To Whom It May Concern

I am writing to you today on behalf of the Help and Education Center, which was
established as an Israeli nonprofit organization in 1970. For more than 30 years
the Center has served the peripheral community of Kiryat Gat and its surroundin
g areas as a place devoted to improving the lives of the people that we serve. T
he Help and Education Center aims to provide educational reinforcement, and ther
apeutic and welfare services for the well being and advancement of weak populati
ons in of Kiryat Gat.
The statistics concerning the town are far from uplifting. Out of the town’s 57,
000 residents, more than half of them live off of welfare payments or earn salar
ies at a similar level. Kiryat Gat has its share of children and youth at-risk—t
hose who have behavioral problems in school, are delinquent, and even drop out s
chool—many of which come from depressed socioeconomic background. There are over
2,000 children registered with the welfare authorities. Countless children are
left to fend for themselves before and after school and would go completely hung
ry without the programs offered at the Help and Education Center. Often the only
food available to these children is bread; without sufficient nutrition, childr
en and youth cannot develop properly. For many, the lunch that they receive in s
chool or in one of the Center’s other programs is their only daily meal. Sadly,
some will even take part of their food home to help feed their siblings or famil
y.
The mission of the Help and Education Center is twofold: 1) to provide the “righ
t” programs which can empower the residents of Kiryat Gat and give them the tool
s to raise themselves out of their unfortunate situation and; 2) to provide educ
ational and enrichment programs as well as academic tutoring that enable the you
th to create a better future for themselves.
Since its inception, the Center has been operating programs in accordance with o
ur above mission serving more than 3,000 people each year. Our primary programs
include:
• Kindergarten and Daycare Centers—in Israel in order to survive, both par
ents must work—especially in peripheral towns like Kiryat Gat. Many young childr
en in our area suffer from severe neglect. In order to make a positive differenc
e in their lives, an intervention is necessary before primary school begins. The
Center operates 6 daycare centers and 17 kindergartens that provides for many o
f the developmental needs of these children and more importantly, a regular hot
meal and nurturing environment.
• Elementary Schools—The Center operates a school for boys and a school fo
r girls. The girls school is one of our longest standing projects and is fully a
ccredited as a public school by the Ministry of Education in Israel. Our student
population is very diverse—students come from both religious and secular home a
nd include native Israelis as well as many new immigrants from the FSU, Ethiopia
and South America.
• Adult Educational Programs—the Center offers parenting, employment skill
s and financial skills workshops, among other topics as well as family counselin
g
• Tutoring and Enrichment Activities and Summer Camps—Programming operates
from 6:30am – 6:30pm and provides more than 700 children with a safe environmen
t that provides homework assistance and teaches life-skills, good morals, and ad
vancement through education.
• Emergency Food Baskets and Assistance for Needy Families—The Center prov
ides emergency allocation baskets for families in severe distress. It also opera
tes a community kitchen where people can come twice a week for hot meals. The fo
od distribution network reaches 80 disadvantaged families.
• Family Services and Counseling—Many of these children need extra support
and care outside of an educational environment due to the dismal situations tha
t they come from. In their homes, these children have parents who are poverty-st
ricken, abusive, divorced, mentally disabled, sickly, neglectful, arrested, and
even drug addicted. The family intervention and counseling services is staffed m
ainly by volunteers and operates from 6:30pm – Midnight. It provides supportive
therapies and counseling by professional psychologists and social workers.
• Renovating and Purchasing Equipment— Funds are needed for building playg
rounds, renovating our facilities and synagogue as well as buying everything fro
m games and books to office supplies and fuel.
The above programs represent only a part of our many endeavors. We are seeking u
rgent funding to help those who come from socioeconomically deprived families in
the peripheral town of Kiryat Gat and surround areas. Due to lack of finances,
underprivileged children and youth are denied the potential for significant chan
ge and empowerment in their lives.
We believe that through our programs the residents of Kiryat Gat will enable the
m to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty and create a better future for
themselves and their families through education and little kindness from the He
lp and Education Center.
The current economic crisis and budget cuts by the Ministry of the Treasury, and
the Ministry of Education have left us economically depleted. This has adversel
y affected our education and relief activities just when the need is greatest.
I hope that you will take an interest in providing support for one of the above
projects. I would appreciate if you send us your Foundation’s application forms
and guidelines. If you have any questions or would like any additional informati
on please contact me.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration—both are greatly appreciated
.
Sincerely,

Rabbi Yaakov Levin

Chairman of resources and development
http://www.israelhelp.org