Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services 42nd Annual Gala will be held this Sunday, February 12, at the New York Hilton Hotel, in New York City, 5:00 p.m. reception, 6:00 p.m. dinner.
This year’s gala dinner, themed “Cherish the Children,” will include a tribute to the memory of Rita Baratz, a’h, proud mother of David and Tzippora Baratz of West Hempstead and Sammy and Rachellie Baratz of Woodmere.
Rita and her husband Joe served as exemplary Ohel foster parents to many children in need of safe shelter and a loving home. They raised their four sons on Staten Island where they also lovingly welcomed many foster children into their home. The Baratz children experienced firsthand how Ohel and a loving foster family can create a childhood to be cherished.
The Baratz family recognizes the impact and importance of Ohel’s foster care program and is proud, as Ohel honorees, to remember and pay tribute to their mother’s generosity, love, and hard work.
The evening will also feature the installation of Mel Zachter, a longtime friend and board member of Ohel as copresident of Ohel Bais Ezra.
Ohel and its many friends and supporters are committed to the fundamental principle that every child deserves to be cherished. For more than 42 years, Ohel has provided critical programs and services to help ensure that children are protected, well cared for, loved, and encouraged to thrive.
Through Ohel Bais Ezra, Ohel Lifetime Care Foundation, Ohel Foster Care, Ohel Mental Health, Ohel’s Institute for Training, and Camp Kaylie, Ohel serves thousands of children, adults, and families in need every day in communities throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas, as well as in South Florida and worldwide on the web.
Support for the annual gala will give children with developmental disabilities the opportunity to attend summer camp alongside their typically developing peers; respite and support to the parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders; access to the best medical care for children living with Ohel foster families; among many other important programs and services.
The annual gala is Ohel’s most important fundraising event of the year. Many of Ohel’s programs receive little or no government funding. Gifts to the 2012 annual gala and journal will support Ohel’s Cherish the Children Campaign.
For reservations, to place a journal ad, or to learn more about the event, visit www.ohelfamily.org/dinner or call 718-972-9338.