Dear Friends,
Reflecting on all that 2020 has wrought, I’m reminded of the Yiddish proverb “Man plans, God laughs.”
This time last year found us all putting plot points on our fresh calendars: Planning milestone celebrations and family get-togethers, resolving to exercise or be more present for others. At The Russell Berrie Foundation, we were busy preparing to carry out an ambitious agenda for our work with dynamic leaders and organizations here in New Jersey and in Israel.
Even as the proverb resonates, though, as humans seeking to make a difference in the world, all we can do is plan. And for me, 2020 also drove home the profound importance of thoughtful planning, conducted with a view toward the future and in close collaboration with partners on the ground. When we invest in initiatives that combine good planning with pragmatic and effective execution capability, our grantees are positioned to pivot with agility when the world shifts beneath our feet.
One powerful illustration of this is Atudot North, a groundbreaking program we co-created last year with Maoz, an existing grantee with a proven track record built on identifying, training and challenging leaders with a passion for social innovation. Atudot North cultivates and forges connections among diverse social change leaders in northern Israel (a socially distanced program is pictured above).
When COVID-19 hit, the region’s existing challenges only intensified. Problems like unemployment and the “digital divide” were compounded, while resources were further strained as record numbers of Israelis fled cramped apartments for rural communities up north.
Because Atudot North had already established connections and credibility within the highly specific and fragmented communities of the region, it was able to swiftly respond to the rapidly evolving situation brought on by the pandemic. In Tiberias, team members forged a partnership between local authorities and hospital officials that resulted in a summer camp for medical workers’ children. They helped Arab local authorities digitalize their operations, shore up small businesses with emergency aid and access essentials like masks and sanitizers. And they worked with trauma experts to provide emotional support for overwhelmed hospital staff.
In another example of the fruit born of well-laid plans, our ongoing work helping Bergen County food pantries better serve those at risk of developing diabetes allowed us to develop an effective, sustainable response to the alarming rise in food insecurity during the pandemic.
Together with county government and representatives of food distribution sites and on-the-ground non-profits, we joined forces to ensure that emergency aid—balancing urgent needs with critical long-term capacity priorities, like refrigerators and computers for food pantries—got to our communities in need.
We look forward to 2021 confident that ongoing investments in planning and collaboration are vital assets as we meet the challenges ahead. Thank you to our grantees, our colleagues and our communities for your amazing commitment and resourcefulness. We are proud to stand with you.
Sincerely,
Ruth Salzman
Chief Executive Officer