Eliana Apter’s Bat Mitzvah

For the past year, I worked with Kindergarteners at Quarles in an afterschool program run by Bergen Family Center. I love doing art projects and taking art classes, and I wanted to share my creativity with kids who might not be able to take art classes otherwise. Every week I would plan an activity and lead it for the class. Because I worked with the same class every week, I was able to build special connections with the students, and we all looked forward to Friday afternoons when “Miss Eliana” would come and lead a project.

Because of COVID-19, my time with the class was cut short in March. However, Bergen Family Center has continued to support the families of the students that I worked with during this devastating crisis. Since March, Bergen Family Center has helped more than 600 families who have been impacted by COVID to meet their basic needs, including by delivering food, diapers, masks, and cleaning supplies; providing transportation vouchers to essential workers; and creating online programming for older people, kids, and teens who were otherwise isolated.

I recognize how lucky I am at this moment to have everything that I need, and how many people right here in Englewood who that is not true for. In lieu of a gift, I hope that you will make a donation in my honor to the COVID-19 Relief Fund at Bergen Family Center to ensure that children right here in Englewood can get what they need to survive and to thrive.