Visual Eyes

S2 Ep 11 - Serving Broward: Morgan Weinblatt on The Power of Giving & Nonprofit Impact

• Visuals by Momo • Season 2 • Episode 11

Share episode

In this episode of Visual Eyes Podcast, host Chris Baker sits down with Morgan Weinblatt, Director of Development at Goodman Jewish Family Services (Goodman JFS), to discuss the power of philanthropy, collaboration, and nonprofit impact in Broward County.

Morgan shares her journey into fundraising and nonprofit leadership, detailing how Goodman JFS supports diverse communities through programs such as:
✔ Holocaust Survivor Assistance – Serving over 800 survivors annually with financial aid, home care, and emotional support.
✔ Joshua’s Path Disability Services – Empowering neurodivergent adults with essential life skills and community integration.
✔ The Cupboard & Rack Pack – Providing food security and clothing assistance to those in need.

💡 Learn how nonprofits and businesses can collaborate to maximize social impact, and why volunteers and donors play a critical role in sustaining these services. Plus, hear the incredible story of a former client who became a donor, proving that philanthropy creates lasting change!

📌 Learn More & Get Involved:
🌍 Goodman JFS: https://www.jfsbroward.org
📷 Instagram: @JFSofBroward
📘 LinkedIn: Goodman JFS of Broward
🎥 YouTube: Goodman JFS YouTube

🔔 Subscribe to Visual Eyes Podcast for More Nonprofit & Leadership Insights!


Would you like some help creating the perfect narrative for your organization?
Book your Strategy Call


VISUALS BY MOMO:
Phone: (954) 745-7922
Website: https://www.visualsbymomo.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualsbymomo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visualsbymomo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visualsbymomo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@visualsbymomo
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/visualsbymomo
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@visualsbymomo


Special Thanks to Stacy Daugherty for the beautiful wall artwork in the background. Socials: @artographybystacy

Chris Baker:

Welcome to Visual Eyes, the podcast where collaboration fuels change. I'm your host, chris Baker, and each week we'll explore incredible connections between nonprofits, businesses and the community. This is a space where we highlight inspiring partnerships, uncover strategies for creating meaningful impact and share stories that show how working together can make all the difference. Whether you're a nonprofit leader, a business owner or someone just passionate about building connections, this podcast is for you. Welcome back to Visual Eyes. Today I have a very special guest from Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County. Short for Goodman, JFS, Morgan. How are you today?

Morgan Weinblatt:

I'm well. Thanks for having me Excellent. This is exciting, thank you.

Chris Baker:

So the first thing we're going to start off with is, specifically can you share your journey and what inspired you to become more involved with Goodman JFS and helping Broward County?

Morgan Weinblatt:

Sure. So philanthropy was always very important in my family. Growing up, my parents always participated in community events in New York, where I'm from, when I was working for my alma mater, hofstra University. After college, I worked for an organization that helped Jewish students on college campuses and I just loved it. I loved working with college students. I loved the nonprofit world, working in it as a professional, getting mentored by my executive director. It was just a really collaborative and fun environment and I saw the direct impact that I was making on college students.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I had the opportunity to move down to South Florida and worked at the University of Miami Hillel in Miami, and so that's how I came to South Florida. When I moved to Broward County, I had the opportunity to work for Goodman Jewish Family Services. So I've always been in the fundraising, development, events, marketing sort of realm and putting on events to basically raise funds for the organization. Goodman Jewish Family Services is such an important organization in our community helping really vulnerable people, multiple populations really, from children all the way to people that are over 100 years old Holocaust survivors. So I see the direct impact that we make every day and fundraising and development is such a critical piece to that because that's how we're able to help people is get the resources we need to be able to provide them to people that are in need. That's how I got involved and Broward has really welcomed me with open arms.

Chris Baker:

There's a lot of New Yorkers down here, so I feel right at home, but it's really an amazing community.

Morgan Weinblatt:

It's very diverse. There are a lot of very philanthropic giving people in this community that want to do better and want to do good, and so we're fortunate to be able to meet those people if they want to make an impact and work with us everybody, and that was something that really kind of was inspiring, because what you guys have started is just so incredibly important and valuable for this community to really thrive.

