and all of the committee members for their dedication, energy and hard work. The party was a feast for the senses-great food, great décor, great costumes and great fun!

Mitzvah DayOn Sunday, May 15th the students at Leo Baeck South and the Holy Blossom Temple Religious School, spent the dayperforming acts of chessed. They made sandwiches for the homeless, packed boxes for a food bank and coloured pictures on the themes of tzedakah and tikkun olam (repairing the world) that were sent directly to the children at the Shabtai Levi Home.

Leo Baeck Vice Principal Seth Goldsweig wanted the students to understand that they have the power to change lives in Toronto and in Israel. The kids at SLH were thrilled to receive their gift. The drawings hang in a prominent spot at SLH and are a reminder to the children that they are not alone

Mitzvah Day pictures hanging proudly at SLH

Costumes for a cause - Fundraising for SLH

Event Chairs Sue Forberg (left) andSherry Adud (right)

Colouring for the kids at SLH