UJA-Federation of New York Launches Centennial With Largest Volunteer Initiative in its History

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Jan 12, 2017, 12:51 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Commemorating 100 years of service as a community safety net and champion of Jewish life for more than 4.5 million people in New York, Israel, and around the world, UJA-Federation of New York is launching Time for Good, the largest volunteer effort in its history. Time for Good is anchored by a searchable online platform and will aggregate volunteer opportunities from UJA's hundreds of nonprofit partners and grantees.

To kick-off the effort, UJA has organized a two-day volunteer mobilization on January 15 and 16, 2017, where nearly 2,000 volunteers will come together at eight agencies across New York City, Long Island and Westchester to give back and do good. All of the opportunities were promoted on Time for Good.

"Today, the challenges in the community are greater than ever. Our network partners and grantees are doing more and more with less. Expanding the reach of our volunteers by matching their abilities and interests with service needs across the five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island is a transformative way of meeting communal challenges, while at the same time providing meaningful opportunities for people to get involved. It's a huge win-win for the community," said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York.

"Much thought has been given to the most effective way of using volunteer service to meet the biggest problems in our community, including poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment. As we enter our second century, UJA is leading New York's Jewish response, bringing people together as never before to address these challenges and packaged to make volunteering more simple than ever," said Goldstein.

"Across the community we heard demand for access to substantive volunteer opportunities with a Jewish/UJA lens. At the start of our new century, Time for Good is a perfect example of why UJA attracts such incredible support from the community — it offers a fresh solution to current challenges," said UJA-Federation President Jeffrey A. Schoenfeld.

"This centennial milestone celebrates a century of accomplishment and Time for Good showcases our focus for the future," said Robert S. Kapito, UJA-Federation's Chairman of the Board.

UJA-Federation was established in 1917 when a group of Jewish community leaders, determined to more effectively address the challenges of that era, streamlined the services and philanthropic efforts of numerous agencies serving New York's 1.3 million Jews. The Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies of New York City distributed $2.2 million (the equivalent of $44.9 million today) in its first year to support childcare agencies, programs for at-risk youth, hospitals, and a home for the elderly.

Over the past 100 years, UJA-Federation has provided many billions of dollars to meet the needs of the local and global community. Since 1990 alone, UJA-Federation has distributed more than $3.8 billion to help people around the world.

The UJA annual campaign remains the single largest philanthropic effort by any local community, and in 2016 it raised $207.6 million.

"100 years after its founding, we continue to be amazed at how UJA-Federation helps those in need while making room for all Jews to feel welcome in our community. The Buttenwieser family is excited to see what UJA can do in the next 100 years!" said Lawrence B. Buttenwieser, whose family was part of the founding group of UJA in 1917.

UJA-Federation of New York

For 100 years, UJA-Federation has inspired New Yorkers to act on their values and invest in our community for the biggest impact. Through UJA-Federation, more than 50,000 donors address issues that matter most to them, pooling their resources to care for Jews everywhere and New Yorkers of all backgrounds, respond to crises close to home and far away, and shape our Jewish future. Working with nearly 100 nonprofit partners, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations, UJA-Federation is the world's leading local philanthropy; our reach extends from New York to Israel to more than 70 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. For more information on how to donate or volunteer, please visit our website at www.ujafedny.org.

SOURCE UJA-Federation of New York