Chris Baker:

So thank you very much for joining this cause and being here today again. So I want to talk a little bit about a couple of your programs that you did want. One of the ones that you mentioned was the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, and then we also would love to talk about Joseph's Path Disability Services, and so let's start there, and then we can talk a little bit more about other collaborations.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Great. So the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program is personally very meaningful to me. My grandparents escaped the Holocaust. They fled France right before the war and came to New York and that's really how my father's side of the family grew up. That was a big part of our family's upbringing and our family's story. So when I learned that Jewish family service organizations across the country and in Canada so internationally are helping survivors, it really hit home for me and I felt like I landed in the right place.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So we have about 1,500 survivors living in Broward County we're one of the largest populations in the United States outside of New York and in LA and so we serve about 500 to 800 survivors annually really with a variety of needs Home care, if they need to go to a dental appointment, if they need help with rent, if they need food. We are really, for a lot of them, their family. Many of them did not have any children, never got married, lost touch or their family unfortunately perished in the Holocaust, and so family for us I mean it's in our name Goodman Jewish Family Services, so we are their family and we take care of them, and we have amazing social workers, amazing professional staff that go into their homes and they see a friendly face, they help with the social isolation that they've been experiencing still as a result of the pandemic. So we do a lot of luncheons for them, we do a lot of activities, we really just to try to make them live their lives with dignity, independence and live the rest of their lives, you know, with with hope and and just be happy. So that's really a goal for us with that program.

Morgan Weinblatt:

And then our Joshua's Path Disability Services Program such an amazing program. We help neurodivergent adults really have a safe space and learn social skills and go out in the community and visit different companies and different nonprofits and just get those experiences and see how people are living their lives and giving back to community. And so we have about 25 participants in our class and they have a graduation every year at the end of their session. So it's quite an amazing program. We have a few staff members that again help run the program. It's a lot of respite for the family members as well. It's not a full day program but it is time for family members to kind of have that respite, do what they need to do during the day. Their adult child right comes to us, learn social skills is around other individuals.

Morgan Weinblatt:

They all form bonds and friendships, so there are so many layers to this program that's so important for these individuals and their families. So we really love this program and we have pretty incredible partners that are funding this program as well.

Chris Baker:

Can you tell any of a success story that happened through Joseph's Path that? Kind of can help and inspire other people in the community to really look at this program.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Yeah, I mean there's a few that come to mind. Some of these individuals most of them, I would say may not necessarily become gainfully employed five days a week, nine to five, but if they're able to get out of the house and volunteer one of them actually volunteers at our cupboard. So talk about wraparound services, which for us means if you come to Goodman Jewish Family Services, we can help you in many different ways. We are assessing your needs, whether that's with food and nutrition, support, mental health. You need help with your rent. We'll help with rental assistance, we'll provide clothing to you. There are many different ways that we help people holistically, and so we had a client in our Joshua's Path program who now helps out at our cupboard, at our food pantry. So he's there multiple days a week. He's interacting with the staff, he's interacting with our clients, he has meaning, he has purpose, and so that's really what the goal is.

Chris Baker:

So I know a little bit more than maybe a lot of other people about Goodman, jfs and the couple of different things that you brought up was the cupboard and Rat Pack, so can you talk a little bit more about that before we go back to collaboration just because we bring that up? Let's have that conversation now, sure.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So Goodman Jewish Family Services I like to describe it as kind of an umbrella, where we have about 12 different programs underneath our brand. So Rack Pack Clothing Closet is one of our programs and the Dorit and Benje Jenea Cupboard is another one of our programs.

Morgan Weinblatt:

The cupboard is a food pantry. It's a choice food pantry, so we're not giving anyone just a standard box of non-perishable goods. They can come in. It's by appointment, it's confidential. It looks like a grocery store where they can shop, they can choose their items. We help them select different items based on nutrition needs and whatever needs they have. We have a social worker that also works with them in terms of other needs, whether that be rental assistance, whether that be clothing from the Rack Pack Clothing.

