The DOROT community of donors, older adults and volunteers will come together virtually on June 3 to celebrate our 45th anniversary and pay special tribute to those who worked tirelessly to innovate and transform DOROT programming during the pandemic year.
Everyone is invited to attend the event and encouraged to forward the invitation to friends and family. While the event is DOROT’s largest fundraiser, a donation of any amount will offer access to the event.
MSNBC’s Ari Melber, anchor of The Beat with Ari Melber, will be the evening’s host. Melber is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, news anchor, writer and attorney, and serves as chief legal correspondent for MSNBC, NBC News, The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. He will be coming to the event live from the MSNBC studio in Manhattan.
Joining Melber will be Dr. Ruth Westheimer, nonagenarian behavioral therapist, author of 44 books and media personality who may best be known for having pioneered talking explicitly about sex on radio and television. However, that is only a small part of her rich and diversified life, which will become apparent at the event. An entertaining discussion between the two on life during the pandemic will be a feature of the event.
Several members of the DOROT community who have contributed in countless ways during our 45-year history will be honored. Among them are Robert Brajer, 82, a Holocaust survivor who quickly recognized how life-affirming DOROT’s programs can be (Robert became a bit of a celebrity when he and his pre-COVID Friendly Visiting partner Ben Goldstein talked about their friendship on CNN earlier this year) and Leah Hetzfield, 84, who spent her time in isolation participating in 281 Onsite@Home Zoom programs. She, too, knows firsthand how important social connection is to one’s health and well-being.
Also honored will be volunteers Jeff and Jack Hattam, father and son, who epitomize the intergenerational connection that is at the core of DOROT’s work. Jeff has been volunteering with DOROT for more than 25 years; Jack, his son, nearly his entire life. Long-time Board Member and supporter Josh Targoff will also be recognized for his ongoing generosity and for his family’s underwriting of the Intergenerational Chess program.
Lastly, the DOROT staff will be honored for their work this year to keep older adults connected and safe while in isolation.