Celebrating a successful 2015 and looking ahead
Written by Jahaida Hernández Jesurum and Sabrina Axster
Last week, New Women New Yorkers had a big reason to celebrate: Friday’s End-of-Year Bash marked the close of a successful 2015 and a jump-start to raising funds for its 2016 LEAD program series.
More than 70 people joined in the celebration at the Old Stone House in Gowanus, Brooklyn for delicious food, cocktails, and an art and fashion sale in which most of the pieces — which included paintings, photographs, and a few other items — were donated by young women immigrants living in NYC.
In her speech, Arielle reminded everyone what makes NWNY unique, including its cross-community vision of working with young immigrant women from all backgrounds, and the centrality of creating a safe space for them. This is also relevant for NWNY team members, nearly all of whom are first generation young women immigrants who can relate to each other’s challenges, creating a support system that offers a home — and a family — away from home.
As Arielle recalls from her own experience, immigrating to New York was easier for her in some ways than it is for other immigrants. She already had family ties in the city and spoke the language well, but she says, “you can’t even imagine how much stronger and more confident I feel today now that I am surrounded by this group of amazing women.”
Shots from the NWNY End of Year Bash photo booth. Who run the world? Girls!
2015 has been full of achievements for NWNY. The organization launched its flagship project, the LEAD Program, to provide young women immigrants with skills training and professional development. This year, more than 25 young women will graduate from the program, which partnered with Brooklyn-based Atlas: DIY, Catholic Charities, and The New York Public Library. NWNY also further established its blog and expanded its team to more than 15 volunteers and six board directors.
With big plans for 2016, Arielle called on guests to continue supporting NWNY and its LEAD Program so that more young women immigrants’ needs can be addressed. The target is to run 10 series of the LEAD Program to which will participate a total of 100 to 120 young women immigrants, including specialized tracks for high school and college students, refugees and asylum seekers, and mothers with young children.
To accomplish these goals NWNY will need even more support than ever. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to finance these upcoming projects, and donations — big and small — are encouraged. The current fundraising goal is $15,000, and in its first week $4,000 has already been raised!
If you missed out on this year’s bash, don’t worry; we will have another one next year. And in the meantime, there are many ways to show your support, whether you donate to the fundraiser, read the blog, spread the word about the LEAD Program, or like the NWNY Facebook page.
One more reason to celebrate
During the event, NWNY volunteers surprised Arielle for her birthday, which was just a couple of days before. It was also a chance to honor her for her accomplishments at the helm of the organization.
For those of you who have never met the founder of NWNY and might wonder about the woman behind its mission and vision, we decided to ask a few of the volunteers to describe their experiences working closely with Arielle over the past year and a half.
Celebrating the birthday of NWNY founder and director Arielle Kandel at the End of Year Bash.
Arielle is to me a great example of a strong woman who does not give up on what she believes in. She strongly believes in the vision of New Women New Yorkers and is a wonderful inspiration to work with. I think the most important thing that Arielle has shown me during the past one and a half years that I have been involved with New Women New Yorkers is to always look on the bright side of things and stay optimistic, but also that it’s okay to admit your weaknesses and that asking for help does not make you look weak — in fact, quite the opposite! —Mia Olesen, LEAD Program Coordinator
Working with Arielle has been a true privilege. When I first joined NWNY, we had just figured out how to file the paperwork to get an EIN and register as an official 501(c)3. That was just over a year and a half ago. It’s been a pleasure to watch NWNY grow since then and to witness the success of its first LEAD program. Arielle’s leadership and unfaltering passion has been the biggest influence on NWNY’s success and it’s impossible not to be inspired by that. —Megan Pickarski, Events Volunteer
The fact that in just over a year Arielle has built a large team of dedicated volunteers, assembled a Board of Directors, launched NWNY’s flagship LEAD Program, and has secured prestigious partnerships with organizations like Catholic Charities and the New York Public Library (among other equally impressive accomplishments), speaks volumes about her leadership skills and her determination. Arielle inspires the best in people, and works tirelessly to make a positive difference in the lives of those who are lucky to be around her. It is a privilege to work alongside with her, learning how to run a non-profit, build programs to empower young women immigrants and manage a team of incredible volunteers. Everyday I continue to be inspired by the work we do and none of this would not be possible without Arielle Kandel. —Abbey Kurtz, Outreach & Development Manager
I joined NWNY in May, and have been working closely with Arielle on each blog post that we’ve published since. It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know her and the amazing things this organization has accomplished. Being able to tap into the knowledge and passion she has for young women immigrants is invaluable. To me, she is a fantastic example of the kind of strong and compassionate woman I strive to be. She is driven to actively make the lives of people better — not only those of the immigrant women in our programs, but also those of her volunteers. —Anna Archibald, Blog Manager/Editor