Chris Baker:

Closet.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So again, we are wrapping ourselves around someone and looking at all of their individualized needs so that when they leave us, they have everything they need, they're self-sufficient and they can move on from us. That's really our goal is to enable people to live self-sufficiently and independently. So the cupboard is amazing. That's where we are unique. It's a choice food pantry where people can come in and it's confidential. They're the only client in our food pantry where people can come in and it's confidential. They're the only client in our food pantry at a time. The Rack Pack Clothing Closet is also one of my favorite programs because it's just such a phenomenal program and the way that it's set up. You guys went there and it looks like a boutique.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I mean it's so well done, thoughtful, in terms of how they separate out clothing for different genders and sizes and family sizes, and it really is completely free to clients. They can come to us whether they had a house fire, unfortunately, and lost everything and need clothing. You know we see a lot of different families, individuals, different stages of life where they're going through crisis or a challenge and they just need to rely on us for that. You know one thing that they need, so the clothing closet. We have baby items, we have suits for men if they're going on interviews. You know professional clothing for women if they're going on interviews to hopefully get jobs, shoes I mean everything in between. We really try to make it like a boutique and like a great experience for our clients. It's also confidential and it's a choice closet.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So our staff there they also try to help style the clothing for clients so that when they do get the clothing from us, they can wear an item in multiple different ways and feel good about themselves, because that's really important for us. The dignity piece is very important and the respect piece.

Chris Baker:

So when I was at the Rack Pack, one of the best things that happened was we got the whole tour of the respect piece. So when I was at the Rack Pack, one of the best things that happened was we got the whole tour of the entire space. But I remember hearing a story, specifically from Daryl that was some of the racks were actually built as a collaboration effort and I think that was amazing, that that was one way that another company could give back and collaborate with Goodman JFS in a different way, because it's not always about money. Sometimes there's other opportunities that we have. So that's kind of coming back to the collaboration aspect. Besides that, what other kind of collaborations have you guys experienced with either other nonprofits or for-profits that you could maybe share some stories on?

Morgan Weinblatt:

That's a great one. I love that story that Daryl tells. Shout out to Daryl, she's amazing. One collaboration that I can think of that has worked really well for us is we collaborate with Consolidated Credit so we provide financial literacy classes and opportunities for people that come to us for our financial assistance program or workforce development program so that they're learning things that may be common knowledge for us. Budgeting, I mean simple, that they don't really teach you in school.

Morgan Weinblatt:

You're kind of learning as you go and if you didn't have that guidance or mentorship or learning, learning as you go and if you didn't have that guidance or mentorship or learning, we're providing that to clients again to help them and give them the tools that they need to be self-sufficient and eventually move on from us. Now there will always be people, like Holocaust survivors, for example, who are aging, who may not have family, who have a lot of needs as they age in place, who will be with us for a long time, right, but for the majority of people that come to us because they're in a crisis or experiencing life's many challenges, we want to help them and be a stop along their journey. So the financial literacy courses with Consolidated Credit have been phenomenal. Their professionals come in and work with our clients and again, that's such a basic budgeting and understanding just financials at a basic level is so crucial for people to be able to live.

Chris Baker:

It was so interesting. I was just at an event on Friday for women in distress and they were just having the same conversation because it digs so deeply into how people can get trapped in these unsafe situations because they don't have the information. So I'm glad that there also is more opportunities for people to learn financial literacy. That's very important.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Very important, and I mean just connecting with other nonprofits in Broward County who are doing similar work. You know we certainly have our lane. We're a social service organization. We help people with, I would say, three primary areas Basic needs services, so food, clothing, shelter, behavioral health and trauma support. So our social workers are trained from a person-centered, trauma-informed approach. So really trauma is what we do. Well, that's our bread and butter. And then Holocaust survivor and older adult support. Those are our three lanes. Now there are thousands of nonprofits, I think, in Broward County.

