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Celebrate Purim with The ARK!
Purim is on Thursday, March 8. Among the beautiful mitzvot of Purim are distributing Mishloach Manot, gifts of food, and Matanot Le’Evyonim, gifts of money to the poor. The ARK will deliver hundreds of Mishloach Manot and holiday packages to Jews in need throughout Chicagoland, as well as distributing cash gifts. We invite you to join us in these mitzvot in any or all of the following ways:
• Make deliveries of Mishloach Manot food packages on Sunday, March 4, at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., or on Thursday, March 8, at 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. To volunteer to be a driver or a “runner,” or for more information, contact Rachel Friedman, Director of Volunteers and Outreach, at 773.681.8982 or rfriedman@arkchicago.org.
• Donate to a family in need (Matanot Le’Evyonim). 100% of your donation will be distributed to the needy on Purim day. You can make your contribution in advance, or stop by The ARK on Purim day. We will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 8.
• Sponsor ARK Mishloach Manot at $36.00 per Mishloach Manot package.
• Purchase ARK Purim cards to send to family and friends at $5.00 per card, six cards for $25, or 10 cards for $36. Just give us the names and addresses of the people to whom you'd like to send cards, and we'll do the rest; or we can send you cards for you to mail out yourself.
Make your donation for Matanot Le’Evyonim, Mishloach Manot or Purim cards online. Or mail or bring your payment to The ARK, 6450 N. California, Chicago, IL 60645. To donate by phone, or if you have questions, contact Yehudis Gerstein at 773.681.8980 or ygerstein@arkchicago.org.
Chag Sameach! Happy Purim!
Now Open: The ARK Northwest
On August 15, 2011, The ARK opened a satellite office in Northbrook. "The ARK Northwest," located at 3100 Dundee Road (the corner of Dundee and Landwehr), Suite 204, provides increased access to The ARK’s vital human services in the northwest suburbs—where the greatest growth in Chicagoland’s Jewish population has occurred in the past 10 years.
Services at the new location include case management, a food pantry, rent and utility assistance, delivery of medications from The ARK’s pharmacy, transportation to and from The ARK’s main office, and other services as required. The ARK Northwest has clearly filled a need: in just its first six months of operation, the new office served 376 clients, including 78 new clients.
The ARK’s main office in Chicago remains open, and services there will continue to be available as usual.
To find out more about The ARK Northwest—services for yourself or someone you know, sharing your time and talents, or funding our efforts—contact Miriam Weinberger, Executive Director, at 773-973-1008 or mweinberger@arkchicago.org.
The ARK Announces New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of The ARK has named Marc Swatez, Ph.D., to succeed Miriam Weinberger as the new Executive Director of The ARK. He will begin working with Mrs. Weinberger in mid-April in order to ensure a smooth transition, and will assume his new position on July 1, 2012, when Mrs. Weinberger retires after 21 years with The ARK, 15 as Executive Director.
Dr. Swatez is currently Executive Director at Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in Deerfield, and is Vice President of the National Association for Temple Administration. He previously served as Executive Director of Congregation Beth Ahaba in Richmond, Virginia, and was an Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University. A native of Minneapolis, Dr. Swatez lives in Skokie with Elise, his wife of 24 years, and their three children.
Charity Navigator Gives The ARK a 4-Star Rating
Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, has once again given The ARK a 4-star rating—“Exceptional”—the top rating that Charity Navigator extends to nonprofit organizations.
This rating validates that The ARK’s financial resources—its donors’ dollars—are used wisely and responsibly, and are stretched efficiently to achieve maximum impact; it also means that The ARK meets the highest standards of transparency and accountability.
Charity Navigator works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating over 5,500 of America's largest charities. No independent validation is as widely recognized and respected as a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
You can check out The ARK’s Charity Navigator rating here.
ARK Awarded “Highest Rating for Transparency” Seal
Tzedakah, Inc. has awarded The ARK its Highest Rating for Transparency seal. This prestigious award is given only to those Jewish charities that provide extensive information documenting that they effectively steward and allocate their resources. Tzedakah, Inc.’s profile of The ARK can be viewed at www.Tzedakah.Info.
Ira Kaminow, President of Tzedakah, Inc., applauded The ARK for its “full and enthusiastic cooperation in promptly providing every detail of information requested.” He pointed out that donors have a right and responsibility to know how the funds they contribute are managed and used. According to Jewish law, he said, one may give tzedakah only to organizations that are trustworthy and can effectively administer charity funds. Profiles prepared by Tzedakah, Inc. help donors find charities that meet those criteria. “Fortunately,” Kaminow said, “there are charities like The ARK that give donors information necessary to make informed giving decisions.”
Tzedakah, Inc. is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization based in Maryland devoted to better-informed donors and more transparent Jewish charities.
Students Brighten The ARK with Mural Project
The walls of The ARK outside the Anna & Jacob Fine Social Services Center are now filled with color and light, thanks to students from the Hillel Arts in the Loop program. This unique group volunteered at The ARK last fall, working in the Food Pantry and delivering presents during a Chanukah celebration. With the help of Program Director Erin Jones, they translated those experiences into a mural design, and recently finished transferring the design to the walls.
The mural depicts a scene in which a variety of human figures work alongside one another underneath a vast Tree of Life. The tree, like The ARK, provides them with sustenance, but also the means to become self-sufficient.
For more information about the Hillel Arts in the Loop program, contact Hillels Around Chicago, 312.673.2384.
Rising Suburban Poverty Poses New Challenges
A new report from the Brookings Institution finds that demand is up significantly for the typical suburban social services provider, and almost three-quarters of suburban providers are seeing more clients with no previous connection to safety net programs. Needs have changed as well, with nearly 80% of suburban providers seeing families with food needs more often than one year prior, and nearly 60% reporting more frequent requests for help with mortgage or rent payments.
At the same time, almost half of suburban providers reported a loss in a key revenue source last year, with more funding cuts anticipated in the year to come. Due in large part to this bleak fiscal situation, more than one in five suburban providers has reduced services available since the start of the recession and one in seven has actively cut caseloads.
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