Members of Westchester business community mentor students at RTF

For many young people, finding a job is a difficult, but for those who have suffered from significant mental health issues, those challenges can be magnified. Often, social cues are missed and professional conversation can be elusive.

That’s why members of UJA-Federation of New York’s Westchester Business and Professional Division board stepped up to mentor the young women at the Sally & Anthony Mann Center, a residential treatment facility in Hawthorne, New York, for teenage girls with severe emotional challenges run by UJA partner, The Jewish Board. There, they spoke to the students about job search skills and practiced interviewing skills.

The Westchester Business and Professional Division is deeply committed to sustaining UJA-Federation’s network of life-altering nonprofits by bringing together like-minded individuals with shared interest, values, and purpose.

“It feels good to give back to the Mann Center, which is run by the Jewish Board, an agency that the UJA supports, and to share what I’ve learned as a businesswoman with young women who are motivated to embark upon careers of their own,” said White Plains resident Bonnie Hagen, founder and COO of Bright Energy Services, a sustainable energy firm.

Captions:

Photo 1: Susan Lampert of Armonk, director of business development at TitleVest, a national title insurance agency, shares interview questions with a Mann Center student.

Photo 2: White Plains resident Bonnie Hagen, founder and COO of Bright Energy Services, a sustainable energy firm, does mock interviews with a student.

About UJA-Federation of New York:

For over 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 hundreds of 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 nearly 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.

About the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services:

For more than 140 years, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (The Jewish Board) has been helping New Yorkers realize their potential and live as independently as possible. We promote resilience and recovery by addressing all aspects of an individual’s life, including mental and physical health, family, employment and education. Across the five boroughs and in Westchester, we serve more than 43,000 New Yorkers from all religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds each year. For more information, click on www.jewishboard.org