Morgan Weinblatt:

And so we know we can't do it all, and so partnering with those for-profit companies like a Consolidated Credit or other nonprofits, like A Feeding South Florida, who provide food to our cupboard. They're so critical in making this work happen and delivering goods and services to people in need. I think of another one, the city of Miramar. We've been partnering with them. Despite having Jewish in our name, we do serve the broader community and that's something that people don't fully understand. We were created as a nonprofit to first serve the needs of the Jewish community, but as the Broward community evolved, we have too and we are serving other populations.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So the city of Miramar looked to us because we receive an influx of food to our food pantry. Our food pantry is kosher and we primarily provide kosher food to people keeping kosher or Jewish individuals, but all of the food that we get that is not kosher. We partner with other organizations who need that food. So there's a lot of sort of bartering going on and sharing resources in Broward County with a lot of the food pantries and so the city of Miramar. We're able to provide that food to their residents, and so that's been an amazing partnership that has grown over the last year. We do a few distributions with them annually and they've really embraced us and welcomed us into their community. So it's a lot of connecting and understanding where there's gaps in resources and then where we could fill those gaps.

Chris Baker:

Sure, one of the other things that I know that when we were filming at the cupboard for you on our first video that we worked with you, is you guys actually have a delivery service for some of the people that cannot get to the cupboard. Yes, can you talk a little bit about that, because I know that I got to meet Max and that was just amazing.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Yes, that's a really key aspect of our work. First of all is our volunteer program. Major shout out to our volunteers, from board members who are volunteers all the way to our kids that are in middle school and high school, that are going with their parents and delivering food to homebound seniors or Holocaust survivors and bringing them food. So this really evolved during the pandemic, obviously, when people were sheltering in place, not leaving their homes, really with our elder population, they started to deteriorate very quickly and many of them really can no longer leave their homes and they are unfortunately homebound or do not have access to transportation to come to our cupboard.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So we galvanize the volunteers and we have hundreds of volunteers who have specific routes on a regular basis, who have specific clients that they deliver to and they will deliver their food to them and that's been a major shift, I would say, in the nonprofit landscape. With anyone who's doing food service, you have to be doing delivery at this point because, there are so many people who do not have access to transportation or who cannot leave their homes, and so that's a major component of our service delivery is the food delivery on a regular basis.

Chris Baker:

I'm going to touch a little bit and I'm going to kind of talk to the audience here right now, but I do have to ask where can they see the video that we created, feed the Need and actually see Max talk about the avocado story? I'm not going to give you more than that, because I want you to go find it and watch it.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Isn't he the cutest? He's amazing. He was so cute.

Chris Baker:

Him and his mom were just amazing in the video and just so kind Shout out to the Bratters they're amazing.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So that video is on our YouTube channel. So if you go to YouTube and you look up Goodman JFS, that'll be on there and you can learn more about our avocado man who's one of our clients.

Morgan Weinblatt:

We have so many clients that just have these amazing stories that again, when they see the familiar face of the volunteer, it brings them so much joy. Our volunteers have become their family. Our staff have become their family. This is really who they look forward to seeing on a regular basis. It may be one of the only people they're seeing on a regular basis.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So, it's so important for us to keep those connections and, again, we've had volunteers that have been with us for 5, 10, 15, 20 years. Some board members have shared with me that before we had a cupboard, they were delivering bags of groceries to our clients out of our old office that used to be in Plantation and they remember 20 years ago, you know, packing up the grocery bag. So we've always done that service in terms of food support. But now it's on a much grander scale and we have the cupboard and we have hundreds of volunteers and it's very operationalized. And shout out to the cupboard team because they're amazing.

Chris Baker:

Ross and his team. They were amazing to work with, so kind, so helpful, so I really enjoyed that whole entire experience. So that was really fun.

Morgan Weinblatt:

You can come back anytime. Definitely need to.

Chris Baker:

Definitely need to Make more footage and more content library for you guys.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Exactly, exactly.

Chris Baker:

Okay, so we did get to touch a lot on the collaborations. Now I want to shift it a little bit. As you're providing these services specifically, what are some of the challenges or lessons that you've learned to hopefully help other nonprofits get over these hurdles and obstacles that they might be facing to get the support they need from other nonprofits or from for-profits?

