Debrah Lee Charatan On Why Fundraising for Selfhelp Gave Her Hope

Before the pandemic sparked upheaval in New York City, Debrah Lee Charatan had been looking forward to Selfhelp’s annual gala.

The event was going to be beautiful. The nonprofit had reserved space at New York City’s Pier Sixty, a glittering event venue with breathtaking views of the Hudson River, and planned for an evening of conversation, celebration, and good company. The fundraiser was going to be perfect; it had to be, given the importance of the nonprofit it supported.

For over 80 years, Selfhelp has promoted independent living by providing a range of community-based services to New York’s most vulnerable seniors. The organization currently offers home health care services, affordable housing, and a comprehensive network of community-based programs to over 20,000 clients, 4,800 of whom are Holocaust survivors. It strives to reduce hospitalization, promote community wellness, and avoid institutional care -- but like many nonprofits, Selfhelp requires outside support to accomplish its mission.

This year, Debrah Lee Charatan was going to co-chair Selfhelp’s annual fundraising gala. However, she and the nonprofit’s leaders soon realized that their original vision wouldn’t be feasible.

“Once the pandemic took off in New York, we knew that an in-person event would be impossible,” Charatan recounted. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been frightening for most Americans -- but for the elderly, immunocompromised, and vulnerable, it looms particularly large. Selfhelp serves the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19 so we had to think about what we needed to do to protect and support them.”

While the feasibility of the gala had dropped, Selfhelp’s need for funds remained real and pressing. The organization faced unprecedented challenges; a significant portion of its clients faced financial hardship and needed assistance with the basics -- food, housing support, and medical care. Selfhelp’s 1,600 frontline home health aides and guardianship workers required PPE resources to care for those most in need of compassionate support.

“With the circumstances being what they were, we decided not to do a virtual gala,” Debrah Lee Charatan explained. “We couldn’t justify putting resources towards an event -- digital or not -- when so many of our clients and staff had such pressing needs.”

In the end, Selfhelp’s leadership team opted to launch a virtual fundraising campaign that riffed on its foregone gala in its name; they titled it GALA, or Giving Assistance, Leading with Action.

“At first, I was hesitant to solicit donors. There was so much uncertainty, and a lot of people were -- still are -- struggling financially,” Charatan admits. “But the response we received startled me; it gave me hope for our community, even in this dark time.”

In the end, Selfhelp’s GALA campaign raised over two million dollars.

The funds received are both deeply appreciated and well-applied. So far, GALA contributions have been used to provide essential relief to Holocaust survivors and other at-risk elderly, cover one-month rent stipends to ease financial burdens, purchase lifesaving PPE for Selfhelp’s healthcare heroes, and enable home care workers to take alternative forms of transportation and pay for childcare.

The GALA campaign began in early April and ended June 30th -- however, Selfhelp is still raising money to help their clients and staff.

Perhaps Debrah Lee Charatan put it best when she said, “Anything that we can do, we should do. This is a time to pull together -- even if we can’t show our support in person, we can show up for Selfhelp’s seniors.”