Morgan Weinblatt:

So there's so much to unpack there. I've been thinking about this question a lot and I think there's a lot of different ways we can answer it. I think for nonprofits, there is a lot of burnout when you work for a nonprofit, that's our reality, and so there's not a lot of continuity in terms of staff staying with nonprofits. So one of the things that we're seeing is we are trying to rebuild relationships with major funders in the community or other nonprofits or for-profit companies, because we didn't have a lot of continuity for a little bit. Ourselves, we're kind of in a regrowth mode. We had some transition. We've had our amazing CEO, randy Coleman, now for three years. I've been here almost over a year at this point, so the ship is stable. But for many nonprofits we see that transition and it impacts collaboration and partnerships.

Chris Baker:

It does.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So that's the first thing in terms of challenges, nonprofits try to retain your staff. You know, be good to your staff, be gentle with your staff. It's hard work. No one goes into a nonprofit to make money. I mean, we really love the work we do and we want to make an impact and hopefully see the world in a better place than you know it once was.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So that's the first thing. And then I think the second thing for nonprofits in terms of collaboration is just continued awareness about who does what. What is your lane in your nonprofit and your service provision, and have people understand that. And then, when they are unable to provide a service or do something for their clients or their community, look to another partner and put the ego to the side about that and say you know what? We can't handle this, this is not something we do, this is not core to us. We don't have the competency or the capacity, so we need to look to another nonprofit that's doing this great work. I think about other nonprofits and one example that comes to mind they were hosting a summit that related to the middle class and economic growth and economic development, and because we have Jewish in our name, some people may think we only serve the Jewish community, but we do serve the broader community, and this event happened to be on one of our high holy days, rosh Hashanah.

Chris Baker:

Okay.

Morgan Weinblatt:

So that is a day that is like a Christmas. That is one of our highest holy days of the year, where you have a lot of Jewish individuals that are not working or leaving work early. It's really our day to rest and observe. So we felt like we didn't have a seat at the table because we couldn't attend the event and so, again, it's just awareness about cultures and backgrounds and who's doing what, who's good at service provision, and just trying to be more inclusive, which is so hard to do because you have so many different populations and diverse backgrounds and there's always a holiday or there's always something. So planning is not perfect, but just to kind of keep that top of mind in this space and be aware of it.

Chris Baker:

So I think that's very good advice, because sometimes that we do, we're just like, okay, I'm gonna pick this date because it's the best for us, taking a little look and like, okay, is this a holiday? Is this affecting anyone else? Right, and then, even if you have to keep the same date, at least you're reaching out, maybe beforehand and letting them know hey, I'm sorry, this is the only date that works for us.

Chris Baker:

we would love to have have you represented there, but we understand it's also not a specific date that you could be, but having that conversation keeps the collaboration alive.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Exactly.

Chris Baker:

And then one of the other things that you kind of brought up is for smaller nonprofits staying in their mission and not mission drifting creep yes um, it's.

Chris Baker:

it's one of the conversations that was just at an amazing um panel and they were talking about mission drift, like you know, and to kind of explain it I'm probably going to explain it wrong but basically, if you have a specific mission, your niche, where you're really going to focus your time, and then something else comes along that could be there but it's just a little outside of your mission, don't take it on. Try to help. Like you said, go find the people that can really handle it and then find a way to collaborate, because I think that that's the most important piece is bringing the bigger picture into place and, like you said, don't have the ego about it, because that, honestly, could be the next step to really getting you to grow even further. Because now, if you are a small non-profit, you're a one person, two person show, and now you're working with goodman jfs, you've got a whole entire team backing you up because they're like, oh, we don't handle your niche, but we can handle this area. It's a perfect partnership.

Morgan Weinblatt:

It takes such thoughtful leaders to be able to say that and say you know what. We're going to look to another organization that's doing that well and collaborate with them and partner with them. Correct, and we work every day very hard to do that as well. You know, we know what our lane is and we know what we do well and where we want to spend our time, based on the needs. And so, yeah, nonprofits definitely need to, I think, work harder at that. Work that muscle a little bit in terms of staying mission focused and not having the mission creep.

Chris Baker:

Yeah, no, I completely agree and I think that, honestly, it's so valuable of information so I can't wait to get this episode out to share. Because, honestly, I think if we can bring the leaders together in such a way that they can actually do more good on a bigger scale, we're all going to love Cloud9. Because their statement when nonprofits thrive, communities rise. So I'm saying a huge shout out to Cloud9. I love that it's an amazing tagline.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I love that.

Chris Baker:

And it's so true because, as the nonprofits do more and do better, the whole community rises. So huge shout out to Cloud9. Loved working with you guys in the past as well, and so I think this is an excellent opportunity to bring leaders together, find the collaboration efforts that work, and then we can always just grow Like. That is why we're here.

Morgan Weinblatt:

A hundred percent.

Chris Baker:

So that's fantastic, all right. So, looking ahead, what are some of the strategies that you guys have in store in Goodman JFS that you're going to help bring to strengthen Broward County?

Morgan Weinblatt:

So one of the areas that we're really looking at is our aging population. Here, I mean we have a very large senior population in South Florida, primarily Broward County. So how we can strengthen really services for seniors and grow that area and support them again as they age in place, as they need more resources. The affordability crisis is only getting worse, especially here in South Florida, as people continue to move here in kind of just droves.

Chris Baker:

So fast.

Morgan Weinblatt:

It's really increasing the rise of costs and everything. I mean. Affordable housing is a really big issue in this county, and so we're really looking at services to support those individuals. So that's a really big area for us, as well as food and nutrition support. You know, if you don't have three meals a day and you're not fed, how are you able to go to work? How are you able to do anything else? That's a really important aspect for us and really just case management in terms of just again helping people from a holistic approach individuals that are in crisis, that need mental health support, to try to get them to live more self-sufficiently and really integrate with society. So those are a lot of the key areas that we're looking at in terms of our work in the foreseeable future and also trying to. We have four locations right now, so we are kind of distributed around Broward County.

Morgan Weinblatt:

We have four locations right now, so we are kind of distributed around Broward County. You know, the geography of this county is challenging and how can people get to different sites. And one of the things that we imagine may be helpful for people is having a one-stop shop, a physical one-stop shop, you know, co-locating our Rack, Pack, Clothing Closet and our cupboard and having a workforce development staff member there to really help people again get what they need, give them the tools to succeed and move on from us. So those are the things that we're looking at. And, again, more collaboration with the for-profit community, especially individuals, companies. Right now, with what's going on in the world, there's a lot of uncertainty with funding for nonprofits. That's a really big issue that we're facing. That keeps me up every single day and all of us nonprofit leaders. But it's the individuals that can really make a difference and we depend on them. I mean our donors, our supporters.

Morgan Weinblatt:

they're our lifeline and we just need more of them to know who we are, understand what we do and really to see the tangible impact that we're making so they feel good about it.

Chris Baker:

With that statement, we're talking about the uncertainty of everything right now. It's so hard. I just put out an article on LinkedIn why storytelling at this moment is so critical so important. Because now you have to start reaching the average individual, the workers. You know. Maybe get that extra five dollars a month from each person could make a huge difference huge difference and the way to you know, get that information to them is the right story.

Chris Baker:

Yep, um, so yeah, I really like I put that out there, as you know, just to help for all the non-profits. Like, let's talk storytelling, whether it's us, whether it's another company, whether you can do it yourself, whatever the case, be, find an opportunity to really tell your story and do it well.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I mean, we talk a lot about the people we serve.

Morgan Weinblatt:

They could be your neighbors, they could be your friends that you have no idea that they're going through a hard time. We have a donor right now. Here's an amazing story. She was a client of ours. She came to the cupboard and she was a client of Rackpack and we helped her. For probably about two months she lost her job. She was going through a difficult time with her family, a lot of financial uncertainty, and after we helped her she got a job and we kind of didn't hear from her for a little bit. She called me and said you know, I'm running this successful e-commerce makeup company that I really want to give back to you guys because you helped me so much. And I was shocked.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I mean I was shocked to get that call, that she was so grateful for our help and she now wants to give back to us, like she was a client and then became a donor. And she's giving back to us on a regular basis through her e-commerce platform and it's the easiest way to give. And every few days I receive an email like you received X amount of dollars in your account and I think of her so often and I reach out to her and we have this great relationship. But it's one of those stories where she from the beginning was like I really want to help and I don't know if I can do X amount per year. She was overwhelmed by an amount that she could do and I said any little bit counts.

Morgan Weinblatt:

You could give a dollar a day, which is $365, which feeds a family of four for two months. Putting it in perspective that's amazing If you think about it that small little bit you are helping, the dollar goes so far with that, and so now she has us connected to her e-commerce website and we get money, you know, every month or so, and it's really nice. She's given us thousands of dollars just from that, from her business, so it's a pretty amazing story.

Chris Baker:

Wow, that is really Shout out to her I know. Thank you so much for helping Goodman.

Morgan Weinblatt:

I want to get her story on camera, but we'll see. We'll work on that.

Chris Baker:

We'll work on that story on camera, but we'll work on that All right. So before we wrap up, we have one. More specific is the event that's coming up. Breaking the Silence.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Yes, Breaking the Silence, Building Resilience. So this is on March 20th and this is one of our signature events that raises money for three of our programs our Rack Pack Clothing Closet that we talked about, our Jeff Masaryk Behavioral Health Center and our Domestic Abuse Program. So really the theme is helping individuals and families through trauma and crisis. That's kind of been our theme, what we've been talking about and a primary focus of what we do. It will be at the Marriott at Dania Point and we are honoring Dr Stanley and Pearl Goodman, our namesakes. They're an incredible, incredible couple who have been in this community for decades. They are trailblazers in terms of philanthropy, community involvement. They've been so generous to NSU, to us, to multiple organizations in the community, and they are moving. They're moving to Washington DC to be closer to family. So this is really the opportunity for the community to come together, rally around them, congratulate them, honor them. So that'll be on Thursday, March 20th at Dania Point, at the Marriott, and we hope to see people there because it'll certainly be a sold out event for sure.

Chris Baker:

Yeah, I could see that definitely happening easily. Okay, so before we get to the last question, how do people get involved or contact Goodman JFS?

Morgan Weinblatt:

Very easy. Go to our website jfsbrowerorg. You can reach out to me as well, mweinblatt. At jfsbrowerorg. You can find our numbers on our website, but really our website is our best way, or Instagram at JFS of Broward or Goodman JFS of Broward on Facebook. We're on Facebook, instagram, linkedin so you can connect with us there. Or reach out to us through our website would be the best way.

Chris Baker:

So website? Yes, definitely, yeah. I heard that a couple times, so I think that probably makes it the easiest. As we wrap up, what is the legacy that you hope to leave through your work and really give back to the future generations?

Morgan Weinblatt:

This one hits home for me a lot because I have an 18-month-old son, so becoming a parent has been life-changing for me and I just think about leaving the world in a better place for him, having people be kinder, more compassionate. Again, helping your neighbor, helping your friend, is important to me and I hope people remember me as being someone that helped them feel good about giving back, because that's really my job as a fundraiser. I am the vehicle to people giving and feeling good about helping people, helping others in their community. So I hope that's what they remember me as as that important vehicle that helps them feel good about philanthropy and making a difference and again, just being a good neighbor and friend.

Chris Baker:

Awesome. Morgan, thank you so much for joining us today.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Thank you.

Chris Baker:

And I hope everybody enjoys this episode and I hope to have you back and we can talk about Part two.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Hope everybody enjoys this episode and I hope to have you back and we can talk about part two.

Chris Baker:

part two we'll talk about future involvement, that we have worked together on future projects and hopefully just you know get more information about future events too.

Morgan Weinblatt:

Amazing. Thank you so much for having me. This was so fun.

Chris Baker:

Thank you so much. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Visual Eyes. We hope that the inspiration and practical insights can help you foster stronger connections and meaningful change. Don't forget to subscribe, share the episode and leave us a review. To learn more about Visuals by Momo and how we support collaboration and storytelling, visit visualsbymomo. com. A huge thank you to everyone out there listening. A huge thank you to everyone out there listening. Until next time, remember, collaboration fuels change and your connections can inspire the world.